DEV Community

Cover image for My first week of learning JavaScript
Naresh Poonia
Naresh Poonia

Posted on • Updated on

My first week of learning JavaScript

Hello World! I am a 30-Year-Old civil/construction engineer, learning to code for the first time. I share my journey and learning here.

Sections

The Journey is Underrated

“The joy of reaching the destination is momentary, the real fun is in the journey”.

I was delighted after getting my first certification from freeCodeCamp, but I knew that this happiness like all the happiness in life, this too will fade away in a day or two if not earlier, So on that very day I get my certification, I took up Javascript.

The Journey GIF

Why you ought to write more

Around the same time my friend and mentor, Jai, introduced me to Dev.to, He encouraged me to write my story here. At first, I was a bit apprehensive about writing a post here, I thought who would want to read a story of a code newbie here but I went for it anyway and opened up my heart in my post and posted a week ago. I didn’t expect that my post would get such a good reception. I would also urge you all to write about your journey, It will help a lot of people who are just starting or who are just a month or two behind you in learning. If you are making any mistake the more experienced devs can correct you and guide you & on the top of it, writing has tons of benefits. And yes to be able to communicate clearly is a very important skill for a coder.

Picture of someone writing

People are noticing your work

I was posting my journey on twitter since my first day of coding, One of my friends, Shreyans who is a Full Stack Javascript Developer, would like my tweet once in a while, apparently, he has been following my tweets and one day commented on one of my tweets, I was delighted to read his comment, Nothing matches a genuine appreciation from a friend.

Tweet Screenshot where Shreyans writes "Hey Naresh! Have been following your tweets & found them super interesting given the fact I felt the same a few years ago." & I reply "Thank you Shreyans !!<br>
Means a lot, It also assures me that I'm not on the right path <br>
Grinning face"

Trolls are going to find you

The following morning when I woke up, there was this notification about a comment on Twitter. That was my first encounter with a troll on twitter. As you move ahead in your journey you’ll begin seeing an ever-increasing number of comments from people saying inflammatory and offensive things but you shouldn’t let your journey effect from this because Trolls often don’t believe a word they write but say it anyway just to piss off anyone

Tweet screenshot of a person commenting"That sounds more like an attempt to create a viral post for some bullshit "code school" than someone actually describing their process of learning how to program", to which I replied "I haven't achieved anything yet, No Job, No side projects. How do you think my article about my  journey would promote some code school   <br>
But I hope I could do something worthwhile with my learning & would love to promote <br>
@freeCodeCamp<br>
 for the great work it is doing Winking face"

Learning in Public

After finishing my first certification, I also publicly committed myself to make a personal portfolio website in a month’s time because in all my Responsive Web Design Projects I didn’t put much effort into the presentation of the webpages and I focussed principally on understanding the user stories and applying my learning to pass the tests. So I knew that I could do better & make a more presentable website and a Personal portfolio would serve both the purposes of applying your learning as well as showcasing your projects to the world.

Screenshot of my tweet saying <br>
"In all of my projects, I didn't put much effort into the presentation of the webpage, I just tried to understand the user stories and applying my learning to pass the tests. So now I'm publicly committing to make a presentable personal Portfolio by 27th Aug'20. #100DaysofCode

An effective way to share your code

I found Javascript more difficult than HTML & CSS but my understanding of the language improved as I spent more time on it. I also started to share my code in my tweets using carbon.now.sh, I found this really effective because you can sum up your learning of the day in one or more codes, which help you revise your learning at the end of your coding.

Code written in carbon.now.sh

Why you ought to tune in to podcasts

I had also started listening to tech podcasts but finding the one which was easier for a newbie to understand was a task but as they say “Those who seek shall find”.

I found some excellent podcasts, out of them I really liked this one. In this podcast, Abbey Rennemeyer reads out an article about a 56-year-old guy explaining why learning to code would be the best decision for him even at this age and he does give good reasoning. Like posts here on DEV, podcasts would also make you feel that you are not alone in the journey and how other people have achieved great things. You can learn from their journey, get inspired & achieve your goals too.

Join the discussion

I would love to get some feedback here.

