Even though I had the job title "Full Stack Developer" in all my previous jobs, I was more focused on the Backend. I enjoyed writing server-side code more and I was proficient at it. That was my jam.
However, I want to change that and become proficient with the Frontend as well. I do not want to stop at APIs anymore and I want to be able to build Full Stack applications.
While creating a plan to achieve this, I stumbled upon the Full Stack Open Course created by the University of Helsinki. The course is so great that it made me write this article to share the resource with you. And even better - it's free!
Full Stack Open Course
The "Full Stack Open" course aims to introduce people to modern web application development with JavaScript. That means you will learn the technologies needed to become a Full Stack JavaScript developer.
The main focus of the course is on teaching you how to build single page applications with React that use REST/GraphQL APIs built with Node.js. Besides that, you will also learn about testing, deploying your applications and how to use databases.
The full spectrum of technologies it teaches you are as follows:
- React and Redux
- Node.js
- MongoDB
- GraphQL
- TypeScript
With that being said, it's important to note that the course requires basic knowledge in programming, databases and Git. Thus, it might be best to supplement your learning with additional materials.
You can find the course here.
"Full Stack Journey" Series
I want to document my new journey so I created the "Full Stack Development" series. In this series, I will write about my progress, struggles, wins and learnings regarding my journey to Full Stack Development.
Why this series? I want to document my learnings because I am a big believer in learning by teaching. There is a quote I like a lot and it says:
To teach is to learn twice.
When you teach something, you are forced to think more deeply about it. If you cannot explain a concept to someone, do you really understand it?
Moreover, when teaching a subject, you consolidate the knowledge in your brain. Having to think about it and explain it in your own words helps you understand it better.
I have seen how learning by teaching can help one's career. This blog helped me tremendously to learn new things and also with career opportunities! Thus, I always encourage people to document their learnings, no matter their knowledge level. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, document your learnings.
Conclusion
I wanted to kickstart the series with an introductory article and present the fantastic course by the University of Helsinki.
If you are interested in my journey, follow my blog and you will get an update every time I publish an article. Moreover, you can keep an eye on the "learning-react" repository on GitHub, where I solve exercises and build React applications.