The 7 Best (Paid) Resources To Learn React from a Past Beginner

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Let's face it. There are SO many resources for learning React online.

React is the most popular JavaScript framework around, so it's no surprise that there are tutorials for every topic imaginable. That's fantastic for when you're an established developer. But what about when you're trying to learn for the first time?

It can be overwhelming! There are so many results and you don't know anything about React, so how are you supposed to be able to judge which course will be best for you? Or which ones are even good? Do you really want to give your money to someone that you're not even sure will teach you what you want to know?

I get it. Just a few years ago, I learned React on my own, just by taking tutorials online. To help you and everyone who is looking for a place to start, I've put together this list of the best resources out there.

All of the courses and tutorials that I recommend I have actually taken myself. Trust me, there are lots that I've taken and just left out entirely. For example, you'll notice that I've left off the place where most beginners go: Udemy courses. I've taken quite a few of them. There are some instructors on Udemy who are quite good (Stephen Grider is one of them) but for the most part, I found that those courses are bloated, outdated, and ultimately fairly unhelpful in really learning the concepts.

Every resource that I recommend has a price attached to it. That's partly because I believe in paying creators for their work and I think you should too. But also, these are really high quality courses. If you take any of the courses on this list, you will have a leg up on all the others trying to learn from lower quality courses.

Last thing before we dive into the list: don't get stuck in tutorial hell. If you've already taken a course or two, the best thing you can do right now is to think up a basic little project and start building it on your own. You will learn so much more just by doing it yourself.

Epic React from Kent C Dodds

Go to Epic React

This is easily my #1 suggestion for learning React. Kent is an amazing instructor, and he will take you from absolute beginner to knowing React inside and out quickly.

I took this course after building a few projects in React and although I thought that I knew it pretty well, it turned out that there was still so much more to learn.

Plus, the course has just been updated to include React 18!

React for Beginners from Wes Bos

Go to React for Beginners

I haven't taken this course, but Wes is a boss and I've taken his Advanced course recommended later. If you aren't already listening to Syntax, I highly recommend checking it out as well. Wes and Scott talk about everything web development and Javascript related in two weekly shows.

For a beginner, this is a great place to start and might be a bit more digestible than Epic React for someone who is newer to programming in general.

React for Everyone from LevelUpTutorials

Go to React for Everyone

The other side of Syntax, Scott runs LevelUpTutorials which is an awesome site to get shorter courses on a whole bunch of mostly frontend topics. As any Syntax listener knows, Scott has gotten really into Svelte lately, but his React based courses are still an excellent way to learn React.

Plus, with a subscription to LevelUpTutorials, you'll be getting an ongoing boost to your career with new courses released every month!

Complete Intro to React, v7 from Brian Holt

Go to Complete Intro to React

FrontendMasters is one of my favourite sites to find really high quality courses and workshops on a whoooole bunch of frontend (and lots of backend) related topics. Brian Holt is an awesome engineer and I've gone through a couple of his courses on FrontendMasters.

Fullstack Advanced React & GraphQL from Wes Bos

Go to Fullstack Advanced React & GraphQL

This was the course where I really started to get React. Since I took it, the entire course has been updated to new content - but the principles of the project-based course are still the same. Wes takes you through building a whole app from scratch.

One of the things that I really like about Wes' teaching style is that he keeps everything upbeat and positive. Plus he leaves in little mistakes and goofs that you might run into along the way. That's great as a beginner because you start to realize that no one writes perfect code every single time and a huge part of being an engineer is fixing your own buggy code. 😂

Introduction to Gatsby from Jason Lengstorf

Go to Introduction to Gatsby

Jason is an awesome instructor. I actually wish that he made more courses, because I would definitely buy them. You can check out his Learn with Jason series though, which is available for free.

Now, why Gatsby? Well, Gatsby is built with React, but produces static sites that are fast and SEO-ready. Plus, a lot of companies created marketing or ecommerce sites that run on Gatsby in the mid-to-late 2010s so you're very likely to encounter a site built with Gatsby.

That said, I actually think NextJS has a longer life that Gatsby, so I'd immediately move on to:

Build a Fullstack App from Scratch (feat NextJs)

Go to Build a Fullstack App from Scratch

This is a suuuper cool course. You're building a Spotify clone, which is already a fantastic portfolio project, and you get to learn from Scott Moss who is an awesome instructor and engineer at Netflix.

Honestly, this is a great capstone course to the rest of your learning. With this course under your belt, you'll be able to build anything you can dream up. And I seriously encourage you to do so.

Happy learning

I hope you found this list helpful! As a former beginner, I know that it's difficult to find good resources that you can trust to teach you the right skills on your journey to learning React.

I wish you all the best luck and happy learning!

Gabe Kirkley

Hi! I'm a software engineer at Bench Accountingin Vancouver, B.C. I'm also a former marketer, actor, director and general theatre person—but now I build software. I enjoy reading, gaming, and learning new stuff. Catch up with me on Twitter!

© 2022, Gabe Kirkley