Javascript: A dive into new realms and fun times
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From Pythons to Javascripting
I remember the time when I first took up coding. It was an outside institution called DevLeague from the year 2016 that provided a lot of great experiences when it comes to dipping my toes in the world of coding and computer science in general. From working with a build of Linux that only ever used the terminal for everday use (which proved invaluable when it came time for me to take ICS 212 at UH) to getting to know the wonders of Github for safekeeping of code and programs, DevLeague was a very unique and exciting experience. It was also where I first dipped my toes into the world of programming, with Python as my first language. Now, nearly ten years later, I have experienced many more languages to program with. Some were relatively simple to work with, like Java. Others… not so much (looking at you, C and C++). More than anything though, they have helped prepare me for the next language to add to my repertoire of languages: Javascript.
An easy start
Javascript has been a very simple language to get a hold of, thanks to my previous experience with Java itself. They’ve proven remarkably similar in their syntax to the point where many of the obstacles I had thought would prove a challenge to overcome were easily dealt with. Overall, my intial experience with Javascript has been an overwhelmingly positive one, which is also in part thanks to the myriad of tutorials available online, especially for ES6. With this in mind, I am more confident than ever in my upcoming projects with Javascript, which in turn has fueled my ambtitions for what I want to create with Javascript, from making a simple Blackjack game to recreating my past Python project of a One Time Pass encrypter and decrypter program. Of course, there’s always the debate of whether it’s a good or bad programming language from the perspective of software engineering, of which I have not as strong of an opinion due to my relative newness to this language, but I’d like to believe that a software engineer can get a lot of utility out of Javascript, if not to whet their appetites for programming. With the new stuff being introduced through this class, however, there is one thing that was familiar to me thanks to my past experiences, and that is Athletic Software Engineering and WODs.
Familiar sights
I’m not a stranger to intense developmental processes such as the ones outlined in Athletic Software Engineering. Back in DevLeague, we used to conduct coding exercises called Test Driven Development, where we were given a file with a set of parameters to follow and objectives to complete while being given roughly an hour and a half to create a program that fulfilled all of the requirements. Rigorous and thorough testing were the hallmarks of this process and, while frustrating at times, allowed me to cultivate a wealth of experience in coding while under pressure. When we were introduced to Athletic Software Engineering and WODs, I was near-instantly reminded of my times with Test Driven Development. Thanks to my experiences with Test Driven Development, my initial apprehension to the idea of WODs was driven away, replaced by a sense of confidence and even excitement at the prospect of putting my time with Test Driven Developement to good use. Overall, I believe that I will have a pretty engaging but also rewarding experience with this style of learning.
Confidence in the wings
Javascript has been a simple language to pick up and relatively understand, and thanks to the striking similarities between this class’s style of learning, I am confident that my performance will be well above what my initial projections were.