5 Reasons Why JavaScript is The Perfect Next Step After Learning HTML5 And CSS3

Ups... I guess the headline of this article already spoiled the surprise answer to the “what’s next” question. Sorry about that :)

So let’s get straight to the point. The reason why I’m writing this post today is because lately I have been getting more and more questions like the following from students of my online course Build Responsive Real World Websites with HTML5 and CSS3:

Jonas I just finished your html and css course on udemy. I want to progress more as a web developer. Any direction you can point me to?

Any suggestion of what I should learn after taking your excellent course?

Should I continue with front end development or move to the back end right now? Any help would be very appreciated

These are really good and important questions, so it’s totally worth spending some time to talk and think about them. Because in your journey to becoming a web developer, it’s crucial that you have a clear plan of what you want to learn and spend your time on. A plan of where you want to go. Unless you want to end up losing a lot of time and maybe end up frustrated. But let’s avoid that.

To analyze these questions, let’s first take a look at what HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript actually have in common. After that we move on to the reasons why JavaScript is the perfect language for you to learn if you have just mastered the first steps of web development.

Ready? Let’s go!

Front-end and back-end web development

Simply put, everything that you see and interact with on a website is the front-end. Think text, images, buttons, forms, you name it. But it also includes dynamic elements, like sliders, popup windows, maps, animations, etc. If the user can see it, it’s part of the front-end.

The foundation of the front-end is based on three technologies: HTML5, CSS3 and... JavaScript. There it is. Developers who write code in HTML, CSS and JavaScript are called front-end web developers. They write the code that your browser displays each time it loads a website or web application from the internet. This means that the browser only speaks three languages, and I guess by now you know which: yes, it’s HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

So we can say that writing front-end code is writing code for the browser. That’s an easy-to-understand way to put it.

Of course, if there is the front-end, then there is also the back-end. The back-end of a website consists of a server, an application, and a database. This is where all the data is stored and where the web application’s logic is executed. The back-end is, in many cases, what makes the front-end possible in the first place. Technologies like PHP, Ruby on Rails, Python, Java or Node.js (which uses JavaScript, but more on that later) are used to program the back-end of websites and web applications.

Finally, there is also the so-called “Full stack web developer”, which is like a superhero that writes full applications or complex websites, both the front-end and the back-end. However, with the myriad of different technologies, libraries and frameworks that we have in web development today, it’s getting harder and harder to become a really good full stack web developer.

Alright, so this was a quick overview. It’s really important to get these definitions right, because you will see them around everywhere you read about web development. And because at some point you will have to choose what you want to spend your learning time (and money) on: front-end or back-end web development.

JavaScript is the only logical next step

Now that we know that HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript are all front-end web technologies, it makes absolute sense that learning JavaScript should be the next step in your journey, right?

Because it will make you a front-end web developer. You are already well on your way to getting there, and JavaScript will give you the final push.

But it gets even better... Because that’s not even the best and biggest reason to jump onto JavaScript right now.

Let’s face it: today, there are lots of technologies in web development, which often leaves beginners with too many choices. It’s hard. Web development also changes really fast, with new shiny technologies, frameworks and libraries coming up all the time.

Many students give up entirely because of this confusion. For thousands and thousands of students, it goes something like this:

Should I focus on front-end or back-end? Oh, I’ve heard that React is really popular right now. I guess I’m gonna learn that. I read it’s a nice front-end framework, so why not? Or maybe AngularJS is better? But I heard version 2 is completely different from the first version. What a mess. I guess I like back-end more anyway... So maybe I learn PHP? It’s easy, right? Oh no, no one uses that anymore. I think all the cool startups use Ruby on Rails now. Let’s google that. Nah, it seems really hard. What else is there? Python? Java? Or perhaps Node.js? Guess what, maybe web development isn’t for me after all...

And I could go on and on... You see, it’s not easy. But it doesn’t have to be like that. Because JavaScript is the ultimate answer. If you learn JavaScript, you are ready for today, and for the future.

So let’s see why that is.

Reason #1: JavaScript brings websites and web apps to live... But that’s not all

You can build truly amazing things with JavaScript. It’s no wonder all the biggest companies in the world use JavaScript on their websites to enhance the experience of their users. Think of real-time web applications with lots user interaction like drag and drop or keyboard interactivity, that feel like real desktop apps. Or just beautifully designed landing pages with well-crafted effects and animations. The possibilities are endless.

Need an example? Here are 4:

AirBnB: The search interface is completely powered by JavaScript.

Google Sheets: An entire spreadsheet application, written entirely in JavaScript.

Blu Homes: Beautiful website with lots of JavaScript effects and interaction (seriously, scroll down the entire page and click on the menus).

