JavaScript 30 – Wes Bos

Bootcamp is over, but the learning never stops. I decided to take it back to the basics with the JavaScript 30 course from Wes Bos. I love listening to the Syntax. Web Development podcast, so I figured a course from one of these guys might be fun to take.

I finished the first lesson which was a JS drum-kit. When you click on certain keys a drum noise plays for each key. You can also see each key that you are clicking being represented on the screen. I felt like a beginning DJ after this one. It was fun to build & it was fun to play with.

I’m also working on some Codewars problems to continue improving my JavaScript skills & my problem solving abilities. I’ve decided that I would like to work on specializing in Javascript & Python for my main languages. I like the diverse capabilities of both. I am open to everything under the sun, but having a focused direction will be really good for me.

I have a lot to learn about AWS, so I’m definitely spending some time studying up on that as well. Talk about a sea of information to get lost in…I’m really excited to start work to have a better idea of the direction I need to go with that. We are relocating to Portland in a few weeks for the new position which is time-consuming in itself. I often feel like the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.

The Night Before My First Day of Bootcamp

I have to tell ya, I’m anxious-excited for what is ahead. I start General Assembly’s Software Engineering Immersive program tomorrow!! I’m going to be taking the course full-time and in-person on the Denver campus. I can’t wait to take you guys on this journey with me. I will be trying to post a couple times a week during this time so that I can give you guys a good idea of what I’m going through.

I know most blog posts are about the end of a bootcamp, so I wanted to give you guys a different perspective. You will be along for the ride as I undergo the craziness of an immersive bootcamp. Feel free to ask me questions in the comment section if you would like to know about something specific.

The main reason I decided to go for a bootcamp is because I honestly really like school. I enjoy learning new things, but also being in a classroom setting. I just finished my A.S. at a community college, and my favorite classes were the ones I went to on campus. I worked forty hours a week, so unfortunately I was unable to take all of my classes on campus.

Another reason that I decided to take the bootcamp is because I wanted the connections that General Assembly has. I’m no stranger to the effects of good networking, and I want in on the goods that GA has. Networking is important at any stage of the game, but being a recent transplant to Denver has made it crucial. This reason also played into why I chose General Assembly specifically to go to.

I’ve been self-taught for about a year, but I really didn’t want to get up to Denver, ready for a career change, and slow play myself. Sometimes it can be hard to find that extra time for self-study when working full-time. I highly applaud anyone who goes this route & makes something of themselves. You are truly amazing.

Let’s talk about cost. Part 1: Seeing a bootcamp’s cost upfront is not the most pleasant sight. I’m a habitual saver. I really hate to spend money unless it is on food. I’m pretty sure my boyfriend thinks I’m a tight-wad. I’ve got clothes from high-school still because I don’t like spending money on clothes unless I need something specific. This insight into my spending habits should give you my initial thought on a bootcamp. HECK NAH! With further research, I discovered a General Assembly falls into the medium price range. They also have a See Her Excel scholarship for women that helped persuade me. I liked their merit based loan financing options to help take the sweat off the up-front cost. I was also pleased to see the G.I. bill as an option for those in the military. I don’t qualify for this, but I have friend & family who could if they wanted a career in tech.

Part 2: I saved up money to get my A.S. while working. This put me in a seemingly unique financial situation for this day & age. I have a degree with no student-debt racked up. This made the choice a tad bit easier for me. I also took the cost I would pay, divided it by the amount of hours I would receive in-person instruction, and came up with a cost-per-hour that I felt was reasonable. I love learning. I know that any money spent on education is an investment in yourself. All of these factors came together to bring me to the conclusion that I would attend a bootcamp.

So here we are, day one starts tomorrow. I won’t be able to sleep well tonight because I’ll be too excited to get to “school” tomorrow. This has happened since I was a young kid. It’s funny how some things don’t change.

The Fundamentals

This is something that I’ve been hearing a lot about lately. What are these mysterious fundamentals & why are they so buzzword worthy?

I think just like with any job, it helps if you can build from the ground up. The foundation of a house isn’t your favorite part, but it is what allows the rest of the house to come together. This is similar to code. The HTML is often considered the bare bones of a webpage. The CSS is what makes it pretty/stylish. The JavaScript & all the frameworks included in responsive web design is what makes the website your favorite.

I think too often in life, as with coding, we rush through the fundamentals. Few people enjoy doing the “boring” stuff, but everyone wants to be a part of making it “cool”. I challenge you to change your view of what is cool is web development. Have you ever been to CSS Zen Garden? If not, you should really check it out. Each person works on the same exact HTML code to make completely unique webpages with only CSS. It is definitely inspiring to me to see all the things you can do with CSS.

The idea of fundamentals is that there are some basic coding objectives that should just be known. This doesn’t mean memorize every single HTML & CSS tag, but it does mean you should have an understanding of the different types of tags you can use. You should learn CSS Flexbox & Grid even if there is a framework that can do it for you. You need to have a good understanding of the basics to understand web development as a whole.

We all program differently. We use different languages and frameworks. When everyone understands the fundamentals, it makes it a lot easier to communicate with each other regardless of our differences.

Here are some resources to check out for fundamentals:

MDN Intro to Web Development

The Odin Project’s Web Development 101 Course

Flexbox Froggy

Syntax Podcast with Scott Tolinski & Wes Box

TECHLAHOMA

I want to first start by telling you how much Techlahoma means to me. There’s a chance that my curiosity about the technology field would have just stayed a curiosity without Techlahoma. I’m currently in the process of transitioning careers, and this is thanks to help from the Techlahoma folks. I was a barber in Oklahoma City before I moved to Denver. A client is who introduced me to the Techlahoma group & the concept of Meetup.

A quick brag on Meetup — if you’ve never been to a Meetup then you really should check it out! https://www.meetup.com It has made moving to a new city less nerve wracking. There are Meetups for EVERYTHING! It’s really cool just to see all the different things going on in your area. If there’s not a Meetup you enjoy, you should look at creating one. I’ve made friends, network connections, and happy memories thanks to Meetup.

So what is Techlahoma? They’re a group of volunteers dedicated to “Advancing Oklahoma’s grassroots technology community.” They organize and support free and accessible tech training events statewide. Techlahoma is comprised of 39 different Meetup groups with over 8200 members in the state of Oklahoma. There are some of us that have moved away, but still stay connected. If you want to read more about what Techlahoma does, here’s a link to the homepage https://www.techlahoma.org.

Some other helpful links to check out who they are and what they do:

Join them on Slack: http://slack.techlahoma.org/

Meet some crazy cool people with Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/Techlahoma-Foundation/

Browse videos from home on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnLf0pfqIpSfKuPZ0e9iiNQ

I recently started managing the Techlahoma Medium Blog, check it out:

https://medium.com/@techlahoma