On Functions & Why This Lesson Was So Difficult

After some time away to take care of other life things, I jumped back into coding lessons today. The next lessons was Functions, which wasn't overly long, but here's the thing.

It kinda kicked my ass. So much so that I think I may take some time and go back through it a second time. Practice makes perfect and all that (or whatever the saying is). I thought I'd be okay in doing this lesson with only little review of past lessons, but I was definitely wrong about that. I've been taking copious notes while moving through each lesson, so before taking a second crack at Functions, I'm going to go through those in hopes of having a better idea of what the hell it is that I'm doing.

So, why was this particular lesson so difficult? To be honest, I think the having taken over a month off from coding was the biggest part of it. I also should've reviewed, but I didn't, and that's my fault. So, now I know.

Always review. Always.
And for fuck's sake, don't ever taken so much time off again.

On the Possibility Of New Beginnings

Looking back, I can probably pinpoint my first real period of interest in web development and programming to the fall of 2003. I was still a student at Northern Michigan University and was taking a class that covered web design in the now-defunct Windows program called Microsoft Publisher. While this class was fun for me, we spent all of one class discussing source code and the rudimentary basics of HTML and CSS. Those 90 minutes were all it took for me to want to know more. More about what acted as the underlying “bones” of a website, not just colors, shapes, etc.

Sadly, after that semester ended with an A in the class, I never ventured into further computer science courses. Not at NMU or UWM (to which I had transferred the following fall) and not in the 15 years since. I bounced from marketing to political science and finally landed on English, where I stayed focused on creative writing. Three degrees later, I’m still writing, both creatively and professionally. I love what I do, but I’ve realized that I miss learning and also that I still have an interest in learning how to program. The curiosity is still there, as is the willingness to learn (and keep learning) and the idea of a career shift has been bouncing around in my head for quite some time now.

And so here I am.

Thanks to a few previous jobs, I have a fairly decent grasp of HTML and CSS, so I’ve decided to begin this journey with JavaScript. My main starting point is the Introduction to JavaScript course on Codecademy (I’ve opted for the free tier for the foreseeable future until I have the extra savings to upgrade to a pro membership or pay to take one of the advanced courses).

To date, I’ve completed the following three sections: * Introduction to JavaScript * Variables * Conditional Statements

I’ve also been taking copious notes as I’ve loved along, which was recommended by programmer friends. It’s been tremendously helpful and can only continue to be as I move through the remaining sections. I’ve enjoyed everything thus far, and to be honest, I can’t wait to get to the point at which I can start building things. I don’t know what just yet, but I imagine that ideas will come and go as I learn more.

I started this tiny space to chronicle my journey. Project ideas, reflections on what I’ve learned, things like that. It’ll just be a place for me to talk about these things. I hope you’ll ride along.

This is going to be fun.