💬 A student asked me React or Next.js first, here's what I told her

Almost every week someone from an Ameerpet institute messages me on LinkedIn with the same question. Should I learn React first or go straight to Next.js? Last Tuesday it was a girl called Farhana. She's in month 2 of her course and her trainer just told the whole batch to start Next.js. She was nervous because she still couldn't explain props to her friend in the hostel. I told her to give React 2 or 3 more weeks. Components, props, state, hooks and basic routing. Next.js sits on top of React, so once those feel boring, the jump takes a few days. If you skip that part, you copy code you don't understand and it falls apart in an interview. She asked if that was too slow. I said if you want a job in 3 or 4 months, don't dawdle. After the basics, move to Next.js quickly. A lot of product companies ask for it now. Learn the App Router, not just the older Pages Router. Many 2021 and 2022 tutorials only show the old one. Check the date on any course before you pay for it. It's a small thing and it looks careless otherwise. Then build 2 or 3 full projects, not just follow along. A blog, a catalog, or an app with Supabase. One project that is deployed and that you can explain beats 5 half finished ones. Farhana is on day 9 of React now. She sent me a screenshot of her first custom hook. It had a bug, but she found it herself, which made me happy. What order did you learn them in, and would you change it?

I'll disagree a bit. I learned JavaScript properly, then went straight to Next.js, and it was fine. I picked up React ideas as I built things, and the routing felt easier than doing it by hand. 2 weeks of pure React would have bored me, and I'd have quit. But I already knew JavaScript well. For a total beginner, Farhana's plan makes more sense. How long was she on JavaScript before React?

Farhana's worry is real. A guy in my batch jumped to Next.js in week 5 and copied everything from the trainer. In his first interview they asked what props were and he froze for a full minute. So 2 or 3 weeks of React sounds right to me. I'd cut it to 2 if you're strong in JavaScript. The App Router point matters too. Old tutorials still confuse a lot of people.