Potluck - Where to start with JS × Freelancing × Cron jobs × Split testing × Frameworks in 2019 × More

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: Syntax’s potluck episode covers practical advice for web developers: how to start JavaScript from WordPress, how cron jobs work, what skills the hosts want to learn in 2019, basic analytics and A/B testing realities, productivity tips for young coders, freelance readiness, and an overview of React Native. The episode also includes sponsor reads, plus book and Netflix recommendations, emphasizing continuous learning, health, and building with the right tools for your current stage.

Main Topics: Learning JavaScript from WordPress: The hosts advise against starting with Bootstrap for learning JS, instead recommending a path through JavaScript fundamentals or learning through React/Gatsby or Vue-based site generators if the goal is to replace a WordPress workflow. Cron jobs and scheduling: They explain cron jobs as scheduled tasks, how they run on servers, common use cases like backups and scraping, the difference between server cron and NodeCron, and important concerns like syntax and time zones. 2019 learning goals and modern front-end tech: Both hosts discuss the technologies they want to learn more deeply, especially GraphQL, React hooks, React suspense, code splitting, CSS Subgrid, and CSS Houdini. Analytics and A/B testing: They discuss the value and limits of analytics and split testing, noting that these approaches are most useful at scale and often not worth the effort for smaller products. Productivity and freelancing for young developers: Advice focuses on building habits, using blockers, staying excited about work, taking breaks, and starting freelancing with low-stakes client work to build confidence and skills. React Native overview: They explain that React Native builds native mobile UIs using React concepts, shares business logic more than UI, and is powerful but frustrating due to fast-moving tooling. Personal recommendations and sponsor highlights: The episode closes with sick picks, including Bad Blood and Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, plus plugs for a freelancing course and styled-components course.

Key Arguments: Learning JavaScript through frameworks like React or Vue can be effective, especially for developers moving from WordPress, because it mirrors how many people learned WordPress itself: by building and struggling through real projects. Bootstrap is not the best starting point for learning JavaScript because it is primarily a CSS/HTML tool and does not teach the JavaScript fundamentals needed for modern app work. Cron jobs are essentially scheduled alarms for tasks like backups, scrapes, renewals, and batch emails; they can run directly on a Linux server or through Node-based tooling like NodeCron. Time zones are one of the hardest parts of scheduling work, and cron-based systems are much easier to maintain if you standardize around UTC. New front-end features like hooks, suspense, lazy loading, and CSS Houdini are likely to improve both developer experience and website performance. A/B testing and advanced analytics only become highly valuable once a product has enough traffic and revenue for small conversion improvements to matter financially. For young coders, productivity comes more from excitement, healthy boundaries, and blocking distractions than from forcing discipline alone. Freelancing should start with low-stakes projects for friends or family so beginners can learn client communication, expectations, and delivery without major risk. React Native is useful for native mobile apps, but it does not automatically provide a write-once-run-everywhere codebase; UI often needs platform-specific work. React Native’s ecosystem changes quickly, which makes long-form courses or tutorials difficult to keep current.

Data Points: Freelancing course discount: 25% off - Coupon syntax for Kyle Prinsloo’s freelancing bundle Devlifts January offer: 50 bucks off - Discount on the one-time $199 purchase price using code new year19 Devlifts one-time purchase price: $199 - Price mentioned for the limited-time eight-week plan Fit Start / Fit Premium discount: 50% off - Coupon codes Syntax and Tasty mentioned for these plans Chip Gaines audiobook length: 5.5 hours - Length of Capital Gaines audiobook Chip Gaines audiobook playback speed: 1.75x - Wes listened to the audiobook at increased speed Time to read Marie Kondo book: 1 day - Wes says he read the book in one day after watching the show Code correctness theme: 3 to 3.5 years - Scott says a 17-year-old can become a very good developer in roughly this time Daily deal site schedule: Once an hour / once a day at 7 a.m. - Example of cron jobs used for scraping and sending emails Certificate renewal cadence: Every 3 months - Wes describes certbot renewal for Let’s Encrypt certificates React Native course longevity issue: 2 months - Scott says a large React Native course became seriously out of date very quickly Productivity age reference: 17 years old - Multiple questions reference a young coder who is 17 Podcast sponsor course discount: 11 bucks off - Wes mentions an extra discount on his course sale using code syntax

Pivotal Quotes: "I would honestly pick up React and Gatsby." — Scott: Advice to a WordPress developer asking where to start with JavaScript "A cron job is something that happens. You can think of it like a time, like an alarm clock, right?" — Scott: Simple explanation of cron jobs and how they function "The thing about freelance is that you don't necessarily have a mentor or a boss or a company that will help you learn." — Wes: Why a freelancing course can help beginners learn the surrounding business skills

Implications: Listeners should focus on practical paths: learn by building, automate with cron where it fits, start freelance work small, and optimize only after product traction exists. The episode suggests modern tooling is reducing friction, making better web and mobile apps easier to build.