To Learn To Code, Learn These 10 Frontend Tools, In This Order

This is how I recommend an aspiring frontend software engineer learn how to code: just learn these 10 tools, in this order.

There are hundreds of tools you could learn, but these are what I recommend. Photo: Taylor Grote on Unsplash

If you could identify an “ideal” way to learn coding, starting with no prior experience, what would it look like?

• You’d want to focus on “in demand” technical skills, the kind that can get you hired as a software engineer.
• You’d want to be as efficient as possible, drawing a straight line from “zero coding knowledge” to “programming full-time.”
• You’d want to avoid learning anything that isn’t “in demand” or that’s inefficient — you don’t have time to waste!

That’s why I recommend you “skip ahead” and learn certain tools that imply others. For example, learning to build web apps with Next.js will teach you JavaScript, React, HTML, and CSS, all at the same time!

In this article, I’m going to take you through, in order, the first 10 technical skills that I would recommend you learn to become a successful frontend developer, starting with no prior knowledge of coding.

(For other types of engineering, including frontend development using different tools, then work back from job…