I learned a lot of new things in 2019. I switched myself into a Full Stack JavaScript developer from a Full Stack PHP developer. I’m going to tell you how I did it. It is a personal story if you don’t want to know about my journey then simply skip it.
In the first part of the year, I was jobless and looking for a job because my startup plan didn’t work. My tech stack was in January 2019
- Laravel (PHP)
- A little bit about JavaScript
- Bootstrap, Materialize
- Html & CSS
Extra
- Python a bit
- UI Design
- Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop
I was gaining more knowledge about all the stuff, so it took time to get me job-ready and working again.
Lets divided my year how I’ve spent it. I can break my year into three parts. Let’s call it – First phage, second phage, third phage, and fourth phage.
My naming skills are awesome. Please don’t laugh!
First Phage (January – February)
In January I mainly researched the local job market and listed down the skills I need to get for a good job. I mean a job which is not junior and salary is a little bit better than my last job. Also In January, I convert my girlfriend into my wife. So there was a wedding vibe all month and finally, I admitted to masters in January.
In February I make my portfolio better and listed some dummy projects to show the recruiters. So I make some projects and start applying to jobs. I was making a good Laravel project so that I can show it to the company and get a Laravel job. So I spend all the time spending on creating some dummy projects and applying to a job. I made a new resume too in this phage.
In this phage, I was making myself ready for the market again. Because I left my last job in Sept 2018.
Main points of this phage are
- Good resume
- Good Linkedin Profile
- Some dummy project for showcasing
Second Phage (March to June)
I divided this into a phage because I got a job in March and left it in June. When I gave the interview they selected me for the PHP programming and they send me to another office for working as a MAGENTO developer. While I didn’t even know how to run a MAGENTO website.
But the recruiter said that I can learn while job, so I give a try on MAGENTO, but I hated it. Even hated it so much that I’ve written a blog on it. You can read it from https://blog.nerdjfpb.com/why-i-dont-like-magento-2/ here.
In April my Upwork profile got accepted! I was so excited to work on the Upwork and when I came into Upwork I saw there is less job on the PHP side and people hire to work on React, Node and some other technologies. So I started to learn about the React. This is where all started. I was never excited too much about JavaScript because I was in more interested Python. Python looks cool to me but when I see the job posts and everything I decided to learn JavaScript new frameworks.
I started to learn React JS without knowing proper JavaScript. I never worked so much with JavaScript so it was hard for me when started. I followed many tutorials. I tried to make websites as fast as I can because I was trying to move from my job. Because MAGENTO was so painful. Finally, I left my job in June and focus on my Upwork and Fiverr profile.
In this phage, I decided to move from PHP. Reasons are
- In my country without having 3-5 experience on your resume, you’ll never get a good salary job. You’ll get a low salary job which is equal to a React junior job. This thing buzzes me a lot.
- The trend is going to javascript so I thought I can give a try.
- I can get a remote job because there are many positions on React and Node.
- Magento made me hate PHP. Because of the project I’ve worked on Magento, it took a lot of time to load on the local machine. It was so hard to work on. So I choose to leave PHP.
Main points of this phage are
- Deciding to leave PHP and start JavaScript
- Upwork profile
- Decided to work from home and learn more things
Third Phage (July – September)
This is a sad phage for me honestly. Because Upwork changed their rule at this time. So I had to buy connects for applying in the job. Also, the market was really unstable at the time. So it was really hard for me to make profile better. But I did and got the RISING Talent Badge on the Upwork, but In September Upwork banned me. They didn’t tell me the exact reason, they just give a message and I applied again but they didn’t approve. So I had to left my Upwork and focus on building my social media so that I can get a project offer from any social media. I had my Fiverr profile also, but I wasn’t getting any orders from there. So it was hard in September. But it changed my last phage.
Because I’ve already gained some knowledge. My tech stack was in September
- React
- Node
- Express js
- MongoDB
Main points of this phage are
- Got banned from Upwork. Which help me to focus on social media and building community
- Learned more about MERN stack
- Start learning a lot of different things in this phage because I wasn’t doing a 10-6 job. I had the time and invested it in my skills to grow.
Fourth Phage (October – December)
This is the last phage of this year. I worked hard on this part to use more what I’ve learned.
