Learning Next.js with Claude Code: A 25-Year Dev's Perspective

After 25 years in the game, you'd think learning a new framework would feel routine. It doesn't. Every time I pick up something new, there's that familiar mix of excitement and "what have I gotten myself into?"

Why Next.js?

I've been building web applications since ColdFusion was the hot new thing. I've ridden every wave — PHP, jQuery, Angular, React. Each time, the jump felt massive. But this time something is different: I have an AI pair programmer helping me along.

The ColdFusion to Next.js Pipeline

Here's the thing about being a ColdFusion developer learning modern JavaScript frameworks — the concepts aren't that different:

• Server-side rendering? ColdFusion did that before it was cool
• Component-based architecture? We had custom tags
• API routes? We had CFCs as web services

The syntax is wildly different, but the mental models transfer more than you'd expect.

Claude Code as a Learning Tool

What's genuinely blown my mind is using Claude Code as a learning partner. It's not just writing code for me — it's explaining why things work the way they do. When I ask "why does this component re-render?", I get an explanation that connects to concepts I already understand.

// This pattern felt familiar immediately
// It's just a ColdFusion custom tag with better syntax
export default function ProjectCard({ title, description, link }) {
  return (
    <div className="card">
      <h3>{title}</h3>
      <p>{description}</p>
      <a href={link}>View Project</a>
    </div>
  );
}

Start Small, Iterate Fast

My approach to learning anything new: build something real, keep it small, ship it, improve it. This portfolio site is my learning project. Every feature I add teaches me something new about Next.js, Tailwind, and modern web development.

What's Next

I'm planning to add more interactive features, maybe some cycling data visualizations from Strava. But for now — I shipped something. And that's always the hardest part.

Start small. Iterate fast. Ship it.