Starting Over in Frontend Development: What I’d Do Differently (and What Worked)

My Journey So Far

With over five years in development, I’ve had the privilege of exploring a wide spectrum of technologies. I’ve worked as a React developer, a .NET developer, a PHP developer, and have picked up bits and pieces from other technologies along the way. But early on, I realized my passion for frontend development. There was something uniquely satisfying about creating user interfaces that felt intuitive and looked polished — apps that users didn’t need to “learn” but could simply start using right away.

That’s when I doubled down on frontend and made React my specialty. It wasn’t always smooth sailing. Initially, while I could create decent UIs, understanding React’s nuances — its lifecycle, re-renders, and hooks — was a steep learning curve. But instead of getting bogged down, I just started building. And kept building.

Building Apps: The Path to Mastery

One thing I realized quickly was that projects teach you far more than theory ever could. My learning process involved creating everything I could think of, and some ideas were, admittedly, a bit out there. Here are a few of the projects I built just to practice:

1. Money Spending Game — Pick a billionaire and try to spend their money on luxury items to see how long it takes to empty their wallet.
2. Gym Membership App — Manage memberships, fees, and bookings.
3. Point of Sale (POS) App — For small businesses to track sales and inventory.
4. Math MCQs Game — Quiz app focused on solving math equations with multiple-choice answers.
5. Travel Guide App — Basic travel info, places to visit, and guides.
6. QR Menu App — A digital menu experience where users scan QR codes to view restaurant menus.
7. E-commerce Website — From user accounts to product pages and cart management.
8. VCard Builder App — Users could build virtual business cards to share.
9. WhatsApp Food Order App — Pre-fill messages for ordering food via WhatsApp.
10. Memories Manager App — Save, categorize, and share memories.

And on top of these, I’ve built more portfolio sites than I can count.

Many of these apps didn’t make me any money. In fact, most made me none at all. But what they did give me was hands-on experience, hours of problem-solving, and constant learning. Each app introduced me to new challenges — how to handle state effectively, ways to manage component re-renders, tricks for performance optimization, and UI/UX considerations for different user flows.

If there’s one takeaway from this, it’s this: consistent practice builds skill.

What I’d Do Differently Today

If I were starting over, I’d take a slightly different approach based on the lessons I’ve learned.

1. Master JavaScript First
   Before jumping into frameworks like React, I would make sure I had a solid grip on JavaScript. A lot of React’s power comes from JavaScript fundamentals — closures, scope, and ES6+ features. Having a strong foundation in JavaScript makes React (or any framework) a lot easier to grasp.
2. Focus on Design and UX Fundamentals
   Frontend isn’t just about writing code; it’s also about understanding design and user experience. I’d dedicate time to learning the basics of UI/UX design, maybe even get comfortable with a design tool like Figma. Knowing design principles helps build more thoughtful, user-friendly interfaces.
3. Learn a CSS Framework
   When I started, I mostly styled everything from scratch. Now, I realize the value of learning a CSS framework early on — something like Tailwind CSS or a component library like Chakra UI. They speed up development, keep styles consistent, and make it easier to create responsive designs.
4. Start with Smaller Projects, then Scale
   Tackling smaller projects at first (like a simple to-do list or a weather app) helps in understanding the basics before taking on complex apps. Once the basics are comfortable, building scalable, modular components becomes a lot easier.
5. Contribute to Open Source
   If I could go back, I’d get involved in open-source sooner. Contributing to open-source projects is an incredible way to learn industry best practices, understand different coding styles, and get real feedback from other developers.
6. Document Everything
   I used to code my projects and move on to the next one without documenting much of what I learned. Today, I document my learnings and reflections. Writing about what you’ve done, even in brief notes, solidifies understanding and is great to refer back to when tackling similar problems.

The Best Advice I Can Give: Keep Building

The truth is, the best way to learn anything — especially frontend development — is to keep building. Creating projects consistently, even if they’re small or experimental, teaches you far more than passively watching tutorials. You learn how to debug, how to adapt, and how to get creative. It’s not about creating a masterpiece each time, but rather about refining your skills, one project at a time.

Whether it’s building something as fun as a “spend Bill Gates’ money” game or a practical tool like a QR-based menu app, every app is a step forward. And with each project, the path to mastery gets a little clearer.

So, if I had to start over, I’d focus on the fundamentals, practice intentionally, document my journey, and build, build, build. Frontend development has endless layers to discover, and that’s what makes it such an exciting journey.

If you’re just getting started, know that the road to becoming a skilled frontend developer is built with patience, persistence, and a lot of projects.

Find me on your favorite platform

• Github — Follow me on GitHub for further useful code snippets and open source repos.
• My Portfolio — Connect with me through my portfolio
• LinkedIn Profile — Connect with me on LinkedIn for further discussions and updates.
• Twitter (X) — Connect with me on Twitter (X) for useless tech tweets.