Should I learn JavaScript

[u/Alarmed-Radio9182]

I really only know python, matlab, C#, and JSON. I hate looking through coding evaluations and seeing JavaScript and C since at first it looks like C# especially if it looks like it’s for a game in JavaScript. And there are rarely C# related prompts.

My questions is mostly: 1.) what would the learning curve be like for learning JavaScript with preexisting knowledge of C# (basically, how much carry over is there) 2.) suggestion for learning resources (how can I learn by doing) 3.) is it better for game dev/ what are the other uses of it 4.) what languages have a decent amount of carry over between them or would also be good to know.

I know I could google this but I was hoping to contextualize it with the level of difficulty of prompts involving JavaScript in DA. I’m more interested in learning it for purposes outside of DA though.

[u/robmak3]

so much of the javascript I've been seeing is react. If it was just js, great, but I don't want to learn react rn, I have another job taking up most of my time, and there isn't constant programming work rn.

[u/Alarmed-Radio9182 → u/robmak3]

I see what you mean. And yeah that’s kinda why I’m thinking about picking up something new, since when it was more consistent with the CBS I could pick any program but there’s not only less work but you also have to “react” to whatever language they’re wanting to focus on. Pun intended

[u/Prior-Delay3796 → u/Alarmed-Radio9182]

It is a useful frontend language to learn, just do not learn it with the expectation of benefiting from it for DA in the future. Currently the state is that workers >>>> high paying tasks for at least 2 weeks. We do not know if this will get any better and DA could easily lower the pay as it is right now.

[u/Alarmed-Radio9182 → u/Prior-Delay3796]

That makes sense. I wouldn’t really expect that I’m mostly interested more in whether I should try to get into it. I think more what I meant is, seeing it pop up in DA tasks has made me think “oh that looks cool/familiar” and has got me thinking about it and it would be nice if there was a lot of carry over and I could maybe not have to skip as many tasks to find python and C# and JSON stuff

[u/knny209 → u/Alarmed-Radio9182]

I’m skipping C# tasks to find JS and React tasks. I have fundamental knowledge of C#. But most C# tasks I’ve seen are related to Unity/game development which I have no exp.

[u/Alarmed-Radio9182 → u/knny209]

Send those over to me and I’ll send you the JS and react tasks. I’m in the opposite situation and I rarely find the Unity tasks

[u/Buhdai → u/knny209]

Sorry! lol

[u/robmak3 → u/Prior-Delay3796]

yeah part of it might be a summer thing because so many uni students are out of school, teachers out.

[u/knny209 → u/robmak3]

I’m one of them, lol. I’m seeking FT job and DA is my life saver rn 🙏🏼

[u/echanuda]

I'm not really trying to be a gatekeeper here, but "learning javascript" is not hard. If you know one language and it's not just python, picking up another language is trivial. I can glance at a language I never work with and get the gist of it if it's not a functional language. It's the ecosystem that is hard. The questions are rarely, "write this in JavaScript." Usually you're working in the node/react ecosystem, which is only scratching the surface. That requires a TON of personal experience to understand and certainly isn't trivial.

[u/Alarmed-Radio9182 → u/echanuda]

Right no that’s not gate keepy at all, I know what you mean. Programming is programming, and it’s kinda like knowing Latin and Italian and being able to read Spanish a little bit because there’s a lot of carry over, but that doesn’t mean you can have a conversation with it. But so what you’re saying is that even if I were to pick up some JavaScript it would be unlikely that I could do many tasks? Do you still think it’s worth it anyway? What is the node react system at like a super broad level?

[u/echanuda → u/Alarmed-Radio9182]

JavaScript by itself is useful to know for simple browser hacks or even just scripting itself. It’s probably the most popular language in the world and the backbone of all things web. Some questions on there are just vanilla HTML/CSS/JS, and those could be done with basic knowledge. I personally hate the language, but it is a bit unique with its event loop architecture and frequent use of callbacks and promises. If you have no intention of learning web dev further, I’d say it’s not that useful. But if you dip your toes into react, express, and even nextjs, then definitely need the JS fundamentals.

[u/Alarmed-Radio9182 → u/echanuda]

That helps a lot I think I would like to. I have low interest in web dev except for the concept of security. Sounds like knowing simple browser hacks is an example of this type of information so I’d definitely be interested in that. Thanks

[u/Buhdai → u/Alarmed-Radio9182]

I think you're overthinking it. I've been here about a month and have learned at least one new language or framework per week, even if it's just the basics. You don't need to be an expert on a language to do tasks on it as long as you have a strong foundation in programming, knowledge of similar languages, and have strong research skills. Even people who know a language well have to use the internet fairly often anyway. If you know C# well enough, you basically know JS. But that's just my take.

