As I told you in the podcast (episode 27), I started a programming bootcamp this term with Hack-a-Bos.
The nature of these programs is very intense. We have been at it for less than a month and it is incredible, but at the same time it is a bit daunting—especially for people like me, who do not come from technical degrees or disciplines.
The classes with Andrés Estévez (who teaches us JS, Node, etc.) are great. I really like his hands-on approach, and the fact that he does not give us the final answer (immediately). He always encourages us to keep looking for the answer ourselves, which helps us step out of our comfort zone.
It is a challenge. Understanding the logic behind programming is something we are really racking our brains over, with a large number of exercises. Fortunately, we stick together, and the more advanced people always help the rest of us.
The exercises can lead to frustration if you do not establish a method.
The positive side? When you manage to solve an exercise on your own, you feel proud and satisfied.
Of course… another one always comes along that knocks your confidence, but without realizing it, I think we are making progress.
I started to get a bit frustrated after a few exercises. So I sat down and analyzed what I was doing wrong:
I was not setting boundaries. JavaScript, like any other programming language, has data types:
- Strings
- Arrays (their exercises are much feared)
- Dates
- Numbers
- Booleans
And in turn, you have different ways to approach each problem: loops, functions, expressions and operators, etc.
I realized that if you have one type of problem—for example, with text strings—you cannot implement solutions that apply only to arrays or dates, because obviously you will get an error.
The other day I was racking my brains trying to apply a .sort() (an array method) to a string, and node.js kept telling me: Do not go down that road, you fool! But I just did not get it.
It may seem obvious to people who are more advanced in this area, but it took me a little while.
As a good friend says: “I am slow, but steady.”
My visual mind: Mind maps
I have already covered the topic of mind maps on this blog (thinking about SEO). But it is a fantastic resource for organizing your ideas, especially when you are getting started in a new topic.
For me, mind maps work as a “cheat sheet”, and I start using them as an initial guide to solve any problem or look for new ideas. I need something “visual” to resolve uncertainties.
That is why I created this JavaScript mind map. It is not meant to show all data types, nor the endless options we have for each data type, but rather the most common ones in our bootcamp.
It is a way to remember what options we have, so we can choose the ideal method for each type of situation or exercise that comes up:
This way we have a “cheat sheet” that helps us remember different options.
If you look at the image, it has some link icons. What I did was pair each option with the official Mozilla Web Development (MDN) documentation. That way we do not waste time searching for it. One click away—quite literally 😉
To do this, I created this mind map with an online tool called WiseMapping.
I admit it is a bit “spartan” and has limitations when it comes to creating more visual mind maps, but I like it because it is minimalist, simple, and meets my goal.
If you prefer the digital version so you can access the documentation quickly, here it is:
Which may be more useful, since you can zoom as much as you like.
Also, the good thing about this tool is that if I make changes and add new options, it will always be updated.
NOTE: I am reading a programming book that I think fits very well with this post. When I finish it and draw some conclusions, and after a lot of practice (which is what I need), I will add a sub-section to this entry.
I do not know if it will be of great help, but I hope so.
Many thanks to Max Gómez for helping me correct errors in the “cheat sheet” and add new data. If you think the mind map is missing any section, leave a comment on the blog and I will add it. 😉
Thanks for the post’s featured image to Shahadat Shemul from Unsplash
