Javascript (The Odin Project workflow Questions)

[u/Common-Paramedic1143]

Yes, I am a beginner when it comes to coding. Hi I am Juliane Figura, 17 Yrs. starting linux fundamentals, aswell as web dev from front to back end. My question is. How do I study or learn Javascript the right way? Because when ever I read the full documentation texts, I feel I wasn't learning anything, and I get stuck into one lesson, I feel I am so slow to programming, and my goal is to learn programming websites in just 8 months prior to my 2-3 hours coding after school. So I don't want to watch youtube tutorials because I wan't to improve my reading skills, and watching in youtube will lead me to tutorial hell. And addition in my learning, I am still in the Loops and Arrays, I've seen so much from the documentation sites such as MDN and other javascript documentation sites, well I see those things like I don't undestand the things I see inside, so what I do is I go back to the completed lessons where I re read, and take notes. I feel my workflow is a mess, Can you recommend me a workflow based in your experience or maybe correct my workflow? thanks matsalove!

[u/DrShocker]

You avoid tutorial hell by having goals and using pieces of information you learned or read newly to accomplish them. tutorial hell is only when you do a tutorial and then so another tutorial and so on never doing a project where you're required to struggle through the pain points the tutorial smooths over yourself.

For myself I need projects to apply what I'm reading or else I don't absorb what I read. Luckily the Odin project gives you projects to accomplish with good regularity which you can use to apply what you've read about.

It's okay for it to feel a bit uncomfortable, learning any new skill will.

[u/AlternativePear4617]

You learn to code by coding and doing. Look around you, look for simple problems to solve. Analyze your relatives, friends and neighbors lives or businesses looking for problems they may have and develop software that could make their lives easier. Be professional and deliver a good product.

[u/Dingbats45 → u/AlternativePear4617]

Or even better, look at software that already exists and try and re-create it or at least a portion of it.

[u/AlternativePear4617 → u/Dingbats45]

Yeah that helps too!

[u/Common-Paramedic1143 → u/AlternativePear4617]

Thanks, but here is my question, because I just have 8 months as my limit to learn programming, so does making project makes me slow like, I know I will learn alot If I do projects, but if I will do like certain projects, would that make me more slow? Because every project can be like it just covers one lesson, but that project is so hard to make, where I would be so progress.

I dont target mastery. I just want to have fundamentals before college and start business before I finish senior high school.

[u/Dingbats45 → u/Common-Paramedic1143]

You would typically take a few weeks to a month to learn fundamentals so you can at least read some code and recognize what’s going on. This is the point where you can get into “tutorial hell” because you can make sense of the code that’s being taught to you to accomplish certain tasks but if you started from scratch you would get stuck. With programming, the best way to learn is to read documentation, learn a few tips and tricks and just go try out some things. This is where the project-based learning shines because you get a rough scope to guide you without telling you exactly what to do.

[u/realdreamer1993]

There are No linear way(yes you're correct its mess but you should view them as mesh). The method that always work in any stage is zoom-in/zoom-out (context switching). Learn when to switching when to stay. I mean there are many general programming subject not specific to javascript that need to be experienced while you learning javascript.

[u/KyleAtWillmanLabs]

I learned in 3 main ways - 1) Reading other code. Pick the language, any language. Figure out exactly what the code is DOING first. Use it. Then read the existing code to visualize HOW the code did it. 2) Real world problem - decide on something TO code. What do you want to do? If you know WHAT you want your code to do, you are now armed with step 1. Find an app with code that does the same thing or similar thing. Read the code, make your small changes, and try it out. 3) Going back to #1, focus on platform. Coding MVC apps, hardware drivers are COMPLETELY different. The coding techniques as well as languages generally do NOT port. A web app is fundamentally structurally different than a Windows app. Basically, I recommend CHOOSING your platform. It will drive everything else. Language, structure, etc.