The React ecosystem can feel a little overwhelming at times. The countless libraries to keep track of. The ever expanding toolchain. Even the language itself is changing! And the worst thing? The moment that you think you’ve got a grasp on it all, it slips away as a new version changes everything.
It would be so much easier if you could smash out productive code with skills you learned years ago.
Which brings me to a little secret…
React has barely changed in 2 years! In fact, Dan Abramov recently tweeted that the examples in React’s official tutorial used a 2 year old version of React.
Just got a report that CodePens in the official Tutorial on the React website used a two-years-old version of React (0.14).
Can’t decide if I should be embarrassed that I forgot to update them, or proud that all of them work with latest React 16 with ZERO changes.
— Dan Abramov (@dan_abramov)
Here’s the thing. React’s ecosystem moves fast, which is exactly why you need to focus on the fundamentals. Studying React itself will pay dividends for years.
Skills that last
Let me tell you a little story.
Way back in 2015, I started this blog because I wanted to teach people JavaScript. But I had a problem. Every time I wrote about a new tool or package, my article would be obsolete within months.
So I stopped writing about new stuff.
Instead, I decided to just teach React’s fundamentals. And the result? I started hearing from people how useful the articles were. My newsletter went from 600 to 6000 subscribers in under a year. I even got headhunted for my dream job.
And the best part? The articles I wrote 3 years ago are still useful today.
A new hope
Are you sick and tired of your tools changing underneath you?
Are you ready to put in the hard yards to learn React’s fundamentals, investing in a skill that lasts?
Then I have some good news for you!
Later this week, I’ll be releasing a new interactive course on React’s fundamentals. It focuses on the essentials, only covering tools that have survived the test of time. And it’s full of exercises, ensuring that your new knowledge translates into experience.
I’ll be announcing it first to my newsletter with a big discount – if you haven’t joined already, then this is your last chance to become a member and get access to the early bird pricing!
I will send you useful articles, cheatsheets and code.
See you soon!