How much of a React is enough?

Hello,
I’ve learned HTML CSS & JavaScript very well so far and now I’m learning React. I’ve kinda finished the free React course on scrimba(I guess that’s the one from FCC curriculum) and now I’m diving into a 10hr long course on FCCs’ YouTube channel so now I’m wondering, how much of a React should I know in order to get a job. Are the basics of React going to be enough to get a junior position job or should I buy those expert courses on the internet?
Thanks in advace

1 Like

Hi @veljkocukic !

I wouldn’t jump from course to course.

If you want to test your skills, start building projects.

Start working on the projects at the end of the FCC front end course.

If you are really struggling and lost with the projects, then that will tell you to keep working on the fundamentals.

But if you are able to build those projects, then you can start to put together your portfolio of projects and look at applying for jobs.

Based on the feedback you get during the job search, you can continue to tweak your resume and portfolio to increase your chances of getting interviewed and hired.

Just keep building :grinning:

2 Likes

the only way to get experience with a tool is to use it, so build stuff using react, contribute to open source that uses react (like freeCodeCamp!)

you don’t really need those courses once you have the basics, they give you the illusion of experience, when the only real experience you can have is building projects on your own, not doing walkthroughs

3 Likes

Of course, React isn’t enough to get you a job. But being strong in it (or one of it’s equivalents) can be a big help.

How much should you know? As much as possible. But if I were interviewing someone, I’d be interested in:

  • class components
    • lifecycle methods
  • function components
    • hooks
  • HOCs
  • patterns, like presentational/container, render props, containment
  • refs
  • context

In addition, I might want them comfortable with certain common libraries, like redux, redux thunk/saga, redux forms, react router/navigation, etc.

I’m not saying that you have to be an expert on all of those, but you should at least be familiar with them. And the more you know, the better.

Once you get a basic understanding of React, I’d just start building things. I’d read through the well-written docs, a few pages a night, and check out blogs to get hip to the latest trends. If there is some concept that is throwing you, odds are that someone has written a blog about it or done a video. Or you can come ask here.

3 Likes

I would not expect to have to learn React AND Angular AND Vue, since they all serve basically the same function and can’t be used together (not easily anyway). (I might even include jQuery in that.) I think most web devs would know and use one. But those could be options to learn instead React, but I don’t know if I think you need to learn React AND those others - certainly not for a beginner. There may be a few jobs that require more than of those, but not many.

And don’t be confused by want ads that say they want all three. Those are usually the lead dev saying “we need someone with Angular experience, but if they know React or Vue, we might be able to work with that.” And then the HR person hears that as all three being required.

3 Likes

Tip: No one ever satisfies 100% of the job reqs. If you meet, say, half of them, apply for the job anyway.

9 Likes

I think kevinSmith pretty much nailed it! Only think that I would add to that list is React Hook Form.
For a price of around $15 you can pick up very good courses on Udemy. I would highly recommend courses by either Colt Steele or Stephen Grider. This would be money well invested and if you get a job then it surely pays off better interest than any stock.

This is not true. It’s very possible to become job-ready for a front-end developer position knowing HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React (among other things like Git, Chrome devtools, etc). A React app definitely won’t be using jQuery, and would be very unlikely to use Bootstrap when there are other CSS frameworks better-suited to use with React. React cannot be used with Angular (either 1.x or 2.x+). And almost no one uses React and Vue together, I’ve certainly never seen a single instance of that anywhere online. The vast, vast majority of companies choose to adopt either React or Vue. Not both.

Practically speaking, there is zero reason to learn all 3 front-end frameworks/libraries because once someone learns one and gets a job using it, it’s extremely unlikely that person is going to head down the path of one of the other two.

That is entirely incorrect. Google does not use Vue.js, and none of their web applications use Vue.js. They have no reason to use Vue.js as a company, and if you actually use Google’s apps, you’d be able to see that they don’t use Vue.js by checking with Vue Devtools. If Google were to use a front-end framework, it’d be Angular (2.x+) since they created it.

1 Like

I’d suggest that you should go through the react curriculum here in freeCodeCamp, and complete the projects at the end. It will give you a broader idea of how to use it. I started there as well and it became my stable foundation.

This topic was automatically closed 182 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.