I am working with a senior developer on his project so that I had to learn GraphQL also and I love the idea of GraphQL. This can save a lot of time. But also everything comes with pros and cons! So my final tech stack is
- React
- Express
- SQL and NoSQL
- Graphql
Main points of this phage are
- Starting doing a mini-series on Node (learn node in 30days)
- Start posting on Instagram, Linkedin & Twitter regularly
- Focusing on learning more in next year
- Also focusing on teaching while learning
So now I am going to discuss more how I’ve changed myself into a Full Stack Javascript developer.
Frontend (React JS Learning)
First I’ve started with learning the frontend. I learned about React JS then I start making some dummy projects on React JS. I’ve added those into my profile. finally, I started to work on some client react project. I watched a lot of tutorials on React JS, from youtube, from udemy. I did a lot of research and learned how React JS works, why we used it, what problems it solved and many more.
I’ve like to mention some courses and things you can use for learning
- https://zerotomastery.io/blog/learn-to-code-in-2020-get-hired-and-have-fun-along-the-way check this one. This is an amazing article about how you can learn coding in 5 months and work in a company. Sadly it was not in my time when I was learning but this one is a great guide to learn and get a job.
- I mostly followed Mosh Hamedani react tutorial, which is a really good one for starting. I completed the whole thing. https://codewithmosh.com/p/mastering-react
- I completed Andrei Neagoie course of a complete web developer. Where he teaches about React and Express. Well, I recently finished it. But it was a good course. https://www.udemy.com/course/the-complete-web-developer-zero-to-mastery/
- I watched The net ninja tutorials for React also. I finished https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4cUxeGkcC9i0_2FF-WhtRIfIJ1lXlTZR this one but there is a better version now you can check https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4cUxeGkcC9ij8CfkAY2RAGb-tmkNwQHG In this version he added Redux too. You can search “the net ninja react” on youtube to get more tutorials on react, he has amazing tutorials.
- Finally, I started a Book named “Learning React: Functional Web Development with React and Redux”. Didn’t finished it yet.
- I am also interested to check out two React courses in 2020. First one is by Andrei Neagoie https://www.udemy.com/course/complete-react-developer-zero-to-mastery/ and the second one by Andrei Mead https://www.udemy.com/course/react-2nd-edition/
Backend (Node JS & Express Learning)
After learning a bit of React, I understand that I need to learn about Node too. I can choose python(Django) but I wanted to stay in JavaScript . So I choose Node JS and start learning.
I’ve like to mention some courses and things you can use for learning
- I started with Mosh Hamedani node js course https://codewithmosh.com/p/the-complete-node-js-course Because I was loving his React course. I still didn’t complete the whole series, there are some left. But I can code for production using express js now.
- I also watched the net ninja tutorials. About the node, you can check https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4cUxeGkcC9gcy9lrvMJ75z9maRw4byYp this one.
- I mainly learn node from working on a project and facing problems. I think the backend course wasn’t good enough to write a whole site and organize it properly. There were many missing pieces. So I’m interested to take Andrew Mead https://www.udemy.com/course/the-complete-nodejs-developer-course-2/ this course in 2020. Hope this will answer some of my questions.
Databases
I learned about the database by working. While taking the node courses, I learned about MongoDB and loved it. Then for a client project, I learned about PostgreSQL but I think there is a lot of things to learn.
Rest API & GraphQL
Before this year, I didn’t know much about API. Because when I worked with Laravel and my old projects, I didn’t have to use API. So I didn’t know much about it. I learned it this year properly and finally know about GraphQL too. I used youtube mostly to learn about Graphql.
I’ve like to mention some courses and things you can use for learning
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL55RiY5tL51rG1x02Yyj93iypUuHYXcB_ this one is a great playlist for learning GraphQL.
- You can also check out Andrei Neagoie new course about React JS where we teach about GraphQL too https://www.udemy.com/course/complete-react-developer-zero-to-mastery/ I didn’t complete yet, so I’m interested to complete it in 2020.
- I am interested to take Andrei Mead course of GraphQL in 2020 https://www.udemy.com/course/graphql-bootcamp/
I want to mention some people & resources which help to gain all this knowledge.
