DEV Community: Joel Lau

zsh on windows

Joel Lau — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 22:45:33 +0000

End Goal

To build a terminal environment with:

MSYS2
Windows Terminal
Winget
Zsh
Oh My Zsh
Zsh Theme Of Choice: PowerLevel10k

Instructions

Install Windows Terminal and MSYS2 using CMD or PowerShell:



winget install Microsoft.WindowsTerminal ;
winget install MSYS2.MSYS2 ;

Open MSYS2 from windows search bar and start installing from there:



# Install git and ZSH
pacman -S git zsh ;

# Install Oh My Zsh
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)" ;

# Generate ~/.zshrc
cp ~/.oh-my-zsh/templates/zshrc.zsh-template ~/.zshrc ;

Create MSYS2 Profile for Windows Terminal (use zsh):

Open the Windows Terminal App
Open the Settings Pane (CTRL + .)
Click on Open JSON
Add this item to profiles.list and change profiles.default to the same guid ({71160544-14d8-4194-af25-d05feeac7233})



{
  "commandline": "C:/msys64/msys2_shell.cmd -defterm -here -no-start -msys -use-full-path -shell zsh",
  "elevate": true,
  "guid": "{71160544-14d8-4194-af25-d05feeac7233}",
  "icon": "C:/msys64/msys2.ico",
  "name": "MSYS / MSYS2",
  "startingDirectory": "C:/msys64/home/%USERNAME%"
}

Restart Windows Terminal and you should be able to see Zsh running.

Install ZSH Plugins



# Install Theme: Powerlevel10k
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/themes/powerlevel10k

# Syntax Highlighting
git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting

# Autosuggestions
git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions

In your ~/.zshrc, look for a line that says ZSH_THEME and change it to



ZSH_THEME="powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k"

In the same file, also modify the list of plugins: (ignore ssh-agent and gpg-agent if you haven't set up git)



plugins=( 
    git
    ssh-agent
    gpg-agent
    zsh-syntax-highlighting
    zsh-autosuggestions
)

Restart Windows Terminal for the final time and you should be brought to a powerlevel10k's wizard :)

References

EDIT: added suggestions from James 'Dante' Midzi's comments

Setting Up Git (Windows)

Joel Lau — Mon, 01 May 2023 11:29:58 +0000

In this post, I will run through how to properly set your Windows machine up for use with GitHub. We will install the necessary software, configure SSH for authentication, and GPG to sign off our commits.

Skip to the TL;DR section if you already know what you're doing!

Git

Install git if you haven't already done so.

> winget install Microsoft.Git ;
Found Microsoft Git [Microsoft.Git] Version 2.40.1.0.0
This application is licensed to you by its owner.
Microsoft is not responsible for, nor does it grant any licenses to, third-party packages.
Downloading https://github.com/microsoft/git/releases/download/v2.40.1.vfs.0.0/Git-2.40.1.vfs.0.0-64-bit.exe
  ██████████████████████████████  55.2 MB / 55.2 MB
Successfully verified installer hash
Starting package install...
Successfully installed

Verify that the installation is working.

> git --version ;
git version 2.40.1.vfs.0.0

SSH

ssh-agent

Verify that the ssh-agent is running. It should have been included with your installation of Git (install Git)

> Get-Service ssh-agent

Status   Name               DisplayName
------   ----               -----------
Running  ssh-agent          OpenSSH Authentication Agent

In the case that ssh-agent is Stopped or Disabled, follow the advice on this stackoverflow answer to run the following on PowerShell on admin mode.

Get-Service -Name ssh-agent | Set-Service -StartupType Manual

SSH Config

Create an SSH key pair.

Remember to replace your_email@example.com with your own email address!

> ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C your_email@example.com

Generating public/private ed25519 key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (C:\Users\user_name/.ssh/id_ed25519):
Created directory 'C:\Users\user_name/.ssh'.
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
Your identification has been saved in C:\Users\user_name/.ssh/id_ed25519.
Your public key has been saved in C:\Users\user_name/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub.
The key fingerprint is:
SHA256:JDCPuYyjvbBApibR62OhJcBag/PGLbeunxYYD0BFc+w your_email@example.com
The key's randomart image is:
+--[ED25519 256]--+
|..o++.           |
|.   oB           |
|.o  + o .        |
|+o=o E o         |
|+B+Bo   S        |
|*+Oo=            |
|**o+ o           |
|=+o.o.           |
|..+*+            |
+----[SHA256]-----+

Add to ssh-agent. You will need to do this whenever you first start up your computer.