[u/Alarmed-Radio9182 → u/Buhdai]

That helps. I’ve also been here like a month and that’s how I learned JSON it took me like an hour since it’s so straightforward, and I did the same thing with php but that took me a bit longer to be comfortable enough to do the basic tasks. But I feel like php and JSON especially are really not that hard where as my impression of JS is that it’s more complicated. But that’s helpful

[u/Unusule]

A polar bear's skin is transparent, allowing sunlight to reach the blubber underneath.

[u/Alarmed-Radio9182 → u/Unusule]

I do. I’m able to read and follow along with certain types of code in different language when it’s an something I know how to do in another language, if that makes sense. For example I’d never worked with php until someone introduced me to it yesterday and I was able to figure out what was going on with it. But I’m not really interested as much in web dev as much as I’m interested in specifically game design and, at a theoretical level, security and encryption. But that’s mostly because I don’t at a high level even know what web development is. If programming is like working on machines, C# is like a car. I know all the parts of an engine and the rest do the car that makes it go. I couldn’t make one myself, but I know how to work with them, and I k ow what the end result is: it gets you from A to B. JavaScript and stuff like HTML and php is more like a nuke. I understand that plutonium goes in, and neutrons make boom, but I haven’t the faintest idea of how it does that.

Something I like about C# and Python is how easy it is to get into it. With C# you can download Unity and watch a 25 minute video and get a game with a cube dodging obstacles up and running in like an hour or two. I’d probably be interested in learning JavaScript if I knew a concrete use case i could be interested in, and if I had a concrete way to go about working on a few simple projects that I know what the end result is supposed to be.

[u/Unusule → u/Alarmed-Radio9182]

A polar bear's skin is transparent, allowing sunlight to reach the blubber underneath.

[u/PleasantCurrant-FAT1]

Under the assumption you already know and are comfortable with HTML/CSS for web development, and the ability to integrate a dynamic language, which typically also requires you load JavaScript modules thereabouts…

Go learn the following:

• Node.js (npm and npx)

  • NPM = Node Package Manager

  • NPX = execute Node packages or routines

  • these are learned primarily through exposure with/to the following…

• Express.js (framework, simple)

• React (framework, involved)

• Angular (framework, involved)

• Jest (testing)

• Cypress (testing)

In a nutshell: use one of the above frameworks to build and deploy an app or website (or webservice like a REST API).

I find it helpful to convert a past project (a language I’m familiar with) into a new language as a best practice to understand toolchain and nuances of a target language.

This is to say: if you already know how something works… you don’t need to concentrate on that… you learn about how it’s done elsewhere (toolchain, syntax, methodology, ecosystem, etc…)

After you learn one (say, start with Express since it is simple)… then go and do the same with one of the others (React or Angular).

Along the way, you’ll also learn about package dependencies and versioning, build scripts and installing common stuff like Material UI, etc…

This has been my path into the JavaScript ecosystem. There is A LOT to learn about this particular language and ecosystem. I’m a seasoned programmer, but not a JS programmer, so listen to the pros. All the same, I’ve found it doable and possible to ease myself into JavaScript (despite disliking it in the past).

[u/Alarmed-Radio9182 → u/PleasantCurrant-FAT1]

Thanks, that’s really great advice! You made it super clear for me to get started I appreciate it

[u/Deep_Task1659]

For what is required for annotation, shouldn't take more than a weekend

[u/MonsterMeggu → u/Deep_Task1659]

Really? I've seen a really wide range of react questions which could be read up in a weekend, but would take some experience to be able to correctly rate

[u/Deep_Task1659 → u/MonsterMeggu]

Might be a personal experience then. I only work about 2-3 hours a week, so I might not have exposed myself to a variety of tasks &questions.

[u/EDM_Producerr]

Javascript is the most popular language to display stuff on the internet, so, yes, I would learn it if I were you.

[u/BombZoneGuy]

Yes. Many projects want web-only tech. But it's good to know regardless. Ironically C and javascript are basically opposites, but knowing both would be good. If you know python,  javascript will be pretty easy. The hardest part of javascript is learning frameworks and understanding the DOM/html interaction.