Can I Learn React On My Own?

You can learn React in a variety of ways, and it is certainly possible to teach yourself the basics. Especially in today’s online world, there are endless resources available right at your fingertips. This article will explore how you can self-teach, what the advantages and disadvantages are, and what tools you can use to educate yourself. With the right resources and mindset, you can master the basics of React on your own, but it’s important to keep in mind the drawbacks so you can decide if self-taught or enrolling in a course is right for you. 

Advantages to Self-Teaching React

The biggest advantage to self-teaching is cost savings. Classes, certificates, and degrees cost varying amounts and that price tag can often be a burden for students. Self teaching allows you to leverage free resources - whether that’s video tutorials, blog posts, discussion forums, or books - for your education, saving you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. 

Self-teaching also offers more flexibility. In-person or live online training programs will have set schedules and assignment due dates, requiring you to fit your work and life around your learning. Self-teaching allows for the opposite by letting you fit your learning in around your life and work. You can learn at your own pace and take as much (or as little) time as you need to master certain subjects. 

React Self-Teaching Tools

Self-teaching tools are available for learning React. YouTube boasts a wide range of tutorials and informative videos on all kinds of React subjects: from short five-minute episodes on the fundamentals to more in-depth breakdowns of advanced topics. YouTube is a great way to explore your initial interest or get answers to specific questions on React. Other websites like Google and LinkedIn offer short free tutorials and trainings designed to help you grasp the history and basic principles of React. 

Self-paced courses are another available option. These won’t be free, like YouTube, but they will allow you to use previously developed curriculum and recorded content to master React at your own speed. Coursera, Codefinity, and Ed2Go all offer on-demand React classes that cover everything from the fundamentals to more advanced techniques and practices. 

As obvious as it may sound, books can also be a very helpful self-teaching tool. React is one of the most commonly used JavaScript libraries, so there are also endless educational text resources at your disposal. Books running in topics from full-on programming to identifying patterns for developing React apps are all available for purchase or can be borrowed from your local library. The caveat with printed resources is that you’ll need to be mindful that they are up to date. Web and app development is a constantly changing field, so you’ll want your educational texts and resources to contain fresh techniques and current tools that are a part of the current programming landscape

Drawbacks to Learning React on Your Own

It’s important to remember that there are drawbacks to learning React on your own. For one thing, with more freedom comes less accountability. Self-teaching can work for independent learners who can keep themselves on task and motivated, but may not be the best fit for those who find motivation through accountability. You won’t have set class times to hold you accountable to consistently setting aside time, and you also won’t have due dates to help keep you on track either. Without the right level of motivation, you can easily fall behind or lose interest in completing the training altogether. 

Self-teaching, while more cost-effective up front, could end up costing you more money in the long run. Think of it this way: self-learning often takes substantially longer than attending a structured course, meaning it takes longer to start or advance your career. Waiting longer for this professional shift can affect your earnings, as your ability to access those higher salaries remains out of reach until you’ve mastered React. 

Finally, self-teaching also drastically limits your chances of networking. Most structured classes are led by an industry expert and offer some combination of mentoring, office hours, and networking events for enrolled students. More than 80% of professionals say networking is essential to their career success, so forming connections within the field of React can help you land better, high paying roles in a shorter amount of time. 

Alternatives to Learning React on Your Own

If you’re looking for alternatives to self-teaching, there’s good news. For both of the below options, there’s no need to figure out what you should learn and when; structured courses provide that for you. These options do have their differences, though, so it’s important that you understand each of them. 

Live Online Classes

Live virtual courses are considered the middle ground between on-demand and in-person classes. You’ll attend scheduled class times from the comfort of your own home (or wherever you choose) to learn from an expert instructor. Live online classes offer instant feedback from your teacher and interactions with other students, creating the opportunity for a deeper understanding of the coursework. These classes are ideal for students that thrive in a structured learning environment but perhaps don’t live near any in-person offerings. Or, if you simply prefer online learning, then a live virtual class could be for you. 

In-Person Classes

In-person classes are considered the best way to master React as quickly and efficiently as possible. Held on location at scheduled times, these classes offer face-to-face interaction with your fellow students and your expert instructor. If you encounter any challenging material, you can ask questions in real time instead of spending unnecessary time figuring it out on your own. This collaborative environment is available for both full-time and part-time classes and provides structure and accountability, two things that can help you succeed. 

As you can see, there are several options available if you don’t choose the self-taught route. On-demand, live online, and in-person classes are all great ways to study React, so the choice will come down to which learning method is best for your schedule and lifestyle. 

Live Classes at Noble Desktop

Live React courses are an ideal learning method for those entirely new to the field. Live online classes 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. 

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.