Introduction - Session 1

Date: April 14, 2022 Time spent on session: 58 min Total time spent learning to code: 58 min

Summary

The first session on my journey to learn to code is in the books!

The first course in The Odin Project is called “Foundations”, with the first sections of lessons called “Introduction”. And it is exactly like it sounds. Being in the software industry for almost fifteen years now, most of this session was review more than anything. For someone that is new to the industry I can see this being a valuable section as it breaks down how the internet works (the infrastructure and inner workings), what web development is, and how to ask good technical questions. It also lays out the format of The Odin Project - and how it works - as well as giving some great resources to progress through the course.

I’ll call out one resource they provided, and a course I found VERY valuable when I went through it a few years ago. The free course is on Coursera, and is called “Learning How to Learn”. I know, I know. It sounds super basic and boring. I thought the same thing when I first heard about it, but after seeing multiple people promote it I finally gave in and went through it myself. There is a reason it is one of the highest rated courses on Coursera. I highly recommend this course regardless of what you are trying to learn.

Overall there wasn’t a ton of new content learned in this session for me, but it is the start of consistently learning!

See you next time!

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Session Notes:

How This Course Will Work

• “Try not to think of The Odin Project, or programming, as a class in school. It’s not material you learn all at once to take a test, and then pass or fail. You can think of it as a snowball. You, yourself, are a snowball. You’re rolling down a hill full of snow and the further you roll; the more snow will stick to you. Sure, snow will also fall off you, and you’ll forget things often, but that’s just part of the process. Don’t be scared if you get to a project and you feel like you haven’t retained or memorized anything. That’s natural and happens to everyone. The information will come back to you as you start solving your problems one at a time, relying on Google and the Odin Community for help.”

• Intro to Web Development

  • What do web developers do?

  • Types of web developers

    • Front end - the stuff you see on a web page

    • Back end - the guts and inner workings of a web page

    • Full stack - both front and back end

  • Types of careers

  • Tools of the trade

    • Computer

    • Google

    • Text Editor

    • Command Line Interface (CLI)

    • Stack Overflow

    • Git

    • GitHub

  • Motivation

    • “Read this comprehensive blog post from Happy Bear Software about the journey to getting hired as a brief introduction to what you will face ahead.”

  • Why Odin?

    • “The Odin Project takes a realistic view of what you need to know and has you set up and work in your own environment, much like what you’ll be doing when you get a job.”

  • Additional resources

    • Quora: How can I Become a Really Good Web Developer?

    • Quora: What makes a great web developer?

    • Jared the Nerd: What makes a good web developer?

    • FreeCodeCamp: Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Was Learning How To Code

    • TechCrunch: Don’t Believe Anyone who Tells you Learning to Code is Easy

    • Code Quizzes: Deliberate Programming Practice

    • Roadmap to becoming a web developer in 2022

• Motivation and Mindset

  • Motivation

  • Start with “why”

    • Do you want to have a fulfilling career that pays well?

    • Are you excited by the creative outlet programming provides?

    • Are you determined to develop the skills and abilities to build any app you can think of?

    • Do you want to start your own company by turning an app idea into reality?

  • Growth mindset

    • “Someone with the fixed mindset believes if they don’t get something on their first attempt, they never will.”

    • “Someone with the growth mindset believes they can get better at anything with effort and persistence.”

    • In short, be persistent and use grit.

  • The learning process

    • “Focus mode occurs when you are consciously focusing on learning, reading, watching videos, or working on a project”

    • “Diffuse mode occurs subconsciously, at times when you are not actively learning, such as when you’re doing the dishes, exercising, or sleeping”

    • Understand it, practice it, teach it

    • Learning How to Learn course

  • What to do when stuck

    • Google it

    • Take a break

    • Odin chat

  • Managing study time

    • Consistency is more important than time spent

    • Don’t worry as much about deadlines

    • Long story short: Don’t worry, just go learn

  • Pitfalls to avoid

    • Procrastination

      • Use Pomodoro Technique

    • Not taking breaks

    • Digital distractions

      • This might be my main pitfall. Turn off notifications. Close email. Don’t install additional distractions on machine I use to learn

    • Physical distractions

      • Background noise, conversations, TV, etc

    • Rabbit holes

      • Stay the course

    • Comparing yourself to others

• Asking for Help

  • Tips for Getting The Best Help Possible

    • Always provide your code and the surrounding context

    • Ask about the problem at hand, not the solution itself

    • Don’t take asking for more context to heart

• Join the Odin Community

  • Why a community is awesome for you

  • Why a community is awesome for Odin

  • Before asking for help

  • Asking for help

    • When asking your question, please remember to include the context:

      • What do you think the problem is?

      • What exactly do you want to happen?

      • What is actually happening?

      • How did you get there?

      • What have you tried so far?

  • Joined The Odin Channel Discord channel

    • Ping (@user) With a Purpose: Only @ another user when it is necessary. Include your question or comment in the message. Wait until they reply before pinging again.

    • Don’t ‘Bomb’ Chats: Don’t send multiple messages in a row; type out your whole message, then push send.

    • Don’t Exclude Anyone: These are public chats; if someone joins in on a conversation, include them!

    • Don’t Disappear Right After Asking for Help on Code: If you’re posting a question, make sure you have time to stick around and discuss it with those trying to help!

    • Remember the Human: Behind every username there is a person with feelings! Be kind! If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

    • If You Wouldn’t Say It Out Loud Don’t Type It: Plain and simple.

    • Read the Rules and FAQ: Upon joining, you will find yourself having to read through our rules. Please take the time to read and understand our rules and FAQ.

  • How to Help Others Solve Coding Problems

    • Instead of answering the question, guide them to the answer

    • Help only when you are certain of the answer

    • Help only when no one else is currently helping

    • Help only when you have plenty of time

    • Adjust your expectations to their level

    • Ask for clarifications

    • Ask for live code

    • Do not answer googleable questions

    • Do not answer questions covered in our curriculum

    • Answer the question before pointing out other problems

    • Encourage students to use a debugger

    • Watch for students that need to take a step back

    • Watch for students that are in over their head

    • Admit when the problem goes beyond your current knowledge

    • Be patient

    • Duck out of the conversation if you get frustrated

• How Does the Web Work?

  • Watch some videos on how the internet works (web page, web server, infrastructure, etc)