How I went from getting stuck in tutorials to actually finishing a JavaScript course.
I wanted to learn React. There was just one problem.
I wanted to learn React because I needed it for hackathons. I'd participated in several, built projects with AI, and even been part of a winning team. But I was still relying heavily on AI to write code, and I wanted to understand what I was actually building.
The problem was JavaScript.
I knew I needed to learn JavaScript before React. Even the YouTube tutorials made that pretty clear. But every time I tried to learn it, I'd get stuck halfway through a course. The tutorials were so long that I'd lose momentum before I ever got to React.
I spent months trying to get through JavaScript tutorials but never made it far enough to start learning React.
Eventually, I started learning through ChatGPT instead. I'd ask questions, work on projects, and use AI to help me build things. It was useful, especially during hackathons, but I struggled to keep track of what I'd learned. Conversations got lost, I'd forget where I'd left off, and I kept jumping between things without following a proper course.
I was building projects, but I still couldn't sit down and learn JavaScript properly.
Then I found Scrimba
I'd started asking ChatGPT for interactive courses, something more like Brilliant.org than another endless video series. Scrimba kept coming up, so I decided to try it.
The first thing I liked was that the code was right there on my screen. I could interact with it instead of switching between a tutorial and VS Code.
The lessons were broken into smaller chunks, with tasks to complete along the way. For once, I was actually finishing lessons instead of abandoning a course halfway through.
I've always preferred learning alongside someone else, almost like studying with a friend. Scrimba gave me that feeling. I'd listen to the explanation, experiment with the code, finish a task, and move on to the next one.
I also liked how it introduced concepts. Instead of explaining a JavaScript feature out of nowhere and expecting me to memorise it, the course would present a problem first and then guide me towards the solution. I could see why I needed to learn something before being asked to use it.
Even the progress bar and completed lesson list made a difference. I could see exactly which lessons I'd finished instead of feeling like I was constantly starting over.
Five months of trying, one week of progress
At the beginning of this year, I'd wanted to build a Chrome extension. I thought it was something way beyond a beginner's level.
After working through Scrimba's JavaScript beginner course, I was genuinely surprised by how approachable it felt. Something I'd imagined as an advanced project no longer seemed so intimidating.
Within a week, I'd completed the beginner course and built three projects: a Chrome extension, a Bojack-themed game, and a unit conversion project.
I'd spent months trying to get through JavaScript tutorials so I could finally learn React. Now, I'd actually finished a course and built three projects.
I'm not suddenly a JavaScript expert, and I still have a lot to learn. But I finally understood more of the JavaScript behind the things I wanted to build.
What changed for me
I think the biggest difference was how the course was structured. With YouTube, I'd keep watching until I lost interest, and with ChatGPT, I'd jump between questions and projects. With Scrimba, I had mini lessons to finish, problems to solve, and a progress bar showing me how far I'd come.
If you're stuck trying to learn JavaScript before moving on to React, you could give interactive learning a try. I spent months trying to get through long tutorials, but a week of smaller, hands-on lessons helped me make the progress I'd been looking for.
Now I can move on to learning React with a better understanding of JavaScript than I had before.
If you're curious about the platform, you can check out Scrimba here.
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