For the first week in learning software engineering, I was excited to get started on something new. Software engineering always seemed like an interesting area that could also be fun. Going into some of the coding for software engineering, I was quite relieved to see that Javascript is somewhat similar to Java, although things might get a little different as we move forward in the course. I haven’t coded in a couple of months, but I got my groove back with a little help from my classmates. Doing the problems in FreeCodeCamp was easy at first, but as I got towards the last few problems, it got a bit harder. I learned many things that would be helpful in the future, such as switch statements and sifting through text.
From a software engineering perspective, I feel as if though Javascript gives you more freedom, whereas Java restricts you to use certain things for certain purposes. I don’t know the main differences yet, but Javascript feels more simple and easy to get the hang of. I find adding multiple different things to an array helpful, and the functions to be easier to understand.
As for athletic software engineering, I’m still not used to it. For the first practice WOD, or Workout of the Day, I couldn’t finish it the first time. I could see it in my head, but something was missing. Once I saw the demonstration of the WOD, I saw that I needed a variable that would add everything up. After that, everything clicked. Practice WOD 2 was a little bit harder. Updating the terms after adding them was confusing, but again, the demonstration helped me out. The in-class practice WOD turned out fine despite my previous first attempts as I completed it correctly in 7 minutes. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make the AmyWOD due to the hectic events that day, but next time I will definitely go. And finally, the official first WOD was exactly like what happened with the first two practice WODs. I got the gist of the function and what I should do, but I couldn’t figure out what I had done wrong. It turns out that it was just a simple mistake of not ordering the if statements correctly and failing to remember to use the else if statement.
I feel as if though the practice WODs just help you get accustomed to the situation of being timed, but not actually help you prepare for the next actual WOD. Part of why I feel this way is because the contents of the WOD seem new everytime. However, looking at them now, I see that most of them involve the use of multiples and remainders. Overall, I think this style of preparation/learning will be beneficial in the long run, as long as I learn from my mistakes and keep my mind flexible.