Learning CSS initially....
I started on freecodecamp if i remember correctly, I started with the basics of positioning, responsiveness, styling, classes etc. I remember thinking that I was retaining the information as I just cruised along through the curriculum.
That was until I tried to build a basic landing page, and immediately felt as if I were trying to write a book in Hebrew.. Every time something didn't work, I would spend precious hours trying to understand it. These were mostly issues relating to responsiveness and selectors..
After "building" two or three projects that were busted beyond repair, I eventually found my way. Its probably not good to compare your progress to others, but after hearing about how "quickly" people seemed to be cruising through HTML and CSS, I couldn't help but think I was just a slower learner. Eventually an understanding was formed, and Tailwind was added to my toolbelt.
I've spent around 10 hours learning vanilla JS so far, and it has been a lot more fun && easier to retain.
I've read quite a bit about the frustration and confusion people commonly go through with learning JS. I thought this would be an inevitable initial phase that I would have to push through. i was wrong, and i don't quite know why. I started with "The Complete JavaScript Course 2022: From Zero to Expert!" a Udemy course by Jonas Shmedtmann. It has been nothing but non stop fun.
Cruising through his examples, I follow along with my editor, making sure to practice in between lessons to be assured that I'm learning the concepts. He's given me three simple coding challenges so far, and I retained the logic far better than i ever could have with CSS. Granted, it is early and frustration certainly looms on the horizon. It's kind of like the calm before the storm when my perpetually violent cat is finally purring and allowing me to pet her :D.
So what is making it easier for me to learn JS than anything else I've had to learn in my journey so far?..
Just a quick list of potential reasons:
Learning CSS taught me how to be a better learner. I tried so many resources, and learning styles that I was able to find methods that work best for me.
The Complete JavaScript Course 2022: From Zero to Expert is laid out in such a way that you begin by slowly learning basic concepts so you don't just get thrown into the deep end kicking your feet while drowning. Jonas takes his time and explains not just the code, but the logic behind it in a way that the logic is intuitive enough that it requires less specific memorization. That differs vastly from me trying to learn CSS properties, and the meanings behind them. Just went in one ear and out of the other!
JS is more intuitive for me because of its logical nature. Once I understand for example basic boolean logic, I can quickly anticipate how the code will be computed. Wheras with CSS i was often using more of a trial and error approach. I remember being like ,"I'll try switching it to position relative and see if it works" when something in JS isn't working for me "so far" I know its probably me misunderstanding the logic, or something to do with syntax.
4.) JS is more fun (for me at least). I remember making a responsive nav work in CSS for the first time and just being happy that i was done with it so i could move on to the next thing. the prospect of trying to do it agin but with a hamburger menu was likened to eating glass, nty lets move on.
Earlier today I passed a simple coding challenge, and was hit with a sheer sense of excitement that I got this little if else comparison with && || operators to work. The way my brain works, it began willingly pondering so many different use cases for this simple logical pattern leaving me hungry for more.
I know JS will not be easy once i make more progress
I'll probably be humbled in the very near future, but once I get through the next hurdle I'll still be hit with that "AHA" moment that leaves me craving more. Please feel free to comment on my impressions or the hurdles that lie ahead. Thanks for following and the next post will probably be about me coming back down to earth..
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