As a girl who just finished her secondary school education and a tech-savvy individual with a passion for problem-solving, I embarked on my programming journey just a few weeks ago. My name is OKESANJO FATHIA OPEYEMI. I am excited to share my experiences and discoveries in the world of coding. With a background in computer science, I've always been fascinated by the endless possibilities that programming offers. In this essay, I'll reflect on the key tools and skills I've acquired during my first weeks of learning programming.
In my initial weeks of learning programming, I acquired essential tools that laid the foundation of my coding journey. The tools I learned played a significant role in shaping my understanding and approach to programming. Each tool, whether a programming language, an editor or version control version system, contributed uniquely to my growing skills.
I was first introduced to the concept, "SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT' to have an idea on what I wanted to embark on. Basically, software development is the process of designing, creating, testing and maintaining software application.
Key concepts:
Software Development Life Cycle; which is a frame work that define the stage involved in the development of software from the initial idea to its eventual deployment and maintenance. Common stages;
Requirement analysis
Design
Implementation
Testing
Deployment
Maintenance
Agile development
Version control
Continuous integration/ deployment (CI/CD)
Programming languages
Software architecture
Debugging etc.
Here's a reflection on the key tools that became my companions during my first weeks of learning programming:
- THE COMMAND LINE INTERFACE; A WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE COMPUTER: One of the very first tools I encountered was the command line interface(CLI). Initially intimidating the command line quickly became a powerful tool in my programming toolkit. With it, I could interact with the computer's operating system directly, run programs, navigate directories and manage files. Learning basic commands like: cd(change directory), ls(list files) and mkdir(create a new directory). Other command lines include; pwd, del, cp, etc,. The command line taught me how to think like a programmer and understanding that every task, no matter how small, can be executed efficiently with the right command.
- TEXT EDITORS/IDEs: One of the very first tools I encountered was the text editor. While a seemingly simple tool, it is the core environment where code comes to life. I started with basic text editors like VS code, other text editors are Notepad++, pycharm, Atom, Sublime Text, etc,. which provided a clean and minimal interface. What stood out about the editor was the syntax highlighting feature, which color-coded different elements of my code. This made it easier to differentiate between variables, functions, and keywords, reducing the number of errors I made. As a beginner, having this visual aid was invaluable, helping me quickly grasp the structure of a programming language.
- VERSION CONTROL; GIT AND GITHUB: I was introduced to is the concept of version control. Git, a version control system, and GitHub, a platform for hosting and collaborating on code, became essential tools. They helped me keep track of changes in my projects. They also introduced me to the concept of collaboration. They are also other version controls like Gitlab, Bitbucket etc,. In the first weeks, learning how to initialize a Git repository, commit changes, and push them to GitHub was eye-opening. Git taught me how to manage versions of my code, which was especially useful when I made mistakes. I could simply revert to a previous version without losing all my work. Basic git commands that I learnt includes:
git init
git status
git add .
git commit –m "commit message"
git remote add origin(repo_url)
git push-u origin master
4 HYPERTEXT MARKUP LANGUAGE HTML
I learnt the basics of html. They include:
Html elements and tags: Heading tags, Paragraph tags, Image tags
EmmetForms: Label, Input
List: Ordered and Unordered
Html table: Table head, Table row, Table data
Semantic html: Section, Header, Main, Footer, etc,.
SEO basics
5 CASCADING STYLE SHEET CSS
I also learnt basics of CSS. They include:
Selectors: Universal, Class, Element element, Attributes styling, ID, Child, etc,.
Pseudo classes
Pseudo elements
Positioning: Relative, Absolute, Fixed, Sticky
Fonts
Icons
Box sizing
The first few weeks of learning programming were a whirlwind of new concepts, languages, and tools. Each tool I learned, from simple text editors to powerful version control systems, played a role in helping me build confidence and a solid foundation in coding. These tools not only equipped me with the technical skills I needed but also taught me problem-solving, collaboration, and the importance of continuous learning and essential traits for any aspiring programmer.
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