Spoiler: TypeScript isn't the only thing TypeScript taught me.
If you're a boot camper like me, you may know that most coding boot camps teach more functional programming than anything. You may also know languages that strongly favor functional patterns are the roots of the skills taught at boot camps. This includes languages like JavaScript (JS) and Python. What is the problem with this?
JavaScript and Python are implicitly-typed languages
At least Python's type-safe rating is "strong." JS's type-safe rating is "weak." Let's talk about JS. JavaScript has been the most-loved and the most-hated programming language all at once for quite some time now. A lot of the hate for JavaScript is due to its absence of a strict typing system. Where a language such as Java will crucify you for a null check, JavaScript says, "A string divided by a string? Yeah, that might work. Let's run it."
For noobs, that's great! Experienced developers with exposure to type systems and object-oriented programming (OOP) are not likely to be big fans of JS, though. They'll likely spend some time scratching their heads when working in JS. Many believe that typing systems should be introduced to juniors as early as possible. I agree after learning TypeScript (TS).
In an implicitly-typed language, a variable's type is implied by its definition and other mutations. However, the variable is not restricted to its original implied type. Further, unless you have a special linter checking things like this, you will not know about error-bound operations until they happen. JavaScript fixed a little bit of this with the const keyword in ES6. It's not nearly enough, however. In JavaScript, an object's properties can still change to any type you like. This gets very dangerous in large code-bases. At best, it can require a ton of comments and developer focus to ensure something is never changed or coerced to a type that will not work with the operations working on that variable. The worst-case scenario, of course, is production coming down.
The decision to learn TS
After my boot camp concluded, I had trouble deciding what to learn next. I thought about GraphQL, Shopify, a deep dive into Node, and many others. Each of these seemed either too big or too small to help me in the job search. I wanted something that would teach me more about computer science; something widely used with deep roots in the computer science world. I settled on TypeScript because it can be used anywhere JavaScript is. I hope that you will consider learning TS after reading this post.
What did I learn?
Everything. Er... well, everything about strict typing. I thought TypeScript might be missing some things in comparison to the strict typing systems in Java or C#. I did not find that to be the case. Here is what surprised me... I found the more I learned about TypeScript, the more I learned about typing systems in general. Eventually, I became committed to typing every reference and variable I possibly could in my projects. This saved me a lot of debugging in the long run. Documenting the shape of your models and using said shapes to prevent errors in one fell swoop is empowering. Experienced OOP developers are reading this like, "Um... yeah. That's the point. It's called an interface." Right you are! Interfaces and classes are the heart and soul of what makes TypeScript valuable for you as a Junior JavaScript Developer.
What did it do for my job search?
It made me a better interviewee and a more attractive candidate. Not only did I have another popular technology under my belt, but I was able to approach interview coding challenges in strictly-typed languages with a lot more confidence. While in the job search, I had to complete a take-home challenge in Java. Now, I'd had a little bit of experience in Java, but never anything like my experience in JavaScript. Meaning, I didn't write an API or desktop application or anything like that in Java. So, I was reasonably concerned with my ability to do well on a Java coding challenge.
Once I began the challenge and started researching how to implement my solution, I was pleasantly surprised by how much TypeScript is transferrable to Java! It makes perfect sense when I think about it now, however. TypeScript is maintained by Microsoft and is meant to function a lot like the typing system of C#: their alternative to Java. I handled strict-typing with ease even though I'd never done anything half as advanced as this challenge with Java. When I came across a type error in this challenge, I knew where to look each time. If I had not committed to learning TS, I would not have been ready for this interview challenge.
TypeScript is the best next thing to learn for a junior
I did well with that challenge. I attribute a lot of my success in that situation to the fact that I decided to start using TS in all of my JS endeavors about two months before. If you are a boot camp graduate or a Junior JavaScript Developer looking to learn something that will vastly broaden your coding horizons, learn TypeScript.
As a bonus, you will finally understand all of the JavaScript hate when you see how much chaos pure JavaScript allows compared to TypeScript.
If anything in this article is inaccurate or misleading, please do not hesitate to reach out so I can change it! I am still a junior myself, and I want to learn as much as possible.
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