Finally, JS coming together

After many months of intense grinding, I'm finally starting to get JavaScript. I still have a long way to go with the language, but there are many things I was completely unable to do a month ago that I now find pretty easy. JavaScript goes deep, though. Right now, I've leveled up to the intermediate stage, but it's a huge leap to get to the advanced level. As far as what I would be using for the purposes of React and writing websites in general, I have an understanding that is fully functional. My weaknesses are in object-oriented programming and some of the advanced topics of functional JavaScript. At this point, I'm just about ready to tackle Kyle Simpson's courses on Frontend Masters to get to that next level, along with revisiting Will Sentance's courses. Both of these resources will give me a better understanding, but putting them into practice will take tools like CodeWars and Edabit.

I think the single most important thing that has helped me get to this point has been my pair programming sessions with Matt Bear. He has helped me in ways he may not even understand. Without having someone help you through some of the tough spots and show you things you didn't know, it's very difficult to gain that knowledge you don't already have. Matt is well past where I am in my coding journey, and he has shown a lot of patience with me in helping me out. Others may have given up on helping me, seeing it as a waste of time. I think for him, the sessions are helping him with his technical communication, so at least he's gaining something from the transaction. The other thing that has really helped me is doing practice exercises on CodeWars and Edabit. Without this repetition, I would still be fumbling around with array methods, but now I breeze through these with very little issue. There are still some weaknesses in this area, but I'm learning how to use all of these built-in methods and getting much better with them.

If I want to take my skills to the next level across the board, I think it's time to start building some projects from scratch, without the aid of a tutorial. While my experience with Hatchways' project-based assessment was negative overall, it showed me that I was capable of finishing something that I started from scratch without relying on a tutorial. It's true that I had to call on my buddy Matt to help me out, but that was a learning experience in and of itself. In the hour and a half that he spent with me working on the advanced steps, I learned so much. I would really like to start over with my portfolio and build something really nice using React and probably Semantic UI. I would love to have some cool animation properties in there, as well, so I'll have to do some research on libraries that would serve this purpose. If I can create something awesome, not only would it be great for my self-confidence, but it would give me something meaningful to show to employers.

Until tomorrow!