Being a junior dev and learning a tech stack on your first job.
A web developer perspective
Learning and getting familiar with a new tech stack on our first job is not as easy as it sounds.
When we were learning to code , the most difficult thing was figuring out which tech stack should we choose. Almost everyone go with the most demanded on the market or one with a shallow learning curve.
So after a lot of research, we will choose one(let’s say we chose Node.js and Angular) and will start to work on it. We will be spending a lot of time exploring new packages, new workarounds for certain bugs, and finding Vs-code extensions specifically for our stack.
After working on a couple of projects on our first and only tech stack, lets say that we got our first job. Now you are assigned to a new project , which you are so excited about because now you can work on a real project other than working on the boring todo app with CRUD functionality and eCommerce app with fake product images.
The only problem is in this project you have to use Python in the backend and React in the frontend based on our client requirement but all you know is Node.Js and Angular
This is where we find ourselves panicking and running through tutorials and blog posts to master the new tech stack fast as possible . But a lack of good planning before diving into a new stack might drag people to a self-doubting situation and feel like they don’t deserve the job.
Learning a new stack while working on a project can be a roller coaster ride. You are gonna be making a lot of mistakes, researching a lot and asking a lot of questions .So accept that it’s gonna be a bit overwhelming.
Let’s see what we could do on this situations.
Get enough understanding of the basics
Let it be Python or React, before making your hands dirty by writing code make sure to cover the most basic things about the technology. If you have enough time, a well-rated Udemy course or YouTube tutorial playlist can do the thing. If you still don’t have time for the 6 weeks/ 30hours course, then attending a 4–10 hour crash course about the technology is better.
Ask for help
Discuss your situation with others. Let it be your colleagues or your friends or people from any developer community, there will be people who have already done this. There will be experienced people in your team who could help you go in the right direction.
Find people with who you are comfortable asking your so-called “stupid doubts”.
Disclaimer: You might run into people who don’t have the time to help you. Learn to respect their time and find someone else.
Try Learning by comparing
If you are someone who already knows a tech stack, try learning the new one by comparing the other one. This might not work in all cases, but most of the time different technologies which does the same things shares a lot of concepts in common .
Work on side projects.
The most effective way to learn a new stack is by creating a side project. Let it be converting your old project using the new stack or executing a new idea, creating something after your work time or on your weekends can help you to dive deeper into the stack.
That’s it from me, On the go, you will find a lot of better ways to overcome this issue. Please don’t forgot to share those too.
