GitHub and JavaScript

GitHub

        So the past couple of days have been interesting. I have been trying to learn GitHub and it's benefits to the developing community. I've still been learning JavaScript along side with GitHub, but GitHub is my main focus due to the importance of learning it. 

        I was reading an article that described what GitHub is used for and how to use it, but I have yet to experience it myself. I have it downloaded but I've been investing all my time in to learning code that I wasn't looking at the whole picture. While I do think learning JavaScript is very important right now, GitHub is essential to getting a developer job. 

        From my understanding GitHub is a place where you can track all of your code and the changes you've made to it. I'm still trying to understand what it means to "fork" something and what a "repository" is exactly. There's a lot going with GitHub that I don't know about, but by the end of this week, I should know GitHub and it's purposes to it's fullest capabilities.

JavaScript

        JavaScript is the first programming language I've decided to learn. There's always a controversy in what programming language someone should learn first, I personally chose JavaScript because I want to become a "Front-End Developer" and it's the one of the three languages that is needed to do so. 

        From functions to arrays to objects to...there's just so much to intake for the first few days but i'm progressing! I'm almost through the entire JavaScript lesson on "Free Code Camp" and "Code Academy" and I have been enjoying every second of it. It's taking up a lot of my time but honestly, I couldn't be more happy doing it!

        Even though I have been enjoying it, it's still a little difficult at times. I know I can't perfect my first programming language in just a few days, but one would really like to think so! I needed to be challenged and JavaScript is giving me what I asked for! 

 

Conclusion

        In just under a week I have learned more than I could ever have imagined. JavaScript is an amazing language that just about every web page on the internet is currently using it. JavaScript is essential for accomplishing my dream of becoming a Front-End Developer and I am going to learn as much as I can from it.

        GitHub is not going to take me that long to learn but my goal is to learn it by the end of this week. GitHub seems to be a very useful tool in the developing world which is why I NEED to learn it by the end of this week. In doing so, I will dedicate at least one hour a day learning it for the next couple of days until I am using it for ALL of my code! 

Feel free to follow me on twitter for more Blog updates. 

Blog updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!

Where my coding began!

        I was originally introduced to coding in my  spring semester of the community college I was attending in 2015. The class was called "Intro to Programming and Logic" and the main focus was on "Visual Studio". From the start I was very uninterested and wasn't motivated at the slightest bit in starting a career in programming, let alone coding. I've always been a problem solver and I've always enjoyed learning new things. From the "Rubik's Cube", to learning magic tricks in high school, if it looked challenging and the average person couldn't do it, I HAD TO LEARN IT!

        Later that year, I came across "Code Academy", around a week before Christmas. I decided to give it a try since I've heard about it at work and have heard nothing but good reviews about it. I began with the traditional "HTML and CSS" considering it was the basics of the web. Before I could think twice about what I was doing, I was immediately hooked!

        I found myself coding for the rest of that evening! The course itself was around 10 hours and I completed all of it in just a few days. I was solving all these little problems while feeling like a genius due to the fact I was coding! When I was complete, I felt like I could create any website out there. I decided to open up a notepad and start coding my first web page. Then it hit me, I was staring at a blank canvas and didn't have the slightest idea of what I was going to create! This isn't how it should be...I just learned how to make a web page and now I can't think of anything? That's when I realized, I needed more practice.
  
        I was looking in forums, blogs, and watching videos on effective ways to practice creating web pages. This went on for the next couple of weeks until I came across a Reddit post where numerous amount of people were recommending this site called "Free Code Camp". I thought this would be another "Dev Boot Camp" trying to take your money, but since it was free, I signed up immediately to see what they had to offer. 

      This is where I am today. On January 21st, 2016, I began the Front-End Development course. This is exactly what I was looking for. Not just doing tutorials while someone is giving me all the answers. I need to problem solve, think, and work my way through errors in order to develop myself! 

        Today is January 27th, 2016. I have already completed over 200 lessons on "Free Code Camp" and I am not going to stop anytime soon! They have everything I was looking. From projects, to do-it-yourself tutorials, to a chat room where you can interact with fellow students. They even have "Camp Outs", or meet ups where you can hang out and code at a local coffee shop with fellow "Campers". I plan on attending my first one, two hours away, so I can finally meet people who love coding as much as I do!

      So far I have learned:

• Html
• Css
• Bootstrap
• jQuery

        
        I am currently almost done with JavaScript, which has been the trickiest language thus far. There's a lot more that goes in to JavaScript than the previous languages I have learned. But in less than a week, I have done well over 200 lessons and counting. I also feel like I'm actually learning to code, and not just doing tutorials! This year is going to be a big year for me as a developer, and as a person!!!

        My goals for this year:

• Complete Front-End Development Certificate from FreeCodeCamp
• Refinish or create at least 3 web pages for my community
• Create a portfolio website
• Become a Junior Developer!!!!

        If you enjoyed reading this please feel free to share this on Twitter and Facebook!I will continue to update this blog three days a week, every week. Feel free to follow me on Twitter for blog updates and how things are going on a day to day bases!