What framework or library is best to learn first? Is it React.js or Angular or Vue.js or "who the hell knows”.js. or should you know all of them?

On your software journey, I am sure you will see this debate several times on the internet. If you are new to software development, this question can be very overwhelming. To make matters more complicated, there are many strongly opinionated developers who will quickly tell you why the framework you finally picked was wrong and not worth your time.

If you can identify with this dilemma, just close your eyes and take a deep breath. Just know that you are not the only Developer stuck in this quagmire. Heck, I was in your shoes a few months ago. I was constantly chasing the new and shiny thing, just to have it fizzle in popularity in a few months. Then I was back at square one. It was frustrating and I also discovered that it was the perfect formula to fail.

How did I turn things around? Well, in retrospect, it was obvious but it is hard to see when my mind was clouded. I’ve discovered that there is more to my Developer life than always looking for the next BIG thing to learn. There will always be something new. The truth is that almost all of these new frameworks are built on the software fundamentals that have been around for over 30 years. If you take a deeper look at the Gang of Four (GOF) book and other design patterns, you may notice that these are the foundation of most of these new fancy frameworks.

Let's sum it all up...
Stop chasing those new items and just focus on the old, dusty, tried and true software development fundamentals. Make sure that you understand vanilla JavaScript, this will be the core language of most of these frameworks. Then, pick a framework to play around (React, Angular, Vue or something else), and see if you can identify the fundamental patterns. There is always going to be a new kid on the block so focus on the core ideas. Oh, and remember to have FUN.

Kenny out!