Javascript seems to be one of those things that people always want to learn in a hurry. Maybe it’s because most of them are students and students have neither time nor patience, maybe it’s because Javascript lends itself to being picked up quickly, or maybe there’s some mysterious force that draws frantic people to this language in particular. Personally, I’m most inclined to believe that last one.

But whatever the case, it’s rare to see someone sit down with proper reading materials and a hefty chunk of time and decide to learn Javascript the right way. Usually, we need to learn Javascript the wrong way, but right now, and figure the rest out later.

So you’re in a hurry. You want to learn Javascript. Why are you still reading the intro? You need to go learn Javascript, and you need to do it in a hurry! How?

1. Hit up a coding site

   Sites like Khan Academy and Code Academy are awesome for learning code, and because Javascript can be so easy to grasp and is so prevalent, the tutorials for it are endless. The benefits of the sites mentioned above and others like them is you get to code as you learn — it’s interactive, and it sticks.

2. Ask a friend to show you

   If you’re anywhere near the coding world, you probably have a friend, coworker, relative, or frenemy who knows some Javascript. Guile, beg, or blackmail them into sitting down with you for a few hours and showing you what’s what. Especially if they think like you do, the lessons will flow fast, and you’ll be ready to hit the code before you know it.

3. Read like the dickens

   If you’re a fast reader, then maybe interactive guides or lectures from your friends aren’t right for you. Instead, hit a stack of books, physical or virtual, and supplement them with a healthy smattering of tutorials. This site has a lot of great free ebooks for coding, and is a good place to get started if you aren’t quite ready to spend money, but want to dive in.

4. Sign up for a hackathon

   I have seen people who have barely ever coded before go to a hackathon and come out an expert Javascript coder — or, if not legitimately an expert, certainly capable of handling themselves well enough to build a usable tool. You can do it too! There’s no impetus to learn quite like a timed and ranked competition, and Javascript is a mainstay of many hackathons. Find one in your area, and watch your coding skills come to life.

5. Take apart a website

   Websites are fun. As in most any language, reading is easier than writing, and websites are a motherlode of Javascript-y information. As a front-end language, most of the time it’ll be sitting right there, and with some help from the debugging tools found in most browsers, you can find out which bit of code does what in no time, and start messing around with it right there in your client. This is especially great if you have some background in coding and are curious how sites do what they do.

6. Build something

   Even if you’ve never coded before, this shouldn’t come as a shocker. This isn’t just how you prove you know your stuff, it’s how you get to know your stuff better — and how you start building a portfolio.

   Best part is that with Javascript, it doesn’t need to take long. And with the insensibly long list of libraries out there, there’s practically no need to build anything from the ground up. It’s really about the idea, proper coding, and putting the tools to good use. So get out there and build something!

P.S. If you really want to learn Javascript the right way, and for real, take a course in addition to doing all the stuff listed above. Try ones like this and these. In fact, best to round it out and take a real web development class if you can. It’ll be more helpful in the long run, and it’s great for your resume.

P.P.S. Sorry for the “6 Ways…”