Here are a few things I learned the hard way, maybe they’ll save you some time.
Looking back at my frontend journey so far, there are a few simple things I really wish I knew earlier.
They’re not flashy. They’re not from the latest hype cycle.
But they would’ve made everything smoother from writing better code to avoiding burnout.
So here they are 5 tips I’d share with my past self.
- Master the Basics Before Jumping to Frameworks It’s tempting to dive straight into React or Vue. But if your JavaScript, HTML, and CSS fundamentals are weak, you’ll struggle more than you need to.
Know how the DOM works. Know how CSS specificity works. Learn vanilla JS deeply.
Frameworks are easier when you understand what they’re abstracting.
- You Don’t Need to Learn Everything at Once Trying to learn React, Vue, Angular, and Svelte in one month? I’ve been there.
Spoiler: You’ll just end up confused.
Pick one (I chose React), go deep, and ignore the noise until you’re comfortable.
Depth > breadth when you’re starting out.
- You Can (and Should) Learn UX as a Developer You don’t have to become a designer but knowing UX principles makes your frontend work 10x better.
How users read screens
What makes a form intuitive
Why spacing matters
These small UX details are what make your projects feel “polished.”
- TypeScript Feels Scary… Until It Saves You I avoided TypeScript for too long. It felt like extra work.
Now I can’t imagine building anything serious without it.
Start small: convert one component.
Then slowly type your functions, props, and API responses.
Your future self (and your teammates) will thank you.
- Don’t Overcomplicate Your Code Early on, I thought writing clever code was a flex.
Now I try to write code that’s boring, simple, and obvious.
Readable > clever.
Maintainable > fancy.
Your job is to solve the problem, not impress other devs.
🗣️ What’s One Tip You Wish You Knew Earlier?
I’d love to hear your version.
Drop it in the comments. Whether it’s technical, mindset-related, or just a small trick that made your life easier.
Top comments (2)
Hey friend, nice post! 👋
You might want to double-check your formatting in this post, it looks like some things didn't come out as you intended. Here's a formatting guide in case you need some help troubleshooting. Best of luck and thanks again for sharing this post!
Hey! Thanks for the kind words! 👋 I really appreciate you pointing that out, I’ll take another look at the formatting 👍