  • How was your first week of learning Javascript?
  • How do you deal with trolls?
  • Do you have some good podcasts recommendations?
  • Do you have a suggestion / or a recommendation I should follow?

Top comments (22)

Collapse
 
waylonwalker profile image
Waylon Walker

How do you deal with trolls?

If someone is taking precious time out of their day to troll you, they are likely in a really low place. I feel bad for them most of the time. A troll want to take someone who appears successful and make them feel just a bit of the pain that they are feeling.

The ones that are really hard to brush off are the ones that point out things that you already feel in the back of your mind. These will dig at you and really tear you down.

Collapse
 
naresh profile image
Naresh Poonia

That's a really interesting take on the troll. I never thought about it this way.
Thank you for your comment, this perspective would help me get less affected with trolls going forward :)

Collapse
 
shadowtime2000 profile image
shadowtime2000

I really don't think that a troll is always just trying to share the pain they feel. Some trolls just think it is funny which is also pretty low.

Collapse
 
naresh profile image
Naresh Poonia

That's right, It is not true for all the trolls, some trolls enjoy inflicting pain, ridicule, and humiliate others

Collapse
 
stereoplegic profile image
Mike Bybee

Great approach, @naresh , and I'm excited to see where it leads you.

Collapse
 
naresh profile image
Naresh Poonia

Thank you
I'm excited too 😊

Collapse
 
clifton893 profile image
Clifton Long Jr.

Great read! I actually didn't enjoy JavaScript when I first started last fall. It gave me headaches! But last month I began learning React, and it totally changed my view of the language. I guess it really all does boil down to what you find fun!

Collapse
 
naresh profile image
Naresh Poonia

Yes, that's true
I also feel that things get easier with time, The more time you spend on learning, the easier it gets

Collapse
 
jai profile image
Jai Pandya

How do you keep yourself motivated through the journey? Also, what is the trick to be consistent in your effort? Glad to see your progress here. All the best!

Collapse
 
naresh profile image
Naresh Poonia

Thank you :)
There's a lot to learn in coding & every coding challenge opens the door of a new opportunity, It is both engaging & inspiration.
Then I have a mentor like you, a community on discord and twitter, some good books and some great podcasts, all this help to be motivated and consistent.

Collapse
 
killianfrappartdev profile image
Killian Frappart

I really appreciate the way you write about your journey, I'am in a similar process right now!

My first week of JavaScript was exciting and tiring at the same time 😅 So many new concepts to learn about that I found myself confused very quick but after a few month I am really proud of what I can already do!

Can't wait to read more from you 😇

Collapse
 
naresh profile image
Naresh Poonia

Thank you so much, such comments mean a lot to me.
Yes, it gets exciting as you spend more time on learning

Collapse
 
maytx10 profile image
Mayuresh Tungare • Edited

Glad to read your journey. It certainly helps. I have been coding HTML/CSS for some time, but learning Javascript only now. I always felt daunted by it, but now with more quiet time on hands (Covid-19 world), I have started learning it. I agree it gets easier with time. Consistency is the key.

Collapse
 
naresh profile image
Naresh Poonia

Yes, That's right.
The more you spend time on learning, the easier it gets.

Collapse
 
andrewbaisden profile image
Andrew Baisden

Congrats! Blogging is definitely the way to go it helps to document your learning and share your progress with the community.

Collapse
 
naresh profile image
Naresh Poonia

Thank you,
Yes writing helps a lot 😊

Collapse
 
sruthiragupathy profile image
sruthiragupathy

Wow , this is amazing. Keep going !

Collapse
 
naresh profile image
Naresh Poonia

Thank you 😊

Collapse
 
dionarodrigues profile image
Diona Rodrigues

Congratulations!! I wish the best in your career! 🎉✨🐱‍🏍 There are so many ways to learn something and I think you are on the right path.

Collapse
 
naresh profile image
Naresh Poonia

Thank you so much

Collapse
 
mobarackobama profile image
Mobarak Mondal

I'm also trying to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript!! There's just so much out there to learn and get your feet wet with. Keep coding, and I will do the same!! :)

Collapse
 
naresh profile image
Naresh Poonia

Yes there is too much to learn, But I guess the right approach would be one step at a time
Keep coding