> ssh-add 'C:\Users\user_name\.ssh\id_ed25519'
Identity added: C:\Users\user_name\.ssh\id_ed25519 (your_email@example.com)

Show your public key

> cat C:\Users\user_name/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIGy2VTtWVdYHlxCfnh8Me3V++wZBBxcnN0QiwkWrFbMX your_email@example.com

Keep the terminal window open, you will need in the next steps.

GitHub Settings

Get to your personal GitHub Key settings by either:

Click this link: https://github.com/settings/ssh/new
Navigate to github > profile picture (top right) > Settings > SSH and GPG keys > New SSH Key

Fill in the form with the necessary information before submitting the form. You should see the new entry on the keys page:

GPG

Installing

Install GPG if you don't already have it

winget install GnuPG.GnuPG ;

Verify that the GPG is running and that you're running version > 2.

> gpg --version

gpg (GnuPG) 2.4.1
libgcrypt 1.10.2
Copyright (C) 2023 g10 Code GmbH
License GNU GPL-3.0-or-later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Home: C:\Users\user_name\AppData\Roaming\gnupg
Supported algorithms:
Pubkey: RSA, ELG, DSA, ECDH, ECDSA, EDDSA
Cipher: IDEA, 3DES, CAST5, BLOWFISH, AES, AES192, AES256, TWOFISH,
        CAMELLIA128, CAMELLIA192, CAMELLIA256
Hash: SHA1, RIPEMD160, SHA256, SHA384, SHA512, SHA224
Compression: Uncompressed, ZIP, ZLIB, BZIP2

GPG Config

Generate a new key by entering gpg --full-generate-key.

I recommend using the default settings by hitting enter at each step and picking a secure password.

> gpg --full-generate-key

gpg (GnuPG) 2.4.1; Copyright (C) 2023 g10 Code GmbH
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

Please select what kind of key you want:
   (1) RSA and RSA
   (2) DSA and Elgamal
   (3) DSA (sign only)
   (4) RSA (sign only)
   (9) ECC (sign and encrypt) *default*
  (10) ECC (sign only)
  (14) Existing key from card
Your selection?
Please select which elliptic curve you want:
   (1) Curve 25519 *default*
   (4) NIST P-384
   (6) Brainpool P-256
Your selection?
Please specify how long the key should be valid.
         0 = key does not expire
      <n>  = key expires in n days
      <n>w = key expires in n weeks
      <n>m = key expires in n months
      <n>y = key expires in n years
Key is valid for? (0)
Key does not expire at all
Is this correct? (y/N) y

GnuPG needs to construct a user ID to identify your key.

Real name: Joel Lau
Email address: your_email@example.com
Comment: joel's desktop pc
You selected this USER-ID:
    "Joel Lau (joel's desktop pc) <your_email@example.com>"

Change (N)ame, (C)omment, (E)mail or (O)kay/(Q)uit? O
We need to generate a lot of random bytes. It is a good idea to perform
some other action (type on the keyboard, move the mouse, utilize the
disks) during the prime generation; this gives the random number
generator a better chance to gain enough entropy.
We need to generate a lot of random bytes. It is a good idea to perform
some other action (type on the keyboard, move the mouse, utilize the
disks) during the prime generation; this gives the random number
generator a better chance to gain enough entropy.
gpg: C:\\Users\\user_name\\AppData\\Roaming\\gnupg\\trustdb.gpg: trustdb created
gpg: directory 'C:\\Users\\user_name\\AppData\\Roaming\\gnupg\\openpgp-revocs.d' created
gpg: revocation certificate stored as 'C:\\Users\\user_name\\AppData\\Roaming\\gnupg\\openpgp-revocs.d\\DD2DB924314496969FFF1FC4FF7A0A2FE0F81BE3.rev'
public and secret key created and signed.

pub   ed25519 2023-05-01 [SC]
      DD2DB924314496969FFF1FC4FF7A0A2FE0F81BE3
uid                      Joel Lau (joel's desktop pc) <your_email@example.com>
sub   cv25519 2023-05-01 [E]

Show the list of keys

> gpg --list-secret-keys --keyid-format=long

[keyboxd]
---------
sec   ed25519/FF7A0A2FE0F81BE3 2023-05-01 [SC]
      DD2DB924314496969FFF1FC4FF7A0A2FE0F81BE3
uid                 [ultimate] Joel Lau (joel's desktop pc) <your_email@example.com>
ssb   cv25519/81D580E5588F5C57 2023-05-01 [E]

Print the key id you'd like to use

the key ID comes after the protocol name (FF7A0A2FE0F81BE3)

> gpg --armor --export KEY_ID_HERE
# e.g. gpg --armor --export FF7A0A2FE0F81BE3

Keep the terminal window open, you will need in the next steps.

