What is the Best Course to Learn React?

There are many things to consider when choosing the right React class for you. Your time and money are valuable resources, so it’s best to be sure you’re investing both wisely. React training courses and certificates can be expensive and time consuming, although these two factors will vary from class to class. Plus, there are so many ways to study React, from free tutorials to associate certificates and college degrees to bootcamps, and each will have varying benefits and challenges. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry. This article will help you weigh the pros and cons so you can decide which class is your best fit. Regardless of which option you choose, learning React is absolutely worth the effort as it can open up alternative career paths, allowing you to earn more money and find professional fulfillment in a range of industries.

Are You Brand New to React?

If you’re brand new to React, there are many things you will want to consider. What is it specifically that you want to learn? Do you learn better in-person or virtually? Live or on-demand? Introductory classes can be attended live online, on-demand, or in person and typically cover all the fundamental theories and techniques of React. They’re designed for those with limited or no knowledge of React, so they’re perfect for newbies.

If you’re still trying to decide if React is what you want to study, free resources may be a better route. YouTube videos, online tutorials, blogs, and discussion boards can be a great place to gain a general understanding of React so you can decide if it’s the right subject for you. While these resources will save you money, they aren’t intended for robust learning, so if you are confident you want to learn React, an introductory course is a better choice. 

How Much are You Willing to Pay?

The financial cost of education is one of the most important factors to consider. You’ll want to make sure that the price is within your budget, but you’ll also want to make sure that the cost of the course is worth the knowledge and skills you will learn. While attending a professional development class is a good way to advance your career and increase your earnings, you might not want to (or be able to) pay any price to further your React skills, and you may find there aren’t enough benefits to enrolling in the most expensive training option available.

Overall, the cost of a React course will depend on the depth of knowledge, course length, and whether it’s live or on-demand. Typically, the immersive courses are the most expensive. A college marketing degree can cost tens of thousands of dollars and take four years to complete, but will provide in-depth learning. Alternatively, a bootcamp or on-demand training course will cost substantially less, but these will only provide you with entry-level skills.

How Quickly Do You Need to Learn New Skills?

You’ll want to choose a course that helps you optimize your time, providing you with the most value both financially and logistically. If you’re looking to launch your career as soon as possible, a bootcamp or quick course may be a good option. If you have more time to commit towards learning and want to master advanced subjects, a longer course like a certificate or degree could be best. 

The skills you wish to learn will determine how long it takes you, as well. If you’re only looking to master a specific technique or trick, or only need to know the basics of React, this will take much less time than learning the ins and outs of the entire program. So, if you just need to learn the basics quickly, that’s important to know.

Do You Want to Become a React Professional?

If you want to become a React professional, you need to consider how much the curriculum covers, if career services or mentorship are provided, and if portfolio development is included. Certificates take substantially more time than introductory courses or free resources, but they offer a wider breadth of knowledge, noteworthy credibility, and the potential to network. These programs can often be attended full-time or part-time and are focused on professional development and technical training. 

While they may be longer than other options, they are also shorter than an undergraduate or graduate degree. The content covered will focus more on professional skills instead of introductory material or advanced theory, so you won’t get the immersive theoretical background that a marketing program would give you. You also won’t spend 2 to 6 years working on a degree, or be saddled with substantial student loans debt. These programs are the fastest options available for students whose goal is immediate professional development and employment.

How Much Technical Training Do You Need?

If you have a foundation in programming or web development, transitioning into React will be fairly straightforward as you’ll already be familiar with some of the technical aspects.. For those starting from scratch or in unrelated fields, it may take additional hands-on experience and continuous education to become proficient. The technical side of React includes writing in HTML and CSS, working with JSX to create applications, and understanding the variables and scoping of JavaScript. These important technical elements are typically covered in more in-depth courses like bootcamps, certifications, or degrees. 

Do You Prefer In-Person or Online Training?

This is perhaps the most important question you need to ask yourself. Online trainings are great for those who prefer a solitary learning environment with minimal distractions. They allow you to learn from the comfort of your own home (or wherever you choose), providing more flexibility. Additionally, if you live in an area with limited (or no) in-person options, online classes open up more opportunities for you. 

If you thrive in a collaborative classroom environment, look into in-person classes. You’ll be able to work with other students, make new friends, and receive feedback and input from your instructor in the moment. These classes also provide a higher level of accountability and are a superb choice for those who struggle to keep themselves motivated or on task. They are, of course, less flexible than an online class, but often their advantages outweigh this one disadvantage. 

Learn React Skills with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers in-depth courses both live online and in-person at their New York office. Their React Development Bootcamp covers everything from the basics of React and Node.js to advanced components and server deployment. You'll start with learning how to compose components, the foundations of React, and then move on to building dynamic fully functioning web applications and deploying them using AWS (Amazon Web Services). This Noble Desktop course (and many others) boasts small class sizes, one free retake, and setup assistance. If you’re interested in pursuing further education, this course counts towards three of Noble’s certificate programs: Full-Stack Web Development, Software Engineering, and JavaScript Development. 

Want to take your skills to the next level? Noble Desktop’s JavaScript Development Certificate is a longer professional training program that will teach you how to build web apps with JavaScript, one of the most popular programming languages in the world. You’ll learn to master React and Node.js, create APIs with Express.js, and work with databases with MongoDB. This course also covers additional topics like Browser Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) built into web browsers, third-party APIs, and third-party frameworks and libraries. If you’re a new developer or an existing one coming from a different background, learning JavaScript will up your game to web application development.

Similarly, the Full-Stack Web Development Certificate helps you develop the skills and knowledge to meet the growing demand for developing and maintaining web applications. This course will teach you to use programming languages like HTML/CSS and JavaScript to program memorable, interactive web pages. You’ll also use the MERN tech stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js) to add databases, APIs, AWS and other server environments, and interactivity for those web applications. Focused on a series of projects, you’ll leave this course with a portfolio of working web applications to show to potential employers. 

Finally, Noble’s Software Engineering Certificate covers HTML & CSS, JavaScript, and React, and back end development with Python, Django, and Node.js. You’ll learn HTML to mark up web pages and CSS for styling; the fundamentals of JavaScript; Git for version control; and how to use Flexbox and Grid to layout, align, and reorder web page content, as well as make it adapt to different size screens. The second part of the course will cover JavaScript programming concepts, including variables, data types, loops, and DOM. You’ll also build your very own desktop application using React and deploy it using the AWS (Amazon Web Services) cloud environment. Finally, you'll master the lexical syntax of Python and quickly move to more advanced topics like dictionaries, custom functions, and sorting algorithms. You'll then progress to object-oriented programming, working with APIs, and querying databases with SQL. By the end of this course, you’ll have a portfolio of projects, a polished resume, and a professional LinkedIn profile; be prepared for common interview questions; and be armed with tips for applying to jobs.