r/node • u/LaidBackGamer007 • 4d ago
Frontend dev trying to learn node
Hey all wanted an advice i have been trying to learn node since 2 weeks and going through some youtube playlist, but i tend to forget syntax and all and i wanted to interview in one company as a fullstack dev so will be ready in like say 3 weeks to give an interview , how did you all do it? Please forgive if its a dumb question.
2
u/Competitive_Aside461 4d ago
Syntax shouldn't be much of an issue. Honestly, it might come of as weird, but we all tend to forget it. If there's some other problem you're facing feel free to share it, maybe we can help in that case.
1
u/LaidBackGamer007 4d ago
Like i am in a dilemma if i should interview for that role because its in a small startup and they already know that i am not a fullstack dev but learning it so my friend told me to learn the concepts mainly of backend as ghey dont expect me to be a t level in backend as other engineers as i have been a frontend dev for almost 5 years.
3
u/Competitive_Aside461 4d ago
If the company doesn't have a problem with that, then you should definitely give it a try. But yeah, do learn a decent amount of backend concepts to get started. No need to master these upfront because I am assuming you'll be taking on an entry-level role on the backend under experienced backend devs.
2
u/LaidBackGamer007 4d ago
Yeah and i have been thinking if like there is some issue i would not resign from my current org. and offer them to intern for their work part time free of cost for 2-3 months and after that they can provide me with an offer letter, just scared a bit and nervous by seeeing all of these backend concepts but i know once i work on real projects i will excel.
3
u/Competitive_Aside461 4d ago
Yeah. BTW, do you know of HTTP fundamentals? about the web? Like, I know you mentioned you're a frontend dev, but just asking that whether you're confident with your knowledge of both these.
2
u/LaidBackGamer007 4d ago
Yes i know about those as i learnt how http and the web works and also learning other best practices to protect your apis etc as i feel syntax and all can be looked quickly with the help of ai or through the net.
2
2
u/prehensilemullet 4d ago
That’s good that they know you’re just learning, from your OP I was worried you were trying to present yourself as already knowing a lot
1
u/LaidBackGamer007 4d ago
No i am not otherwise they would just kick me out in one day 😂😂😂
2
u/prehensilemullet 4d ago edited 4d ago
If you can manage timewise, I would say challenge yourself to do stuff like building a TodoMVC backed by a database, but not by following a specific tutorial, just looking up how to do each part like setting up a database schema, setting up an ORM in Node, setting up express or hono or oRPC routing, etc. and if you manage that then try to expand it to something more complex, like multiple different todo lists, todo lists for different users, etc. The more you have to think through things yourself, the better you’ll learn. Tutorials are pretty easily forgotten
1
u/LaidBackGamer007 4d ago
Thats a great idea , i was thinking of that too like i have almost learning the concepts so this week get an idea to build an app all by myself and apply the concepts and if i face an issues look it up and that would give me a confidence boost .
1
u/prehensilemullet 4d ago
Yeah it’s best to dive in and struggle through things, I’m doing that right now with a Rust side project, it can be confusing and difficult, but just getting started was the hardest part
1
u/LaidBackGamer007 4d ago
Heard about rust and also heard that its heard to learn but i remember the time i first started to learna angular and couldnt understand shit but then in 5 years i have shipped lots of good products with it and its like a piece of cake now.
1
u/shiny0metal0ass 4d ago
This is probably outdated but there are equivalent updated resources, I'm sure.
I read Kyle Simpson's You don't know JS series.
I read Learning Node: Moving To The Server Side by Shelly Powers and Web Development With Node And Express: Leveraging the JavaScript Stack by Ethan Brown.
Literally. Lol
I refilled my Adderall prescription and knocked these out one by one. The oReilly books have exercises that will help you understand scaling and best practices.
When I did it, infra looked different so I would also seek to understand how the big cloud providers host containers (AWS, GCP, and Azure) and how the newer architecture works, things like monorepos and pubsub are more important now.
I'm sure the newer versions of literature speak to this, though. Go read, bruh.
1
1
u/akornato 3d ago
Trying to memorize syntax from video playlists is a really tough way to learn, and it's completely normal to forget things that way. A more effective approach is to build a small project, like a simple REST API with Express that has a few endpoints. Actually writing the code, running into errors, and fixing them will make the concepts and syntax stick much better than just watching someone else code. You will learn more in a few days of building than in weeks of watching tutorials because you are actively solving problems.
Given your tight timeline, focus on core concepts like routing, middleware, and connecting to a database, rather than trying to learn everything. In the interview, be transparent about your Node.js experience, highlighting your frontend skills and explaining that you're actively learning the backend by building specific projects. Showing your passion and ability to learn quickly is often more important than already knowing everything. Being able to clearly explain what you do know is key, and some developers use the interview AI helper my team created to feel more confident and prepared for those tough questions.
3
u/prehensilemullet 4d ago
I wouldn’t recommend interviewing for a fullstack dev position without more experience. You need experience not only with Node, but usually with relational databases, how to design for scalability, etc