GitHub Settings

Get to your personal GitHub Key settings by either:

Click this link: https://github.com/settings/gpg/new
Navigate to github > profile picture (top right) > Settings > SSH and GPG keys > New GPG Key

Fill in the form with the necessary information before submitting the form. You should see the new entry on the keys page:

Git (Again)

git config --global user.name "Joel Lau" ;              # set user name
git config --global user.email your_email@example.com ; # set email address
git config --global core.editor "code --wait" ;         # set VSCode as default text editor
git config --global --unset gpg.format ;                # unset any previous GPG configuration
git config --global commit.gpgsign true ;               # sign all commits using GPG
 git config --global gpg.program 'C:\Program Files (x86)\gnupg\bin\gpg.exe'                                # tell git where to find gpg
git config --global user.signingkey KEY_ID_HERE ;     # set the signing key (replace `KEY_ID_HERE`)

the resulting gitconfig file should look at follows:

[user]
    email = joel.lau@protonmail.com
    name = Joel Lau
    signingkey = 977D5B2A1AA15946

[init]
    defaultBranch = main

[core]
    editor = code --wait

[gpg]
    program = C:\\Program Files (x86)\\gnupg\\bin\\gpg.exe

[commit]
    gpgsign = true

TL;DR

# NOTE: remember to use PowerShell on admin

# git
winget install Microsoft.Git ;

#     start ssh-agent
Get-Service -Name ssh-agent | Set-Service -StartupType Manual ;

#     create ssh keys - add to https://github.com/settings/keys
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

#     add keys to ssh-agent
 ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

# gpg
# NOTE: remember to add 'C:\Program Files (x86)\gnupg\bin' to path
winget install GnuPG.GnuPG ;

#     create gpg keys - add to https://github.com/settings/keys
gpg --full-generate-key ;

#     show list of keys
gpg --list-secret-keys --keyid-format=long ;

#     show key (the text after `sec   4096R/`)
gpg --armor --export KEY_ID_HERE

# set user name
git config --global user.name "Joel Lau" ;

# set email address
git config --global user.email your_email@example.com ;

# set VSCode as default text editor
git config --global core.editor "code --wait" ;

# unset any previous GPG configuration
git config --global --unset gpg.format ;

# sign all commits using GPG
git config --global commit.gpgsign true ;

# tell git where to find gpg
 git config --global gpg.program 'C:\Program Files (x86)\gnupg\bin\gpg.exe'

# set the signing key (replace `KEY_ID_HERE`)
git config --global user.signingkey KEY_ID_HERE ;

References

5 Must-Reads for the Junior Developer

Joel Lau — Sun, 15 May 2022 06:01:28 +0000

A career as a Software Engineer can be confusing, moreso if you're new. Here are 5 books to help make sense of this complex problem.

1. So Good They Can't Ignore You - Cal Newport

The only book on this list not strictly catered for Software Engineers. Cal Newport writes about the mindset of taking control of your life, providing research-backed evidence for learning to love what you do.

2. The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide - John Sonmez

A long, but comprehensive read that covers many of the strategies and techniques useful to planning your career. The audio book was narrated by John Sonmez (the author) himself and is easy to consume on your commute. The book covers many questions you might face such as which language to learn, how to fill gaps in your technical knowledge "softer" topics such as what to wear to interviews.

3. The Pragmatic Programmer - David Thomas, Andrew Hunt

Viewed in high regard by many and one of the top recommendations on any Software Engineer's reading list. The Pragmatic Programmer highlights many common pitfalls and best practices that will help you approach technical challenges. I reread this book every few years and it brings me new insight proves to be a gem every time.

4. Grokking Algorithms

Grokking Algorithms is a very accessible way to learn data structures and algorithms. While it isn't the most comprehensive, it certainly makes it more enjoyable, especially if you do not have a background in Computer Science! I would recommend using this book as an introduction into more formal studies on the subject.

5. Cracking the Coding Interview

Probably the longest book I own. Similar to The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide - John Sonmez in scope, but with a focus on the technical aspect job hunt and how to prepare for it. Covers topics such as questions you should ask after an interview, and exerts of important data structures and algorithms.

