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- What is something you wish you could do but currently do not have the coding skills to accomplish?
- What are you struggling with?
- How do you solve a problem?
- What methods do you use to help yourself get unstuck?
Many of the items on my Projects List are going to require me to build my own back-end in order to have full functionality. I understand that comes later in Bootcamp but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how everything works together.
I'm also excited to learn about more complicated APIs, including those using various types of authentication.
My chief struggle so far continus to be in adjusting to learning virtually. I'm very much at home in a physical classroom but find myself getting distracted easily at home. The daily stand-ups are a huge help with that, though. It's a great way to feel connected to something bigger and also to have daily accountability.
This calls for a list.
- Start with the End in Mind
- This one I picked up from Gary in the Intro to Web class. I try to get as clear a picture as possible of the desired final outcome before I start.
- Plan the Approach
- Luckily (?) my programming experience stretches back to the Commodore 64 days, so I have a decent track record of trying to think about a problem like a programmer.
- Find as many 'components' as possible that can be their own section of the program/page/etc.
- Refine that list to try and get as close to possible to 'one module/one task' to minimize repetition.
- Concentrate on the Minimum Viable Product
- I had actually been doing this for a while before finding out last week that it has a name.
- Create a mockup/wireframe/prototype that does each of the required tasks of the specification.
- Start Building it Out
- Add functionality.
- Test early and often.
- Commit early and often.
Usually my personal first step is to back away from the issue for a bit. I know I'm prone to going down rabbit holes and continuing to try different things in order to make something work, but more often than not on the rare occasions where that 'approach' works I end up still not knowing why. So it ends up being better for me to leave my computer for a little bit and perhaps go for a walk to give my brain a chance to process without me trying to distract it.
I'm also a fan of the rubber ducky process, although I don't have an actual rubber ducky. I have a small My Little Pony toy that my oldest daughter gave me several years ago. Her name is Apple Jack and she lives on my desk. She came with a little comb (that I keep in my desk drawer) that I have to use every so often to brush her tail - that was one of the conditions my daughter gave me.