re: js - "It's a poorly designed language that requires multiple layers of tooling just to make it acceptable for use in larger projects." - ok, isn't this the pot calling the kettle black?
On a more serious note, i've been thinking recently that the more experienced you become with programming, the more you will thirst for functional programming or something close to it. I think that we see this with the maturation of the modern JS ecosystem too - with a trend towards thinking functionally, rendering functional components, limiting side effects, top-down data flow etc. PHP is not the easiest place to do functional programming. PHP is also not a glamorous place to be. Laravel is cool, but you are still gonna want something like React or Vue if you are building a modern front-end so why not go all-in on JS? I am not arguing for this - but I can see the argument being made by the community at large so I am not surprised to see PHP devs moving into JS.
You are in like the 1% - the mythical PHP hacker who loves the language. You will live a lonely life in your mystical PHP dragon cave high upon the on the hillside of Mount Lerdorf. This is the life you must be prepared for.
On a more serious note, i've been thinking recently that the more experienced you become with programming, the more you will thirst for functional programming or something close to it. I think that we see this with the maturation of the modern JS ecosystem too - with a trend towards thinking functionally, rendering functional components, limiting side effects, top-down data flow etc. PHP is not the easiest place to do functional programming. PHP is also not a glamorous place to be. Laravel is cool, but you are still gonna want something like React or Vue if you are building a modern front-end so why not go all-in on JS? I am not arguing for this - but I can see the argument being made by the community at large so I am not surprised to see PHP devs moving into JS.
You are in like the 1% - the mythical PHP hacker who loves the language. You will live a lonely life in your mystical PHP dragon cave high upon the on the hillside of Mount Lerdorf. This is the life you must be prepared for.