Let’s define “the hard way” first.
Not:
Watching a 6-hour tutorial at 1.5× speed
Copy-pasting code until it works
Asking AI to “fix this” withou...
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Once again, you’ve hit the proverbial nail on the head, Art. In this era of AI-first development - driven as much by marketing and FOMO as by real utility - it’s more important than ever to remind beginner and junior developers that fundamentals should come first.
AI absolutely has its place. However, while senior developers have the experience to use it as a force multiplier, those just starting out often lack the context needed to spot the hallucinations and subtle errors that AI-based tools can introduce.
The same principle applies to learning JavaScript. Frameworks can boost productivity, but without a solid grasp of plain JavaScript, they become a crutch rather than a tool.
Really well said — this hits a point that doesn’t get emphasized enough. AI and frameworks are incredibly powerful, but without strong fundamentals they can quietly slow growth instead of accelerating it. I’m especially interested in how we can help juniors build that core knowledge first, so these tools become leverage, not a dependency.
I think a big part of it is intentional sequencing. Teaching fundamentals first - things like data flow, basic architecture, and problem-solving - before introducing heavy abstractions helps juniors build a mental model of how things actually work.
AI and frameworks can then be introduced as layers on top of that foundation: tools to inspect, question, and refactor rather than accept blindly. Framing them as something to learn with (and sometimes without) goes a long way toward making them leverage instead of a dependency.
This is a really solid take, and I like how you emphasize intentional sequencing rather than just piling on tools. Starting with fundamentals gives juniors a clear mental model, which makes everything that comes later far less magical and confusing. Once that foundation is in place, AI and frameworks feel like amplifiers, not crutches. I especially agree with framing them as tools to question and refine ideas instead of blindly trusting the output. This kind of approach sets developers up to grow confidently instead of becoming dependent on abstractions too early.
Yes, Art. I think for junior developers, or anyone early in their coding journey, the simplest way to think about it is that there really aren’t any shortcuts - at least not ones that don’t come with trade-offs or problems later on.
Absolutely, that’s such a wise perspective! 👏 Your approach really shows patience and foresight, and it’s inspiring for anyone starting out to see someone emphasize learning deeply rather than rushing.
You're absolutely right.
Learning JavaScript the hard way still matters — and not only for juniors.
It’s true for every language we use, and honestly, it’s something even senior developers shouldn’t skip.
Absolutely — that’s a great point, and it shows real depth of experience.
That mindset is what keeps developers sharp over time and prevents fundamentals from quietly eroding as tools evolve.
There is a quick and dirty way to learn it: give them an actual project (not a client one, a learning one) and prohibit them from using coding agents for anything else than explanation and snippets.
They will fail a LOT, which is the point. This type of failure builds experience, expands understanding and enforces architectural thinking.
So yeah, totally agree. Learn the hard way, it's extremely beneficial.
Absolutely agree — real learning happens when developers struggle through real problems, not when tools abstract them away. Purposeful failure builds intuition, architectural judgment, and the kind of experience no AI shortcut can replace.
Learning JavaScript is an absolute must. If you don't know JavaScript you can't call yourself a frontend developer.
Absolutely agree — JavaScript is the backbone of modern frontend development, and mastering it opens the door to everything else. Having a strong JS foundation really shows you take your craft seriously and sets you up for long-term growth. 💪
yes.
😎
Spot on take—fundamentals first build unbreakable debugging muscle, then frameworks amplify it. I've seen juniors shine (or struggle) based on this sequence
Agree, debugging, the least discussed skill yet one of the main differentiators.
Exactly this. The debugging gap shows up immediately in production:
Vanilla JS:
console.log()→ trace execution flow → spot the leakReact/Next:
useEffectdeps wrong → stale closure → infinite re-render → crashFundamentals = you see the problem
Frameworks = you know which button fixes it.
Absolutely! 👏 Debugging is like a superpower—those who master it not only solve problems faster but also write smarter, more resilient code. Keep honing it; it really sets you apart!
Absolutely! 👏 That’s such a solid approach — mastering the fundamentals really sets the stage for everything else. It’s inspiring to see how much juniors grow when they stick to that path!
This is an amazing article and I am pretty sure many devs could relate to this even the senior ones.
Learning should be done the hard way be it for Javascript or any other framework. Using AI to enhance our learning process but sticking to the old way of learning would pay off in longer run.
There are no short cuts in technology, AI chat bot can produce a starter code that is good enough to confuse any junior (and sometimes even seniors), so best to do the first steps in the traditional way. Never skip the deep dive in purpose, syntax, exercises in Java script, because later when you use any other wrapper tool (that internally uses Java script) and you shall see an error message related to Java script, you would thank yourself for having gone through Java script or any language thoroughly earlier; at the same time, you would be able to appreciate how much time that wrapper tool saves by helping you avoid the boiler plate Java script code - there are many such tools, I am just giving an inference.
Having said that, a balance is needed in learning else it becomes very defeating / boring, so must do side projects to test the language, learn the suitability of when to use when :-)
Thanks for the article.
Also, I wrote an article about Junior developers specifically - feel free to have a look at it and share any feedback (in case) - dev.to/shitij_bhatnagar_b6d1be72/d...
Really solid take — I completely agree that there are no real shortcuts in tech, especially when it comes to fundamentals. AI tools can definitely generate convincing starter code, but without a deep understanding of JavaScript, it’s easy for juniors (and even seniors) to get stuck or misled when things break. I like your point about learning JS properly first, because that foundation is exactly what makes wrapper tools powerful instead of confusing. At the same time, I’m with you that balance matters — side projects are what keep learning practical and fun instead of overwhelming. Thanks for the article, and I’ll definitely check out your piece on junior developers and share my thoughts.
Yeah, I’m pretty aligned with this — especially the distinction between hard and stupid.
I don’t think juniors need to live in vanilla JS purgatory forever, but skipping fundamentals entirely is basically borrowing trouble from your future self. Things work until they don’t, and when they break, the gap shows immediately. You either understand what’s happening under the abstraction… or you’re just poking at it and hoping.
The “control” point is the real one for me. Knowing closures, the event loop, async behavior, etc., isn’t about flexing knowledge — it’s about not being surprised all the time. Debugging feels very different when you’re reasoning instead of guessing.
I also like how you called out teaching. A lot of “learn JS the hard way” advice fails because it’s framed like a rite of suffering. Endless toy examples don’t build intuition; breaking real things does. Small, messy projects where you actually see how JS behaves go way further than memorizing syntax.
AI makes this even more relevant, honestly. When AI gets something subtly wrong, fundamentals are what let you catch it. Otherwise you just accept the output because it looks confident.
So yeah — learn the core, earn the abstractions, move on when it makes sense. Balance beats dogma every time.
Totally agree with this — the hard vs. stupid distinction is spot on, and you explained it in a really grounded way. Fundamentals aren’t about suffering or gatekeeping; they’re about having enough context to not panic when things go sideways. I especially liked the point about control, because once you understand what’s happening under the hood, debugging stops feeling like random guesswork. Your take on learning through small, messy, real projects really resonates with me — that’s where intuition actually forms. With AI in the mix now, this balance feels even more important, and I’m genuinely interested in seeing more practical takes like this from you.