Love Javascript... Hate CSS

Hey everyone,

I completed the HTML/CSS module by the skin of my teeth. Found CSS really difficult to understand- there were so many things that seem almost identical and the structure was so complex? I lost track and I’m just generally not motivated by the aesthetics of a project, so I wasn’t very inspired to get into it.

By contrast, I love the Javascript module and have been making little problem-solving projects along the way just for fun.

My question is- how much can you specialize in one type of coding (logical/problem solving) over another (aesthetics)? Or is this a false dichotomy? I’m new to tech altogether, so I really don’t know what real world coding entails.

Thanks for any help,

Kate

Join the club. A lot of people hate CSS.

My question is- how much can you specialize in one type of coding (logical/problem solving) over another (aesthetics)? Or is this a false dichotomy?

I think it’s more an issue of what you are trying to do. If you are going to be doing frontend work, then you’re going to deal with CSS.

Like I said, I hate CSS. But I’m also a React Native developer, which is frontend, so, I have to do CSS (or at least RN’s version of it). I don’t spend my whole day doing it, but I do do it. But like anything, the more you do it, the better you get.

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Do you do freelance work or work at a company? How big is the job market for React Native developers?

I think most people just don’t attack the problem of learning CSS the same way they do JS. It almost seems like people expect CSS to work without any necessary prerequisites.

You wouldn’t get very far with JS if you didn’t spend a lot of time learning how it works and why things work the way they do. You can approach CSS the same way you do JS. Read the docs, read the specs, and try to understand how it works. Why should good CSS code be so much easier to write than good JS code?

Usually, when I hear people say they hate CSS it isn’t actually because of some artistic reason. It’s because it doesn’t do what they want it to do and they can’t really be bothered to figure out why.

But you are not alone that is for sure. There are plenty of talented devs that aren’t very good at CSS. Which is one of the reasons why CSS frameworks and component libraries are so popular. You might want to check out some utility-based CSS frameworks (like Tailwind, Windi CSS, UnoCSS) they can cut down the CSS you have to write dramatically while still allowing you to write your own CSS and create your own components/design.

I guess I see what you’re saying- because I enjoy JS and the types of problems they’re asking me to solve, I’m doing more practice along the way and figuring out why things do and don’t work, which is probably leading to me having a better understanding of the whole language.

Whereas with the CSS module, I did what they asked of me for each individual task and not more, so when it came time for the big projects, I hadn’t gotten a holistic understanding of how different elements play off each other.

Thanks for the recommendations of frameworks/libraries. I’m getting the impression that CSS is not completely avoidable but you don’t have to be a genius at it depending on what the task at hand is. Would you agree with that?

There are definitely a lot of plug-and-play options when it comes to CSS that can help you get something nice looking on the page without too much effort. Just like you have npm packages that can do some of the JS work for you, or help make the JS you do have to write less involved or more enjoyable.

From a developer’s behind-the-scene look, CSS might not matter as much to you as the JS/framework code does. However, fancy algorithms are of little consequence to end-users, but the way the site/app looks will be judged within seconds and can be a deal-breaker for the user.

Like a premium, car built to perfection. If the color is all wrong you likely won’t really care how well made it is, it’s still ugly to you and you won’t buy it. All that engineering effort can be thwarted by something as simple as the wrong color.

I like JavaScript and hate CSS too. It’s fine. Yeah, there are definitely times when I have to suck it up and fight with CSS for a while, but it’s a necessary evil of the job… like attending meetings and writing design documents. It’s not most of my job, so it’s fine that it’s not my favorite part of my job.

I’ve done both, but mostly I’ve worked for companies. I actually fell into RN by accident. I learned React with FCC and tried a little RN out of curiosity. When I applied for a React job they offered me a RN job.

I wouldn’t worry too much about it at this point. If you’re doing FCC, you’ll learn React. Once you have your environment set up 95% of RN is the same as React. But again, at this point, just learn and be open to possibilities. FCC gives you the basis of a MERN stack, which is a solid foundation. I would focus on that for now (or whatever path you’re doing). Once you’re done with that, then you’ll know more and be able to make some choices.

The best advice is to learn things and build things.

Hi there,

I just wanted to let you know that I love CSS and I don´t like JS that much… so it is the other way around and propbaly you should find someone who likes CSS so that you can focus on the JS part (by the way I am looking for help in JS, so pm me if you are interested). I saw websites from very talented developers which looks like crap because they dont care about CSS, but there website could be so much better with the right CSS.

Furthermore CSS needs technical skills and artistic skills, knowlege about colors, visual athmosphere, the right font, graphics, icons etc. However I think you are doing better with solid JS skills. In my opinion CSS is not that much apprechiated as it should be.

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