Using a Javascript framework is definitely a Good Thing. It allows you to step back and focus on what you want to do rather than on the details of getting it done in a way that will work efficiently, in various browsers, etc. Unless there's some external force compelling you to use jQuery, it would be a good idea to at least consider the alternatives, a good starting point being the Wikipedia entry, of course, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript_library.
Nathan
