How I Learned a New Programming Language in One Hour and Built a Website with It

If you had told me a few months ago that I could pick up an entirely new programming language in just one hour and use it to build something functional, I would have laughed it off. But today, that’s exactly what happened.

The Decision to Learn Something New

I’ve been coding in JavaScript for a while, working with its frameworks, building projects, and refining my skills. But I’ve always had that feeling—like many developers do—that I needed to learn more to level up and get that dream job. You know the one. The job where you feel like you belong in the big leagues, but there's just one tiny obstacle: they use a language you’ve never touched before.

So, today, I decided to change that. Instead of waiting to be "fully ready," I took action. I picked a language I had never worked with before and set myself a challenge: rebuild a website I had already created, but this time, in the new language.

The Learning Process: Breaking It Down

I didn’t start from scratch in the traditional sense. Instead of going through endless tutorials, reading documentation for hours, or watching lengthy courses, I took a different approach: leveraging what I already knew.

1. Understanding the Syntax – Every programming language has a structure. Since I already knew JavaScript, I focused on understanding how the new language compared. What was different? What was similar?
2. Asking the Right Questions – Instead of searching for broad tutorials, I went straight to ChatGPT and asked, "How do I achieve [specific functionality] in [new language]?" For every part of my existing JavaScript code, I asked how to replicate it in the new language.
3. Building in Pieces – I didn’t try to do everything at once. I broke my project into chunks and tackled each part individually, making sure everything worked before moving to the next step.
4. Connecting to My React Frontend – Since I was still using React for the frontend, I only needed to focus on making sure my backend (now in a different language) could send data properly. With every solution, I tested and iterated.

And just like that, it worked like magic.

The Power of This Approach

The biggest takeaway? You don’t need to be an expert before you start building. The skills you already have are your biggest advantage when learning something new. Instead of starting from zero, you can use your existing knowledge as a bridge.

This method is a game-changer because it removes the fear of transitioning into a new stack. Want to move from JavaScript to Python? PHP to Go? Ruby to Rust? It’s all possible. And the best part?

👉 This is exactly how you prepare yourself for your dream job.

If you've ever felt like you weren’t "ready" for a certain role because of the tech stack, just remember: you can learn and adapt on demand. Instead of doubting yourself, take an existing project, rebuild it with the new language, and watch how quickly you bridge the gap.

So, what’s stopping you from making the leap? 😉