Hi There!
First off, I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Ryan. No one cares about this stuff so I'll keep it short, but basically, ...
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I'm not really full stack. Years ago I wrote cool stuff in Javascript (like a medical monitoring EKG) but in more recent years it's all been Python and other backend things. I did do a course on React last year, which was interesting but I haven't used it in production
Strikes me you will always be "wasting" your time learning a particular toolkit, library or system unless it is truely an industry standard
If you look at the Stackoverflow survey of tools for 2018, the top 3 are Node.js, Angular and React. So pick one of them and work your way out sideways
Right. Obviously, I don't really think that I wasted" time learning those things. There are always things I learned through the process that has helped me, even if just practicing what I already knew. Diving deep into understanding vanilla Js has been the biggest benefit to me. I am working almost exclusively in React these days, but it's wonderful to be able to look at Vue documentation or hop on any documentation and essentially get the gist of things because I understand how all of it is working from the get-go.
I almost cried when they announced that Google is discontinuing active development on Angular.js (v1.x). It felt like a slap on the face. This was because I had invested a whole year learning it and building one of my side projects with it. But regardless, it got me started on design patterns in web development (MVC) and that's one thing that I don't regret learn it.
Great post. I think it is a great idea to take a moment to go over the things one has learned. It can help in the times when you don't feel like you have made any progress and helps to reinforce the idea that there is always things to learn even when you are a professional with years of experience. The web is always changing and new things are always on the way. It is a great habit to have to continue learning.
Frameworks will always come and go but they're all based on the infamous web trilogy html, css and js. Generally speaking if you understand those then you'll know what's under the hood of all these glorious technologies constantly being rolled out. After that it's much easier to decide what's worth your time. Inevitably it takes time to learn what we need to learn. I have a huge scrap pile of projects that represents that curve. š
Don't be to hard on yourself. We all do / did this.
I don't think that there is such a thing as wasted time when it comes to coding (except maybe gulp...). I have started many projects in obscure languages and frameworks that went absolutely nowhere, but it made me the dev I am now.
First of all, you have become more careful when it comes to libraries and frameworks. Next time you'll be able to judge if you need it and why. You won't just grab the first thing you come across but you will fist examine who made it, if it's mature and if it will be around for long.
Secondly, you learn how to absorb knowledge. You learn to read and understand documentation and how to use that knowledge. The next framework you'll have to learn will go even quicker.
I personally don't think there is anything wrong with frameworks and they will always come and go. Next time however, you will ask yourself "do I really need it, and why?" And you are a better developer for it.