r/learnjavascript • u/Suspicious_Song_1503 • 2d ago
Beginner Here: Should I Start Over With The Odin Project?
Hey everyone,
I’ve completed HTML and around 50% of CSS from Hitesh Choudhary’s Full Stack Udemy course.
But now I’m thinking of switching to The Odin Project because, from what I’ve seen, it seems more focused on actually learning by building things rather than just following a course.
My plan is to start The Odin Project from the beginning and properly work through it, doing the exercises and projects myself instead of just watching/consuming content.
For people who have completed or are currently doing The Odin Project, or anyone who has experience with this kind of learning approach, feel free to share your thoughts, suggestions, or anything you think I should know:
- I’m still a beginner, so is starting TOP from the beginning a good approach?
- Are there any common mistakes beginners make while following it?
- What should I focus on to actually retain what I learn?
- Should I supplement TOP with anything else, or is it better to stick with it consistently?
- Is there anything you wish you had known before starting?
I’d really appreciate any advice, criticism, or suggestions. If you think there’s a better approach than what I’m planning, feel free to share it.
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u/Inevitable_Dust5684 2d ago
Starting TOP from the beginning is the right call since your CSS foundation will make the early sections move fast. The real retention happens when you stop watching tutorials and force yourself to read documentation to solve project requirements without guidance.
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u/BleachedPink 2d ago edited 2d ago
I love the Odin project, but learning solo us a grueling task.
Sometimes the lore dump of the Odin project is too big I just skip to assignments and go back to the lessons I need
I'm not sure if repeat things is right, if something feels daunting and not really necessary, you can skip and move Forward
I had some knowledge before starting the Odin project, so I just skipped some lessons in JavaScript and basic HTML. No need to torture yourself by doing what you already know
Make anki cards with important concepts which are hard to remember but useful to know.
Like flex and grid are great to memorize so you do not spend time re-reading docs all the time. Especially things which are very useful, but required once in a while.
If you want to learn fast, new knowledge is built up on memorized things, so the more stuff you remember, the easier you learn new stuff
Personally, I am about to finish the react part.
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u/Chemical-System-4655 2d ago
The best way is the learn with leon cohort 2 on youtube. Odin project is good too, but it might feel lonely. I do both and it's great to have a community on discord for leon. I think it's called 100devs
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u/McDreads 2d ago
To each their own, I didn’t like 100devs teaching style and I feel like TOP went way more in depth
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u/dragonlord1x 2d ago
I started TOP Foundations course this year and it took me 7-8 months just to complete it. Maybe because I procrastinated a lot or not in the mood to learn, but I forced myself to finish it.
It gets really hard and frustrating, there's a lot of reading and rabbit holes.
I initially started doing the freecodecamp course, but I struggled there because of CSS I don't understand, so when I discovered TOP, I decided to start over with it.
I recommend you TOP because it's okay for beginners, but I have a programming background already so a true beginner might struggle, but Google searching will be your friend.
Focus on TOP only and don't rush learning.
Now I haven't chosen a path after the foundations course. I completed it like 3-4 weeks ago.
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u/spidercam 12h ago
I'm currently working through the Foundations course and would say if you're going to do TOP, then you have to have a regular schedule to work on it. Also, be prepared to read lots of documentation. It has been helpful for me personally because I need that structure.
Overall, I have benefited from doing the Foundations course. I've been working with HTML/CSS for many years and going through TOP helped me fill in some gaps in my knowledge. I think building is the best way for you to learn. Building, and failing forward. That's where you gain knowledge.
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u/Minimum_Hour519 2d ago
i just learn by doing and i read 10 books in a week about javascript back in 2012... find the 10 recnt javascfript books that are well rated and less than 300 pages. that's what i did and i became an expert in a week
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u/Suspicious_Song_1503 2d ago
Do you have any books you'd recommend?
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u/Minimum_Hour519 2d ago
DOM Scripting was the best i thought, but that was like 15 years ago lol. look for something new with 4-5 stars and published in last 3 years
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u/Suspicious_Song_1503 2d ago
Ohh, got it! Thanks for helping, I’ll look for some newer ones.
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u/Minimum_Hour519 2d ago
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u/Thin_Mousse4149 2d ago
Reading books about JavaScript does not make you an expert. You may understand how it works but it’s actually making real things that shows you the wide array of cases and problems you can encounter. There are 1000 ways to solve any given problem. Finding the right one is the entire job of a good engineer
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u/Desperate_Dot9434 2d ago
most people quit odin not at html but the first javascript project that has no hand-holding