For Frustrated Beginner React Devs: React for Prod, Resources for Best Practices, First Job, TypeScript
Published: 2020-09-14 09:55:35

This is a long comment turned into a blog post, originally published in @sandeepgamot's post "[I've hit a brick wall. How do I progress as a React Dev and other confusions.](https://dev.to/sandeepgamot/i-ve-hit-a-brick-wall-how-do-i-progress-as-a-react-dev-and-other-confusions-3ek8)". I shared my personal experience and hope to benefit someone out there. Please also share your thoughts and your fav resources with me. 😀

## What should I Learn after Create React App?

If you have been learning/using create-react-app, you should have a look at [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/) or [GatsbyJS](https://www.gatsbyjs.com/). Both of them are used in production by companies for static site generation or server-side rendering. While learning them, you will write more server-side code which can help you gain exposure. You will also learn more about performance since it is what those frameworks optimize for.

## How About Best Practices?

Thanks to the internet we now have different ways to access the wisdom of other devs. Here are some of my favorites:

#### _Listen_ to dev podcasts:

- [Syntax.fm](https://syntax.fm/)
- [Ladybug Podcast](https://www.ladybug.dev/)
- [React Podcast](https://reactpodcast.com/)

#### _Watch_ conference talks:

- [React Conf](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz5vTaEhvh7dOHEyd1efcaQ)
- [React Conferences](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsFrt8oKNYXGspSlX9u6uXw)
- [JSConf](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzoVCacndDCfGDf41P-z0iA). 

A 'silver lining' of the pandemic is that many confs are hosted online this year and you can join for free. Here's one: [React Summit on Oct 15-16](https://ti.to/gitnation/react-summit?source=REFURCR-1)

#### _Watch_ live coding:

- [Learn With Jason](https://www.twitch.tv/jlengstorf)

#### _Read_ technical blogs:

- [Overreacted.io by Dan Abramov](https://overreacted.io/)
- [Blog by Kent C. Dodds](https://kentcdodds.com/blog/)
- [Blog by swyx](https://www.swyx.io/writing)

#### _Read_ technical books: 

- [You Dont Know JS](https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS)
- [Learning JavaScript Design Patterns](https://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/book/)
- [Mostly Adequate Guide to Functional Programming](https://github.com/MostlyAdequate/mostly-adequate-guide)

#### _Follow_ other devs on Twitter:

- the authors above
- [me 🤯](https://twitter.com/hangindev)

Don't get caught up in the negativity on Twitter though.

#### When you are ready to invest, check out these paid resources:

- [Frontend Masters](https://frontendmasters.com/)
- [Courses by Wes Bos](https://wesbos.com/courses) (Free courses available)
- [Level Up Tutorials](https://www.leveluptutorials.com/)

## Landing the First Dev Job

Building side projects is the best way to get a job. They can be Codepens, hosted websites, or coursework(check out Wes's courses above). Put your works in your resume and list out the tech stacks you used. Look for a position that uses modern tech stacks and has a good team that you can learn from. You will grow rapidly in a working environment.

> Back then, I built a web app to show climbing places in my city with _Knockout JS_ and Google map APIs. I also built a bus arrival time web app because the official one was not responsive and there's no native app for my _Windows Phone_ 4 years ago. They helped me land on my first developer job in a startup. 

## Should I Learn TypeScript?

Regarding TypeScript, my suggestion is don't sweat it. Yes, there are companies that use TypeScript and I like it myself. But I am sure you can find a job that doesn't use TypeScript or doesn't require you to be a TS expert. From my personal experience, it can be frustrating to learn TypeScript and other frameworks at the same time. Instead, you can try to use TypeScript in a side project with a framework that you are already familiar with, such as CRA. For your future reference, [React TypeScript Cheatsheets](https://react-typescript-cheatsheet.netlify.app/) will be helpful.

## Pep Talk

We all have our time of confusion. The important thing is we are making progress towards our goals. In the future when you feel more comfortable and less frustrated, remember to give back to the community. 🍻

> If you are looking for a more comprehensive career guide, check out swyx's [The Coding Career Handbook](https://swyx.podia.com/coding-career-creator-package).