JavaScript is the language of the web development gods. Whether you are involved in creating websites, or simply improving user experience on existing ones, JavaScript is the boon (and bane, sometimes) of your existence. It is a very sought-after skill in the technical and web development sector, and thousands of graduates or about-to-graduate students can be seen working hard on improving their JavaScript skills. It is with good reason, too. Master JavaScript, and you will be able to create the best of the best websites, which are both visual treats, and performance machines.
Seems daunting? Don’t worry! We are here to help you improve your JavaScript skills from scratch. From using the correct syntax to building projects, here are 7 awesome tips to help you master the JavaScript game.
#1. Use the internet to your advantage!
For beginners and experts alike, the internet is a wonderful place to improve JavaScript skills. With an abundance of massive open online courses, or MOOCs as the world calls it, coders old and new can use them to learn something new about JavaScript, the technology they love and adore. Often delivered by professors from top universities of the world, these MOOCs can be a handy tool to either start from scratch or learn about the more advanced capabilities of JavaScript. Once you get comfortable with the foundations, it is time to explore the deeper capabilities and functions of the language. Online courses can help you get familiar with the syntax, with assignments and quizzes keeping you on your feet while you learn.
#2. Utilise tips to increase code performance
JavaScript is notorious for degrading website performance at the cost of eye candy. The real test, therefore, for developers lies in preserving the performance of the webpages, while improving customer experience. After all, the experience of end-users has proved to be a significant indicator of overall website effectiveness and quality.
Create shortcut codes to speed up your coding. Evaluate local variables before you add them to your system. Make use of caches to increase performance. For instance, you could use .js files to cache scripts to make them load faster. All these and many more tips help you deliver better quality websites, and ultimately improve your JavaScript skills!
#3. Use closures
Keeping your code safe from being modified or changed by any other script/library can be achieved by closures. By default, the global scope is assigned to any function that is defined on the page level. The same goes for variables, too. Therefore, using closures is a safe method to keep your code from being accidentally messed with by other scripts. This comes in handy when two or more functions or variables are using the same names, which might be too common to avoid.
#4. Make use of correct libraries!
jQuery, one of the most used libraries when it comes to JavaScript, provides a whole host of functionalities to help improve your webpage performance and experience. Learning jQuery and other handy frameworks can help you add the X-factor to your projects, which is all we want, right?
#5. The ‘var’ situation
Variables have two scopes in JavaScript, global and local. If you define a variable outside a function, it becomes global automatically. However, when it is defined inside a function, without using the var keyword, it still remains global! This can result in your code being messed around with or inadvertently being changed by libraries, as described in the closure situation. Therefore, best practice is to use the var keyword when defining variables inside a function.
#6. Build your own projects
There’s no better way to improve your skills at a language than by building your own projects. There are tons of simple and advanced ideas available on the internet to help you get started. As you build projects, you encounter problems that you need to solve in order to get things to work. This is the true learning experience when it comes to a language, providing the best hands-on problem solving that one could ask for. As you write more and more code, watch how your skills touch the sky!
And finally…
#7. Practice, practice, and practice!
There’s no alternative to practice, in any walk of life. Whether you are looking to get better at football or writing JavaScript code, practice makes perfect. So, don’t wait around, grab your laptop, learn some JavaScript, take up a project, and start coding!
Need help with building your JavaScript skills? Take a look at our courses here. With the help of our experienced faculties, you can master Javascript and upskill yourself.
To learn more about JavaScript books that you can use to upgrade your learning, click here.
