Start of 2018 🚀
When 2018 arrived I decided to pick up a new framework called React.js to enhance my skillset and get more work done remotely. A day came when I was in the middle of React development that I got interested in React Native which is used to develop cross-platform mobile applications and started playing around it. I wrote some articles on it, worked on a few mini projects, read about APIs in its official docs but then due to the load of work from my clients I had to stop in between for three months. I tried hard to continue to learn in my spare time but managing work along with a personal hobby blog (that is not a hobby anymore, I am professional book critic 😅 and it demands quite some hours in a week) I knew I was going to burn out.
Not to interfere with my day job, I completely stopped reading or doing any React Native stuff. I even deleted my precious Trello board, where I had saved plenty of resources from awesome developers out there who have already mastered the art of React Native and contributing for the community by building courses, writing tutorials, etc.
Lesson #1: Tech community runs because of these awesome people who spend countless hours in making things as understandable for a newbie or someone with intermediate skillset.
I did not even think twice before deleting it. How foolish of me! 😭
My Background 👨💻
I have been in development for two years now. I am a Computer Science graduate and after a false start in my career, I started coding because I met Node.js while working on a project at that time. I was already familiar with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript before I entered the portal of programming heaven as a full-timer from my graduation days, had built two sites using them. Unfortunately, they do not continue to exist, had I known this at that time, I would have took some screenshots. They were hilarious as compared to modern day UIs. 😆
I went online and studied various resources to understand Node.js and its ecosystem, then came across freeCodeCamp.org curriculum which helped me sharpen my existing skills and expand my knowledge in web development, especially front-end and gave me a direction. Met some awesome people along the way: Quincy Larson, Scott Spence, Alexander Kallaway to name some who motivated to continue this path and not alone altogether.
Worked with them (and still maintaining) some awesome open source campaigns that you can find at freeCodeCamp’s Github! 🚀
Starting Over📱
There comes a time in life when you are so obsessed with something that there comes a bright light that guides you to the door of your own obsession. Recently, someone wanted to collaborate on a project that needs to build a React Native app. I am not sure if I will get it but this time I have thought hard enough about not giving up like before and I think, whatever happens, I will try to hustle my way through it. Another lesson I have learned over the years that programming has taught me.
Lesson #2: Be patient and keep on building things (practice)!
Without getting hands-on experience or building things even if they suck, as a coder you are not going to go anywhere. The more you code, the fewer things start to suck if you are open to enhancing your methods and ready to learn. This time I have a blueprint that I am going to follow and will continue to refer it here as I progress ahead in my journey.
Lesson #3: Learning must never stop.
This is the biggest lesson I have learned in two years of being a professional developer and in general life.
Why start with it now, you ask? I know companies like Udacity and AirBnb have recently announced that they will stop continuing building their own applications using React Native. Both of them did mention that React Native has its own limitations in a detailed manner. Every framework or library does. Nothing is perfect out there and I do not think there ever will be such a thing. These are all creation of mankind and we ourselves are not perfect so how can you expect to build something that is 💯%. These organizations might have a different use case using this framework than a thousand other developers who are still using it. I do not know, neither do I care at this stage.
Recommended Resources
For a start, I am currently going through Spencer Carli’s free courses on React Native. One teaches you to build an app and other teaches you to organise your react native code.
Thank you reading this post. I know I haven’t shared much about React Native which is the focus of this seres but consider this post as chance to explain my motive behind it. I will try to share as much as about my progress in this series of posts and hopefully they might help you in some way or the other. 🙏