Can You Center the Div? And Other Truths About Frontend Frameworks

Muhammed Sabir — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 09:25:23 +0000

"Frameworks were made to simplify development. But somewhere along the way, the tool became the product."

This is a rant — but the honest kind. The one that comes from experience, frustration, and a little humor. So if you’ve ever been told “You can learn React in 7 days!”, read on.

And no — this isn't just about React.

The same story applies to Vue, Angular, Next.js, Tailwind, Django, and pretty much any framework or library that promises to make your life easier.

The 7-Day React Lie (And Its Siblings)

Everyone’s heard it:

“React is so easy, you’ll master the basics in a week.”

And sure, if you already know JavaScript inside out, maybe that's true.

But for most beginners, React isn’t magic — it’s confusing. They get stuck wondering:

Why is the component re-rendering?
What’s the difference between props and state?
Why is this useEffect running twice?
And yes... how the heck do you center this div?

If you're not fluent in JavaScript, then React is just an expensive abstraction. You're using the library like a product — clicking buttons, copy-pasting StackOverflow code — without knowing what's happening underneath.

Same goes for other frameworks too.

Learning Vue or Django without solid JS or Python skills? You’re just learning how to use a product, not how to build software.

The Real Essence of React (or any framework) Is... JavaScript (or the language beneath)

React only shines when you understand:

Closures
Callbacks
Async/Await
The Event Loop
Spread/rest operators
The DOM and browser rendering

If those words sound fuzzy to you, React will feel like magic that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.

But if you're confident in JS, then React becomes what it’s meant to be:

A tool that reduces bottlenecks — not adds them.

And this is just as true for any other framework. You can’t expect to be great at Vue without JS, or build solid APIs with Django if you’re shaky on Python.

📉 The Hiring Irony

Here’s the industry joke:

“We’re looking for a React developer with 5 years of experience using Hooks.”

Posted in early 2019.

Never mind that Hooks came out late 2018.

This happens all the time:

HR folks list every buzzword they’ve ever seen on Twitter.
Companies confuse “years of experience” with actual depth.
Developers start chasing frameworks instead of skills.

And the cycle continues. We start building resumes instead of understanding what we’re doing.

Framework FOMO

React → Next.js → Astro → Svelte → Remix → SolidJS...

New tools show up every month, and devs jump ship faster than Netflix cancels shows.

But ask someone to build a todo app in vanilla JS and many would blank out. We’ve become so tool-dependent that we forget the basics.

And I get it — tools are fun. Shiny. Fast. But without strong fundamentals, it’s like driving a Tesla without knowing how brakes work.

😅 “Can You Center the Div?”

This meme isn’t just a joke. It’s a reality check.

Before jumping into state management libraries, server-side rendering, and atomic design systems…

👉 Make sure you can center a div.

Why?

Because CSS, HTML, and JS aren’t side skills — they’re the core of frontend.

Frameworks build on top of them, not in place of them.

At the end of the day: Tools Are Not Magic

React is great. So are many other frameworks.

But don’t fall for the hype that learning React equals learning frontend.

Learn JavaScript. Learn CSS. Learn how the browser works.

Then, pick up any framework — and actually understand what it’s doing for you.

Because at the end of the day, React might make dev easier…

…but only if you already know how to develop.

I'm not saying that frameworks are dumb or useless — far from it.

They’re powerful tools that genuinely reduce developer pain when used right.

But it’s important to have clarity about what you’re doing and an understanding of what’s happening under the hood.

Because tools should amplify your skills, not replace the need for them.

🗨️ What do you think? Have you felt this React-vs-JS gap too? Or faced similar issues with other frameworks? Drop your thoughts below!