Learning React First Is Actually a Mistake
And why it quietly holds a lot of developers back.
Every few weeks, I hear the same advice given to beginners:
“Just learn React. Everything else will make sense later.”
It sounds practical. React is popular. Jobs ask for it. Tutorials are everywhere.
So people jump straight into JSX, hooks, and component trees… and then get stuck.
Not because React is bad but because learning it first skips the foundations that make it powerful.
Let’s unpack this, calmly, without framework fanboyism.
The Problem Isn’t React, it’s the Order
React isn’t a beginner tool.
It’s an abstraction layer built on top of multiple concepts:
JavaScript fundamentals
The browser runtime
State and data flow
Rendering and reconciliation
Event-driven programming
When you start with React, you’re learning what to type, not what’s actually happening.
So when something breaks, beginners don’t debug they cargo-cult.
“It works if I copy this hook pattern from a blog.”
That’s not learning. That’s ritual.
What Beginners Miss When They Start With React
<ol>
<li>The Browser Is Doing Real Work (And You Never See It)</li>
</ol>
Before React, the flow was clear:#
<ul>
<li>HTML = structure</li>
<li>CSS = layout</li>
<li>JavaScript = behavior</li>
</ul>
You touched the DOM. You saw events. You understood what changed and why.
React hides that behind:
<ul>
<li>Virtual DOM</li>
<li>Reconciliation</li>
<li>Declarative rendering</li>
</ul>
Which is great after you understand the raw mechanics.
If you’ve never manipulated the DOM directly, React feels like magic.
And magic is terrible for learning.
<ol>
<li>JavaScript Gaps Get Papered Over</li>
</ol>
A lot of React beginners don’t actually know JavaScript well.
You’ll see things like:
setState(prev =&gt; ({
…prev,
count: prev.count + 1
}))
And people will use it… without understanding:
<ul>
<li>Closures</li>
<li>Immutability</li>
<li>Why spreading matters</li>
<li>Why async state updates exist</li>
</ul>
React doesn’t fix JS knowledge gaps.
It hides them until they explode in production.
<ol>
<li>“State” Becomes a Buzzword Instead of a Concept</li>
</ol>
Ask a beginner:
“What is state?”
You’ll hear:
<ul>
<li>“Data that changes”</li>
<li>“Something you put in useState”</li>
</ul>
That’s not wrong, it’s just shallow.
State is about:
<ul>
<li>Ownership</li>
<li>Source of truth</li>
<li>Synchronization</li>
<li>Lifecycle</li>
</ul>
If you’ve never built a small app with plain JS, managing data manually React state feels arbitrary instead of intentional.
React Makes More Sense After You Feel the Pain
React is easier after you struggle without it.
If you’ve:
<ul>
<li>Written messy DOM update code</li>
<li>Dealt with event listeners everywhere</li>
<li>Manually synced UI and data</li>
</ul>
Then React clicks instantly.
You go:
“Ohhh, this is why declarative UI matters.”
Without that pain, React just feels like syntax gymnastics.
A Better Learning Path
Instead of:
HTML → CSS → React → confusion
Try this:
**Step 1: Solid JavaScript **
<ul>
<li>Functions</li>
<li>Closures</li>
<li>Arrays &amp; objects</li>
<li>Async code (promises, async/await)</li>
</ul>
Build tiny things. No frameworks. Break stuff.
Step 2: Browser Fundamentals
<ul>
<li>DOM manipulation</li>
<li>Events</li>
<li>Fetch API</li>
<li>Rendering updates</li>
</ul>
Yes, it’s “old-school.”
It’s also how the web actually works.
Step 3: One Small App Without React
Even a basic:
<ul>
<li>Todo list</li>
<li>Form with validation</li>
<li>Filterable list</li>
</ul>
You’ll learn more here than in 10 React tutorials.
Step 4: Then Learn React
Now React stops being magic and starts being a solution.
You’ll understand:
<ul>
<li>Why state exists</li>
<li>Why effects are tricky</li>
<li>Why component boundaries matter</li>
</ul>
And suddenly, hooks don’t feel scary they feel logical.
“But Jobs Want React”
True.
They also want developers who can debug, reason, and adapt.
Frameworks change.
Mental models don’t.
A dev who understands fundamentals can learn React in weeks.
A dev who only knows React panics when the abstraction leaks.
And it always leaks.
So… Is React Bad for Beginners?
No.
React-first is bad. React-ever is not.
React is an incredible tool when you know what problem it solves.
Learn the ground first.
Then stand on it.
The Bottom Line
Learning React first doesn’t make you faster, it makes you dependent.
If you want long-term growth:
<ul>
<li>Learn how the web works</li>
<li>Learn JavaScript deeply</li>
<li>Feel the pain React was designed to fix</li>
</ul>
Then React becomes a power tool not a crutch.
And trust me: your future self will thank you.

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Starting with React before mastering JavaScript and browser fundamentals creates knowledge gaps that hinder long-term growth. React abstracts away DOM manipulation, state management, and rendering concepts that beginners need to understand first. A better learning path involves mastering JavaScript fundamentals, browser APIs, and building vanilla JS apps before adopting React. This approach transforms React from mysterious syntax into a logical solution to real problems, creating developers who can debug and adapt rather than cargo-cult code patterns.

Learning React First Is Actually a Mistake

<a href="https://app.daily.dev/stackedupjesse" data-mention-id="hCVjs0u40SxHpeORBuKmu" data-mention-username="stackedupjesse" translate="no">@stackedupjesse</a> Thanks for compiling and sharing!
I love this post and would love to see more of these concise, structured, and well-thought-out articles. It prevents you from wandering around looking for the right path and provides a structured approach to learning what you really need. I followed exactly this path:
HTML + CSS + Vanilla JS --&gt; React v.1 (classes) --&gt; React (hooks)
And yes, mastering a tool perfectly and enjoying it requires effort.

just learn <a href="https://data-star.dev/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">https://data-star.dev/</a>, React is so slow and it doesn’t even use Hydration

I hope more starting developers read this post. In a world where it’s tempting to skip steps along with the rise of AI, a developer who still knows core concepts will become more valuable in the long run.