Treehouse learning: Days 1 + 2
Recently, I attended a code workshop through PDXWIT. It was really fun and I discovered how much I didn't know about code. The workshop was constructed on the premise of learning together using pair programming and getting a taste of different languages of code. Using Conway's game of life as a way to construct the code.
I was excited to learn more about JavaScript because of friends who have recently gone through code school and become full stack JavaScript developers.
I was under the assumption that I had a beginner's grasp on JavaScript and could be ok with learning more. I found that I had more of a novice grasp and definitely need to learn more. At times I felt a little overwhelmed and while constructing the code was a part of the workshop, communication with others and the exchange of ideas was a much larger and more important part.
At the end of the workshop, I was finally able to pair up with a friend who was really able to explain JavaScript in ways I could understand. They offered to help me learn, introduced me to Treehouse, and showed me what they were doing currently to keep their skills up after finishing code school (www.javascript30.com)
Returning home, I was inspired to continue learning. I jumped on Treehouse after giving myself a day to rest and earned my first 2 badges in the JavaScript learning course track. Some of it was refreshing what I thought I knew, a lot of it filled in holes from my cursory study in the language.
At first, I learned through my friend and decided that to track my own progress, I'd invest in my own login.
Day 1:
Started out later in the day than I would have liked. Ended up finishing a couple sections and earned 2 badges! Their style of learning is very similar to earning achievements (like in video games.) It is also presented in a way I understand. There are a lot of visual stimuli and animation. This is definitely how I learn best: visual learning through repetition. I had to stop at midnight due to body fatigue. My mind wanted to keep going... I took copious amounts of notes.
Day 2:
The momentum from yesterday keeps going! I read over my notes from yesterday and found I remembered a lot of what I worked through. What's interesting is while going through the videos, it's presented in such a way that it is repetition, but doesn't feel like it on the conscious level. On the subconscious level, it more than likely is. Today though, the videos are more about math and calculations, I have a feeling I may stumble a bit.
As I close out the day, it ended with a very difficult challenge. Basically create a multiple question quiz. I feel like I had a good start, but lost steam and struggled with it. I'm still needing a little bit of hand-holding it seems. I looked at another student's solution and was able to figure out my own shortly after that. I'm thinking I just struggle with looking at it as a whole and not the digestible parts, plus the dreaded blank screen causes me so much grief. This (hopefully) will come with practice as I continue through the course.
One thing I noticed in comparing my solution to the instructor's was mine was a bit overly complicated. I decided to make mine a math quiz. In doing so, I also had to convert the string into an integer using parseInt( ); , so that added one additional layer of complexity. I also wanted to accept written out numbers, so adding in the or ( || ) operator was another challenge. It was good to figure out though and I'm proud to say I did it!
I do kinda wish I was understanding the challenges better on the outset. I think as I continue through the course and practice writing the code, this will come easier to me. These challenges definitely help me realize that JavaScript isn't as unforgiving as I originally thought.
Literal, yes.
Unforgiving, no.
It tells you where something went wrong, it's up to you to know how and what to fix. I think my troubleshooting experience coupled with how Treehouse teaches/how I'm learning is helping. For now, it's time to snuggle with a kitty.