What to Learn After Node.js

Node.js is one of the most important JavaScript frameworks currently available. It allows many software applications to function by letting devices read JavaScript code outside of a web browser. If you already know how to use Node.js, you might consider learning React, Express.js, MongoDB, server-side programming languages like Python and Django, or project management skills. We’ll cover these related skills below so you clearly understand what skill you want to tackle next. 

What is Node.js?

Node.js is a commonly used JavaScript library and is an open-source, cross-platform JavaScript runtime environment. Node.js is among the most commonly utilized JavaScript libraries. It is far and away the most commonly used runtime environment in the professional sector, with Node.js being utilized by upwards of 98% of Fortune 500 companies. It allows users to create server-side architecture using JavaScript to build applications and webpages that constantly communicate information to server architecture without needing specific input from either the user or the server. This makes Node.js a vital programming language for any application that needs to be constantly connected to a server without needing to query that server at any given moment. For instance, it is part of the server architecture that allows users to stream video content on the internet without needing to download an entire video file. It is what allows online chat tools to function.

Node.js is also an integral tool in the continued development and refinement of the Internet of Things. More and more of our daily lives involve interacting with devices connected to the internet, ranging from our watches and phones to our cars and refrigerators. The various applications that these objects run to serve their niche functions tend to rely on Node.js to build the server environments and the asynchronous data processing events that allow multiple physical objects to be in meaningful conversation with one another over an internet connection. If you are using your voice to tell the virtual assistant on your desk to tell your thermostat to lower the temperature, Node.js infrastructure was likely vital in that exchange.

Read more about what Node.js is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with Node.js?

Node.js is an incredibly versatile runtime environment that lets users construct virtually any program that seeks to use the functionalities of a webpage without needing to open up a web browser. This is vital for many web applications, such as almost all direct messaging programs and chatbot software. If you are designing an application and want to include a live chat feature, you will likely need to use Node.js. Node.js is also used for single-page web applications like Google Docs and Gmail. Even something as simple as including push notifications or scrolling news and weather updates in your application will require using Node.js.

Node.js is also a vital part of making the Internet of Things possible. Node.js is one of the key frameworks and runtime environments that allow sensors to detect changes and stimuli and relay that information to a device connected to the internet. This means that if you use the voice command on a digital assistant to tell your Bluetooth speaker system to lower its volume, you are using a program made possible thanks to Node.js. As this technology becomes more advanced and enters into sectors like the automotive and medical fields, skilled Node.js programmers will be able to construct complex, interconnected, potentially life-saving new technologies.

Other JavaScript Frameworks

While some other coding libraries and frameworks provide the same functionality as Node.js, the ubiquitousness of JavaScript and its uptake in the corporate world makes it less than ideal to try and find an alternative framework to replace Node.js training. However, Node.js isn’t the only important JavaScript library students can learn. While it will ultimately benefit JavaScript Developers to learn all the important frameworks, picking which to learn first and which to prioritize is an important decision.

React is the most utilized JavaScript library currently available. Using React, developers can build reusable, stable component pieces of code that are easily modifiable and replicable. These blocks of code, called components, let developers work faster and more efficiently on JavaScript projects, making React an incredibly popular library, especially in mobile application development.

Express.js is a skill that is closely related to Node.js. Express.js lets developers build the infrastructure that manages the data flow that enters and leaves an application. It is also useful for building the middleware that sorts and processes data requests from an application. To build APIs in JavaScript or Node.js applications, you’ll need to learn Express.js.

Most JavaScript training courses will also teach students how to use MongoDB, an object-oriented programming framework for building and organizing databases in applications running Node.js. Like Express.js, this is often taught alongside Node.js to create more well-rounded JavaScript Developers. 

Whether you want to learn Express.js, MongoDB, or React, Noble has course options available for you. They also offer a comprehensive JavaScript Development Certificate program in which you can learn all these frameworks and tools alongside JavaScript and Node.js.

Python and Django

those looking for back-end training options may want to complement their Node.js training with training in Python and Django to help build the middleware and server infrastructure that underlies many modern Node.js applications. Django is an important and common Python framework that does many of the same things as Node.js, only for the Python programming language. Learning these two skills will assist programmers in expanding their career opportunities and letting them establish a well-rounded, Full-Stack Web Developer resume.

Students interested in learning more about becoming skilled in Python and Django should look at Noble’s Python Developer Certificate program.

Project Management

Node.js programmers may also want to learn project management skills to make themselves more indispensable to their employers and more in-demand on the job market. In modern software engineering, almost all projects are undertaken by teams of developers working on individual aspects of a project. They are overseen by Project Managers who are trained in both the technical skills required to see the project to completion and the soft skills necessary to manage the human element of a project to ensure that teams are working together and not getting derailed.

To learn more about project management course options, please consider exploring the courses offered through Noble Desktop.

Key Insights

• Once a student has sufficiently mastered Node.js, there are many different routes they can take to complement those skills.
• some may want to learn more JavaScript frameworks, like React, Express.js, and MongoDB to expand their skills as JavaScript Developers.
• Students interested in becoming more well-rounded programmers may want to learn server-side languages and frameworks that complement Node.js, such as Python and Django.
• Since most software development projects are collaborative efforts undertaken by large teams, some may want to learn the soft social skills required to become Project Managers who oversee these teams.
• Regardless of the skill you hope to learn, Noble Desktop offers comprehensive training options through live online instruction and in-person classroom learning.

Learn Node.js with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Since Node.js is a JavaScript library, it is rarely taught on its own. It is so ubiquitous in professional JavaScript development that it is often taught alongside JavaScript as an equally crucial professional skill. Therefore, those looking to learn how to use Node.js will likely do so within the context of a JavaScript class or bootcamp. In these classes, students will learn the basics of using JavaScript to code web applications. Then they will receive training in how to utilize Node.js to expand the scope and functionality of those web applications. Many of these classes, particularly those with a significant Node.js component, presume familiarity with basic coding skills, particularly HTML/CSS, so students are advised to look at course prerequisites.

At Noble Desktop, you can learn Node.js in a wide array of different course settings. However, no matter what program you enroll in, you’ll stand to benefit from the chance to interface with expert instructors in their field in small, intimate classes that rarely exceed twenty students. Even online, students will be placed in private classrooms with live instructors who can answer their questions and provide feedback in real-time. You can also retake any course within one year, giving them an extra chance to hone their Node.js skills.

Noble offers JavaScript and Node.js instruction in its web development certificate curriculum. These courses provide hands-on training in JavaScript and Node.js by giving them projects to code that mirror the kind of real-world projects they can expect to work on in their professional lives. You can opt to enroll in the JavaScript Development Certificate program or the Full Stack Development Certificate program. In these classes, participants will receive professional career instruction in web development skills, including JavaScript. Students in the JavaScript Development Certificate program will learn how to use the advanced features of JavaScript and Node.js to build complex web applications. Students enrolled in the Full Stack Development Certificate program will receive this training alongside introductory HTML/CSS training, React training, and backend development instruction.

These courses are career-focused training seminars, meaning they are designed to take students from novices in their field and graduate them as trained professionals ready to enter the workforce as Web Developers. These courses give hands-on training in the kinds of Node.js projects they will be hired to work upon and provide one-on-one professional mentorship as a part of their professional development. Students will conclude the course by working on a final web development sample portfolio. Upon completion, they will be awarded a career development certificate which signals to employers that they are prepared to start working as Node.js experts.