UI frameworks such as Bootstrap and Semantic UI can be extremely overwhelming for someone just starting out on their web development journey, and it definitely was for me. The steep learning curves can often cause newer developers to shy away from learning and utilizing these UI frameworks. Why would you learn something almost as complicated as a programming language when you can do everything with raw HTML and CSS? Well, I wholeheartedly believe that investing the time to learn these tools is essential for any good web developer. Taking the time to learn UI framworks early on will actually save time later on, as these tools come with pre-built components such as buttons, forms, navigation bars, and more, which drastically increases efficiency. Many of these UI framworks are also responsive, meaning they are optimized for both large and small screens. This allows the user to quickly create layouts that adapt to different screen sizes without needing to manually write media queries.
Even though I understand the value and importance of learning UI framworks such as Bootstrap, it has not been an easy journey so far. Just a few weeks ago, I knew nothing about HTML, CSS, or any kind of web development tools. Although I am getting by, learning how to use Bootstrap when I’m still figuring out the ins and outs of CSS has been challenging. The main struggle I am having currently is the overwhelming amount of classes and tools available in Bootstrap, and I sometimes find myself confused on how to use the classes effectively (e.g., .comtainer, .nav, .btn, etc.). Also, learning how to use Bootstrap’s responsive design is another challenge, as I still haven’t fully grasped how to best structure my web pages for different screen sizes. But despite the struggle I’m currently having, I’ve larned a lot and the time investment is already paying off because I’m able to create web pages using Bootstrap that would take me much longer if I used raw HTML and CSS. Overall, I believe going through the pain of the steep learning curves of UI framworks is worth it because the payoff is much greater. Having the ability to effectively use these tools leads to faster and more efficient development with less room for error, and is ultimately an essential part of being a web developer.