St. Louis Browns: Another gorgeous example of JavaScript at work.

Now, these are really advanced examples, but it’s just to show you how powerful JavaScript can be. And how important the language has become. In fact, JavaScript can be called the language of the internet. It’s safe to say that 99% of websites in the world use JavaScript on the front-end. This means that learning JavaScript is not a choice, but a MUST.

And this doesn’t even consider the fact that we can use JavaScript for more than just the front-end. Which brings us to Reason #2.

Reason #2: JavaScript can be used on the back-end as well

Yes, you read that right... In my opinion, this one is the single biggest reason for learning JavaScript.

So, JavaScript can not only be used in the browser (front-end), but also on the server, meaning that we can effectively use the language for back-end development.

This is done by using Node.js, a lightweight environment which allows JavaScript to run on the server. By bringing JavaScript to the server, Node.js opened completely new horizons for the language.

So you can now effectively become a full stack developer superhero (or should I say, CodingHero) and build an entire app with JavaScript, from start to beginning. There are still some new things to learn in order to use Node.js in practice, but it’s easier than learning an entirely new language.

Some of the biggest companies in the world are already using Node.js, because it’s fast, modern and it just makes sense. Think companies like Netflix, Uber, PayPal, LinkedIn, and many more. They all use JavaScript on their back-end.

In other words, JavaScript alone will give your web development career a bigger boost than any other language out there.

Reason #3: JavaScript is fast to get started with

So if you decide you want to start coding in JavaScript, you can do so within 1 minute. No joke. That’s because there is nothing to install, no complex runtime environments, no setup, no configuration, no code compiling, nothing. Nada. While many other programing languages require you to do at least some of these, JavaScript doesn’t. Thanks JavaScript :)

All you need is what you already have: a browser. And a text editor, to start writing your first applications. But to really just start, all you need to do is to open up the developer tools in your browser, head to the console, and start typing code. It’s really that easy, but powerful at the same time.

Reason #4: JavaScript developers are in high demand and highly paid

In recent years, the JavaScript language and community have matured a lot, and the language is now well established and taken seriously.

As you know by now, all the biggest tech companies in the world use JavaScript. A lot. Because of this, demand for JavaScript developers has skyrocketed, of course, with the best companies looking to attract the best developers in the field. When competition increases, so does the salary these companies offer to get the best talent. So now, according to the Job Portal gooroo, the average salary for JavaScript developers in the US is about $95,000 (as of September 2015). Not bad.

You see, becoming a really good JavaScript developer doesn’t sound like the worst idea, right?

Reason #5: JavaScript is the future of the internet

JavaScript isn’t going anywhere. In fact, I would argue it’s the future of the internet.

Also, JavaScript isn’t the end of the road. The rise of the so-called singe page web applications has fueled the development of a lot of popular JavaScript frameworks such as React, AngularJS, Ember.js, just to name a few. All of these are based on JavaScript, so you need to learn JavaScript first (and well) in order to use these.

So, think of all these frameworks that are taking over the world, together with the fact that all tech companies are relying on JavaScript for their applications today (and in the future). This is very quickly making JavaScript the most popular language in the world. Some say that it actually already is.

What helps even more, is that JavaScript has no competition. There simply is no other language in the world that will replace it as the standard programing language for front-end web development. This doesn’t mean there will be no other in the future. But the dominance and adoption JavaScript has today, makes it, in my opinion, unbeatable.

Does that sound convincing enough? Perfect.

Conclusion: Learning JavaScript

So these are my 5 most important reasons why JavaScript should be the choice for your next learning adventure. No other language in the world is this convincing.

Now, here is the thing: learning JavaScript is not easy. Coding is never easy. Let’s be honest, anyone who tells you coding is easy, is not telling you the truth. But that doesn’t mean that you, or anyone, can’t learn it.

Of course you can learn how to code JavaScript, you just have to learn it the right way.

But that’s an entirely different topic, and I will write another blog post (or email) about that really soon. Be sure to subscribe to my email list if you don’t want to miss it (you can do so below).

In the meantime, I have a really cool free mini-course that goes into the very fundamentals of the JavaScript language. It's called:

Up and Running with JavaScript

Scroll down just a bit to get it.

I think this is going to be an amazing starting point for you to get your feet wet and find out if you like JavaScript (and I’m sure you will). Just promise me that you will take some time to go through it carefully and do the coding challenges, in order to discover if:

You + JavaScript = Perfect Match :)

So what about you? What are you currently learning? Do you have anything to add to this list? Let me know in the comments.

Also, if this article has helped you, please share this it with your friends that are also on the journey to becoming a web dev. This way we can both help them, too.