JavaScript Newbie
31 Aug 2017My Experience with JavaScript
My first language that I learned was Java. Java was interesting especially because the professor made the class really fun as we learned object oriented programming. He let his students be creative in making any type of project, as long as it included code that he had taught. At the time, I thought “Wow, I need to keep track of different types of variables and a whole bunch of stuff!” I remember having to alter a lot of code because the program didn’t run as I had wanted it too. That naive Java learning child had yet to understand real pain because the shiitake mushrooms hit the fan when I began to learn C. For me, C was very complex to use. There were many things to learn about C programming that was completely different from Java. Looking at my C programs filled with segmentation faults is like a really sunny day, at some point I just squint angrily at everything.
Honestly, so far, I think JavaScript is the easiest to code with, compared to Java and C. JavaScript is extremely flexible and has less restrictions, whereas Java and C have many “rules” to follow. In Java and C, I need to specify if a variable is a char, int, float, or etc. whereas in JavaScript, I don’t need to specifically identify a variable as a string or an int. Also, one of the concepts that I have had the most trouble with in C programming was pointers.
Athletic Software Engineering
Athletic Software Engineering is the combination of Crossfit and Software Engineering, by forcing students to code knowing that they can get all or no points, allows students to get used to coding in a stressful environment. So eventually the brain will get used to the stressful environmet. Personally, I’m more used to regular quizzes, where partial credit is given if the program is close to the answer, but not quite finished. WODs are more stressful because no partial credit is given. However, I like this method of learning because usually professors make the students write code by hand, making it harder to test your code. During the WOD, we are allowed to type our code on our laptops, test the code, and immediately see the output. I think if I had to handwrite the code during a WOD, I would be even more stressed out and my mind would go blank. Also, coding in a stressful environment gives more of an adrenaline rush to the brain, which I believe could condition the student to get an immediate adrenaline rush when in any coding environment. Therefore, Atheletic Software Engineering is more beneficial because of long term effects.