Hello
I understand that most people here are looking for a job or looking to switch career.
But if you are not looking for a job but are only interested in doing your own website or app, is it worth it to learn frameworks? I mean, can you do anything you want to just using the basics i.e. html + css + js + either php/mysql or nodejs/mongodb ? Or is it too problematic and wieldy?
thanks
David
For small projects, it’s probably overkill (but still interesting and fun). The larger and or more complex the web application is, the more convenience a framework offers.
Thanks for the feedback Ariel.
You gotta remember as well that frameworks are built to solve someone’s specific problem, and it’s likely that you’ll encounter one of those problems. At which point the framework becomes useful (be it JS, PHP or whatever). That kinda backs up your thinking in a way though; there isn’t any pressing need to learn a framework of any kind when you don’t need to (although some of them may give you insights into how to better structure things you’re already doing).
For people like me who find that learning one framework after another gets really tedious after a while, your advice strikes a chord. I also definitely concur: learning material that does not ‘seem’ to be relevant actually helps you in more ways than you can imagine.
In any case, I started the freecodecamp curriculum and I am still keen to see it through.
Thanks Dan.
If your goal is to build your own websites or apps, you should set out to see which framework would allow you to focus on that. Depending on what sort of features you care about should influence your choice.
For example,
If you care about getting a simple web page finished without any fancy bells and whistles. No framework is the way to go, simple because you don’t need to learn much, if anything.
But if you want to build a responsive web app that looks nice on phones, tablets, and computers, then using some CSS framework might be worth the trouble. If anything, you can get some insight on how to improve your own custom solutions 
I don’t advise learning frameworks for the sake of learning frameworks. Learn when and where to use what, and then dive deeper into learning the framework that seems like the best fit. Or just focus on getting your existing skills good enough to solve the task at hand 
Just remember, no matter if you are using a framework, or no framework, if you only have a hammer, everything will look like a nail. The goal isn’t to become proficient with just a hammer, rather its to have a toolbox of different kinds of tools for different kinds of jobs.
Hi Brad
Yep. Learning how to learn is the most difficult part of learning. I guess this is a common theme not only here at the freecodecamp forum but anywhere else for that matter. Learning frameworks just for the sake of learning them does not work for learners like me. For sure.
Not being a native speaker, it took me some time to get it when you said ‘if you only have a hammer, everything will look like a nail’. Ha Ha. That is so true. If you only know how to say ‘xie xie’ (thank you in chinese), then that is all you will say when in China.
At the end of the day, you have to be honest with yourself. Am I really overlearning here or am I trying to ‘get away with murder’?
Thanks
David