(All these are paid)
- Andrei Neagoie I am a big fan of him. Love the way he teaches and explains. He has some awesome tutorials on Udemy. You can check out – https://www.udemy.com/user/andrei-neagoie/
- Mosh Hamedani tutorials look great. But I think there can be improved in React & Node courses. Like he never showed how to work with files and other stuff. But he wrote about it on the blog, I found it later. Check this out – https://programmingwithmosh.com/
- Andrei Mead is my new found, I’m loving his tutorials. I didn’t start so much, but I’m going to start in 2020. Check this out – https://www.udemy.com/user/andrewmead/
(Free)
- I found this channel while searching for a Javascript topic. The way he explains. Too awesome. https://www.youtube.com/user/shiffman
- You can check the net ninja anytime https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW5YeuERMmlnqo4oq8vwUpg he has many tutorials on JavaScript
- And finally the crush course king. Check this out for any crush courses – https://www.youtube.com/user/TechGuyWeb
- You can check out https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8butISFwT-Wl7EV0hUK0BQ for learning a topic in one video. This is completely free and you can earn a certificate by https://www.freecodecamp.org/ coding here.
- I found DEV ED recently and this guy has amazing tutorials on his channel. Worth checking it – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClb90NQQcskPUGDIXsQEz5Q
- Another good channel I found this year. You can check this out –https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFbNIlppjAuEX4znoulh0Cw
(Some conference videos I liked)
- For functional programming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-5obm1G_FY
- About Deno https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6JRlx5NC9E
- Advanced Async and Concurrency Patterns in JavaScript https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg1SvpIau6U
- 10 Things I Regret About Node.js https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3BM9TB-8yA
So this is the story of how I changed myself into a JavaScript full stack from a PHP full-stack.
This is not all the tutorials and stuff I watched and learned this year. I learned about some design too. Because I think design is needed to be a better full stack developer. If you have time, you can learn some designing too.
If you need me for anything you can always message me.
Originally it published on nerdjfpbblog. You can connect with me in twitter or linkedin or instagram !
Top comments (10)
Thank you for sharing your journey 😊 It was helpful.
With my current skillset, I would likely get a job in Laravel rather than JavaScript-focused. Same as you before, I currently don't know much about JS except for jQuery. That why leaving behind my current tech stack (Laravel-MySQL-Boostrap) and learning everything new, the MERN stack, seemed scary too me cause I only have few months before graduating in college. I'm scared of not being prepared for my future JS dev role. For now, I'm learning ReactJS and am taking baby step in learning the MERN stack. Also, you're right it's a marathon not a sprint 😊
Same happens with me at first half of the year. I got all job related to php and salary is low in our country. Because people only give value of paper experience. I had a good portfolio and work, but they didn't call me because I didn't have experience and on paper work experience. After leaving the MAGENTO Job I got some interview calls, but I didn't go there. Because I really wanted to leave the php, So I started freelancing and the sad part of freelancing is you need to work in WordPress. So I worked WordPress to live and learn about the react js and tried to get some freelance work.
I converting to be a full stack web developer happens because I got client who need work on react and node, I practiced their work and learned a lot for real life.
Also right now, I work with a senior developer personal project, where he helps me to learn a lot of things and project is not that easy so I learned a ton of stuff.
Just keep going with the flow and track your progress. If possible get a break and learn the dream stuff you want to work.
Another tip is search your job in LinkedIn. This will help!
Thank you so much for the tip. I guess job hunting will be hard especially when all my work experience is PHP related and zero ReactJS. So I guess my strategy is creating work-like web apps, deploy it and add it into my portfolio, while learning ReactJS. Anyways, I'll just work and hope for the best 😊
Thank you Ali.
Best of luck Rivera!
I have reached almost 3 years experience in PHP development, being full stack javascript developer or data scientist is my dream at start.
So you are going to change soon ?
I'm still building my skill on them, and when the time is come I'll leave PHP for sure.
Best of luck man! But seriously, if you like php then you can stay with it. But I'm not that much php fan so I leave it.
PHP also has a big future if you can be that skilled, because laravel is doing great and I think in future laravel + vue will be a good skill set!
good article Mr Ali
Thanks!