Setting Up a Mac in 2022

Joel Lau — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 07:17:58 +0000

System Preferences

Disable "Natural" Mouse Scoll Direction
- System Preferences > Mouse > Uncheck Scroll Direction: Natural
Use function keys without fn key
- System Preferences > Keyboard > Check Use F1, F2 etc. keys as standard function keys
Remove text replacements
- System Preferences > Keyboard > Text > Remove “omw”, Uncheck everything on the right
Remove all items from dock
- Right-click app icon > Options > Uncheck keep on dock
Hide dock
- Right-click on empty space on the dock > turn hiding on
Show file extensions
- Open finder (open any directory) > cmd + , to open settings > advanced tab > check show all filename extensions

Homebrew (Package Manager)

follow instructions on brew's home page
- run the following in the terminal:
- /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Install and Replace Default Applications

Section TL;DR

brew install alfred iterm2 brave-browser visual-studio-code

Replace Spotlight Search with Alfred 4

Alfred is an ... app which boosts your efficiency ...

Install Alfred 4
- brew install alfred
Change Spotlight's default hotkeys
- Open Spotlight
- default: cmd + space
- Open Spotlight-specific preferences
- cmd + ,
- Go to shortcuts page
- click Keyboard Shortcuts...
- Change shortcuts for "Show Spotlight Search" or disable it (I use cmd + shift + space)
Setup Alfred
- Open Alfred
- type alfred in spotlight search
- Go through setup, give it appropriate permissions
- Change Alfred hotkey to cmd + space
- in alfred, hit cmd + , to open settings
- in general tab, click on Alfred Hotkey:
- Add Downloads directory to config
- in Alfred, go to Features tab
- in Search Scope, click the + button near the bottom-right

Replace Terminal with iTerm2

Install iTerm2
- brew install iterm2
- iterm2 > preferences (cmd + ,) > keys > Check show/hide all windows with a system-wide hotkey

Replace Safari with Brave

brew install brave-browser

Replace TextEdit with Visual Studio Code

brew install visual-studio-code

Terminal Setup

remove last login message
- touch ~/.hushlogin
replace default zsh
- brew install zsh
install zsh theme manager (oh-my-zsh)
- sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)”
remove default theme
- comment this (line 5): # ZSH_THEME="robbyrussell”
install theme (powerlevel10k)
- brew install romkatv/powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k
apply theme
- append to bottom: source /usr/local/opt/powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k.zsh-theme
restart terminal (IMPORTANT)
powerlevel10k should take you through its wizard, and install a powerline font (MesloLGS NF)
apply new font to iTerm
- open iTerm (cmd + space, if following previous setup)
- open settings (cmd + ,)
- profile > text > font > click change font ... > select MesloLGS NF
apply new font to Visual Studio Code
- open Visual Studio Code
- open settings (cmd + ,)
- scroll to font and type MesloLGS NF
Setup zsh autocompletions, syntax highlighting
- brew install zsh-autosuggestions
- brew install zsh-syntax-highlighting
- add to bottom of zshrc
  - source /usr/local/share/zsh-autosuggestions/zsh-autosuggestions.zsh
  - source /usr/local/share/zsh-syntax-highlighting/zsh-syntax-highlighting.zsh
- configure suggestion strategy (append anywhere on zshrc)
  - ZSH_AUTOSUGGEST_STRATEGY=(completion history)

Misc

Git

brew install git
create ssh key (https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh/generating-a-new-ssh-key-and-adding-it-to-the-ssh-agent)
- ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
enable zsh plugin for ssh-agent
- add ssh-agent between round brackets where plugins are defined
- e.g. plugins=(git ssh-agent)

node / nvm

fast version manager (alternative to nvm)

Install
- brew install fnm
Make avaialable to zsh
- append to zshrc: eval "$(fnm env)"
Show available node versions
- fnm list-remote
Install a node version
- fnm install <node-version>
Make a version of node the default
- fnm default <node-version>
Check if node was install correctly
- node --version

CSS Specificity

Joel Lau — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 01:43:06 +0000

This articles assumes a basic understanding of HTML and CSS

Most beginners quickly come to understand that elements on a page inherit every rule that applies to it, accumulating styles. However, few understand what happens when multiple rules apply to the same element - the selector which is more specific takes priority. Conversely, rules that are less specific are overridden.

