I was happy to learn that Javascript was being used for this course. It is not a programming language that I have used before and to be able to add this skill to my toolset allows me to grow as a software engineer. Coming from C and C++, Javascript has a fair share of differences in structure and conciseness.
Going through the Free Code Academy bootcamp was a straightforward introduction to the language. The biggest takeaway was that variables in Javascript do not require a specific declaration of data type. Using ‘let’ would allow me to name a variable without having to say if it was a string or integer or some other data type. I found this to be very interesting but also very dangerous because it can confuse other people that read your code, or it may also confuse me if I create a program that is very long.
These “shortcuts” were also applied to function names. Unlike C++, Javascript allows a shortened version of function declaration. If I were to see a Javascript program with the shortened function structure, I would take a while to understand what is going on with that function. However, I do feel that I would become more comfortable with it the more I practice, and that is where the WODs come in and help a lot.
This was my first experience doing a programming problem and timing myself to see how fast I can create the solution. Usually, I take my time to figure out a problem and research what I need to solve it. The WODs put the pressure on and force you to think and act quickly. Since I’ve just started using Javascript, I can think of what to do in my solution but not have the correct syntax to execute that solution. I end up using a lot of time trying to research the correct way to type out the solution. Although I may not hit the required time to finish the problem, I at least developed the knowledge to solve this problem. I feel that the pressure these WODs put your through are very important as it is similar to how I would feel in an interview.
Overall, I am excited to learn more about Javascript and expand my toolkit for software engineering.