I am completely new to programming in JavaScript. Learning a new language is always a little anxiety inducing because usually I feel like I am just getting the hang of the language I was learning before when classes introduce a new language. It is always a welcomed challenge though because I enjoy learning new things and challenging myself.
So far, I am a fan of JavaScript as it feels like a simpler version of Java and is much nicer to code in than C/C++. Things I like about JavaScript so far are: there is no need to specify the type of variable you are creating as a string or char or etc.; function declarations are simple and easy to understand; creating objects is easy to learn; adding, removing or changing data in an object can be done in very few lines of code; there is no “main” to write in, everything just kind of seems to go on the page and the IDE figures it out. I can see how some of these things may get confusing, like the fact that there is no “main” to write code in and one has to keep track of what kind of data type they intend to use a variable for. However, once discipline in coding structure has been learned from other languages, it is relatively easy to keep everything tidy in JavaScript. As a result of the advantages I have found in JavaScript over other languages I have learned, it seems like JavaScript is a good software engineering language.
The Workouts of the Day are a fun and effective way for me to learn. Although they are stress and anxiety inducing, I seem to work best under these circumstances because it activates my fight or flight response. In turn, this forces me to activate a higher level of critical thinking than I can usually tap into for everyday work– the level of satisfaction I get after completing a difficult and stressful task is also very rewarding. I find this learning style most useful for myself because I am required to implement new knowledge with minimal outside help and figure things out for myself. It also gives me an incentive to pay closer attention to assignments and lectures because there are always useful tools learned from these activities which will be useful in testing environments like the WOD. Overall, I think the WOD will be a fun and effective learning method for myself.