Why I restructured Learn JavaScript
Hey, it’s Zell. Today I want to tell you about an update to Learn JavaScript and a big decision I made.
I made a decision to restructure Learn JavaScript. That means I took whatever I wrote—about 9 chapters (and 60+ lessons)—and rewrote them in a different format.
This was a difficult decision because I wanted to complete and release Learn JavaScript by July 2018. If I did the restructure I won’t be able to complete the course.
Second, I’m afraid I’ll portray the image that I don’t complete projects by the deadlines I set, which in my mind, means people who invested in the preorders don’t get the products in time. I’m afraid that you’ll think badly of me if I do the restructure.
But I still went ahead with it. The question is why.
To understand why I went ahead with the restructure, we have to talk about what the previous structure was.
The previous structure
I created Learn JavaScript to help developers, who had problems learning JavaScript, learn JavaScript once and for all.
The problem I noticed with most courses out there are:
- They assume some sort of knowledge which you might not have, which is why things go over your head
- Most courses cover only theory and not enough practical, which is why people don’t really know how to think like developers; they forget what they learned; and they don’t know how to apply what they learned.
My solution is to teach you how to build twenty components, step by step. To build these twenty components, you need strong JavaScript fundamentals. That’s why I made it a point to cover every fundamental you need to know.
Originally, I thought it would be able 20 to 30 fundamental lessons, and I could slot in practical lessons relatively easily. But when I started writing, I discovered that there were more fundamental lessons—it eventually ballooned to over 50 lessons, just JavaScript basics alone. I only start teaching how to make components after these 50 lessons.
You can already see how this is a big problem, even if you’re enrolled in the course—50 lessons is a lot; it will overwhelm any student who has not touched JavaScript basics.
I didn’t foresee this problem earlier because haven’t started writing the course yet. I discovered the problem when I was talking to the students who took the course. Once I discovered the problem, I knew I had to restructure, even if I can’t meet the July 2018 deadline.
Why I had to restructure
The decision was easy for me to make at this point because I promised my students that I will teach them JavaScript. I’m here to do everything I can to smoothen the learning curve. It doesn’t help them if I overwhelm them with basic JavaScript knowledge.
That’s why I restructured. That’s why I broke the 9 modules I wrote into simpler modules, shifted the practical lessons earlier, and rewrote the practical lessons so you can learn new things as you go along.
The lesson from this restructure process
If you run into a difficult decision, think about why the decision is difficult for you. For me, it’s a struggle between how people think of me and my gains versus how my students’ learning process.
Once you identify the struggles you face, identify the path that aligns with your intention. For this project, my intention is to help students learn JavaScript. Making money is a secondary thing. Once this intention is clarified, the decision to restructure becomes a no-brainer. I had to make it even if it means I need to delay the complete launch to a later date, even if it hurts sales in the process.
Will enrollment still open in July 2018?
I will still open up Learn JavaScript in July 2018 like I promised. (I might not have completed the entire course yet though.) When you join, you’ll have access to the materials that are already created, and you’ll get updates to new lessons as I create them. I welcome you to join Learn JavaScript if you’re okay with this.
If you want to wait until the entire course gets completed before joining, you’ll have to wait till the following launch, which might be in 2019.
Wrapping up
I hope this video gives you a better understanding of what I’m doing with Learn JavaScript and how I operate as a course creator and teacher.
I also hope this video gives you a guide on how to reason out your difficult decisions.
If you’re interested in Learn JavaScript, you can find out more about it at https://learnjavascript.today.
If you like this video, I hope you hit the subscribe button below and I’ll send you a video like this one every Friday. Or better yet, subscribe to my blog at https://zellwk.com; if you do this, I can send you one article and one video every week to help you become a better frontend developer.
That’s it for today. Happy friday and I’ll see you next week.