If there is one technology that’s been dominating the frontend world it is React JS. Chances are that you’ve already heard about React or have seen job listings giving out React as a pre-requisite. Or maybe you are already working with React!
So let me give out the top 5 reasons why you should learn React. If you already know it then you can pat yourself in the back.
But first…
What is React JS Anyway?
From React JS’s official website:-
React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces.
It was developed by Facebook and is used to draw beautiful and modern web interfaces. Some of it’s main features are:-
- It is Component based i.e. your whole website interface is broken down into reusable components which can be used through the website. This prevents us from writing the same code for different pages.
- It is Declarative. This means that our code instructs a program on what needs to be done, instead of telling it how to do it.
Now that we know what React JS is, let’s get to why you should learn it.
1. It’s Dominating the Market
React JS is by far the most used JS frontend library. Many businesses and startups use React these days to build the frontend of their websites.
So by learning React you’re making yourself more employable. In fact, a lot of junior developer positions these list React as a pre-requisite. React will help you get your foot in the door.
There are also a lot of freelance job opportunities in React. Don’t believe me? Go and look it up on Upwork and Fiverr yourself.
In short, by learning React you are exposing yourself up to a much bigger market.
2. Easy to Learn
The core React library itself is fairly small. You can learn all about components, hooks and basic CRUD operations using React in about a week if you are comfortable with JavaScript.
While you do need to know JavaScript to learn React, once you do it’s quite easy to pick up React.
3. Huge Community
React JS has been in use since 2011 inside Facebook and publicly since 2013. This means that it is quite mature and it has had a long time to develop a following.
Since React itself is a lightweight library, it requires you use an external library to perform anything other than the most basic of tasks.
Here is where having a huge community comes in. There are libraries for anything which you can probably imagine. So you don’t have to spend time re-inventing the wheel. A big community of followers also means that there is ample support available should you run into any problems.
4. Develop Mobile Apps
Yes you read that right! Once you learn React JS, it opens up the door for you to learn React Native. React Native is a library which allows you to write cross platform mobile apps. Which means that using a single code base you can write apps for Android as well as iOS.
React Native is also fairly easy to learn with a ton of free learning resources. And did I mention a lot of job opportunities?
5. High Paying Jobs
Let’s admit it — many of us are learning web development because it is in high demand right now. Even if you’re doing it as a hobby, making a few bucks off it wouldn’t hurt.
If you head on over to Indeed.com or freelancing platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr you will find thousands of job openings for React developers. These range from the beginner level to expert.
Now isn’t that reason enough?
Conclusion
So here is a short summary of why you should learn React JS today:-
- Dominates the market.
- Easy to learn.
- Huge community.
- Allows you to learn React Native to develop cross platform mobile apps.
- Availability of high paying jobs.
So what are you waiting for? Go on and learn one of the hottest and most employable front end technology — React JS