Calculating Specificity

In order to determine how specific a selector is, we must first determine the number of items that are present in each of the 4 categories.

html style attributes
ids (id attribute)
other attributes (including class), pseudo-classes (e.g. :link, :hover)
elements, pseudo-elements(e.g. :before, :after)

When we have the number of items in each category, concatenate them back-to-back to form a final value. Like number systems with a large base, a number in a larger category always beats the number in a smaller category.

<style type="text/css">
    /* priority: 0,0,0,1 */
    p {
        color: black;
        font-weight: bold;
    }

    /* priority: 0,0,1,1 */
    p.para {
        color: blue;
        margin-left: 1rem;
    }

    /* (smaller priority that p.para)
        priority: 0,0,1,0 */
    .para {
        color: green;
    }


</style>
<!-- (style attribute) priority: 1,0,0,0 -->
<p class="para" style="color: purple">
    Hello World
</p>

In this example, the text will appear purple because the style attribute has the highest priority and inherit other rules (font-weight, margin-left) that were applied.

!important

The final consideration when trying to determine which CSS rules are applied is the !important keyword. By appending this to any CSS value, it increases its priority by another degree. !important rules are sorted and applied in order of specificity with other !important rules before normal rules are considered.

However, using !important often breaks the design of carefully crafted style sheets and should be avoided!

Conclusion

By developing a thorough understanding of how specificity works, we can easily control which styles are applied by increasing or decreasing a selector's specificity. This allows us to elegantly design succinct style sheets that follow DRY principles.

If you liked this article, give me a shoutout on Twitter at @JoelLau93 or let me know how I can do better!

Further Reading:
https://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/cascade.html

Mac in minutes - How I set up new machines

Joel Lau — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 03:02:51 +0000

Fresh installations are my guilty pleasure. While I could spend days configuring it to make it my own the realities of life often prove that time is often of the essence, making getting productive fast important.

In this blog post, I share how I do this quickly, and the settings that make life easier. The secret sauce - Homebrew, a package manager for MacOS. With this, we save hours that might have been spent scouring the net for download links.

Installing Homebrew

To install, simply use run:
command from their home page

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

BONUS TIP: keep all your applications up to date with the following:

brew update ; brew upgrade ; brew cleanup ; brew doctor ;

For Everything Else

brew install --cask bitwarden visual-studio-code firefox google-chrome iterm2 alfredbrew install --cask bitwarden visual-studio-code firefox google-chrome iterm2 alfred

Testing External Systems (TDD)

Joel Lau — Sat, 12 Sep 2020 08:46:42 +0000

Software developed seldom works in isolation.

Connecting to external systems such as databases and consuming 3rd party APIs are integral parts of many products made today.

However, how do we write tests for these BEFORE we write code that integrates with these external systems?

[Angular] Why create local variables in templates?

Joel Lau — Sun, 17 May 2020 14:45:40 +0000

I'm a newbie trying to pick up some angular when I came across this strange bit of code.

<video #movieplayer ...>
    <button (click)="movieplayer.play()">
</video>

When / why would I create a local variable (movieplayer) in the .html file rather than its .ts?

Template strings in documentation?

Joel Lau — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 11:13:02 +0000

I'm looking into doing more writing and documentation and one of the biggest problems I'm facing is keeping certain pieces of information up to date.

For example, I named Chapter 2: Usage, referred to it a few times, and decided that I would like to change the title to Chapter 2: Tutorial .

Are there any existing solutions that would allow me to store these values somewhere as a single source of truth ?

Things I wish I knew before Uni

Joel Lau — Thu, 24 May 2018 16:56:35 +0000

I recently finished studying after what seems like an eternity and entered the working world. Over the years of studying, here are the top things I wish I knew before entering University. The tips here SHOULD apply to other forms of education (bootcamps, self-studying, etc) as well.

1. Learn casually

One of the biggest changes in my life has been learning during downtime, and immersing myself in the Software Development culture. There're are amazing content creators on youtube, twitter, and site like this one that produce videos and articles that are easy so easy to consume. You can read them during commutes, in the toilet or during breaks between study/pomdoro sessions.

For example, here are some youtube channels that teach you how to be more productive.
Thomas Frank, Med School Insiders

Programming (these might take some effort)
Making Games in C++, Traversy Media

Heck, even the /r/ProgrammerHumor/ subreddit might teach you things from time to time.

2. On dealing with forgetting things

If it hasn't happened to you yet, it will. Between working on your assignments, catching up with lectures and spending time with other human beings, you might find yourself often forgetting things. Learn how to use the calendar app on your phone, and start noting down everything. Reserve your brain power for processing and computing information instead of storage.

I should add that the art of taking notes is essential even at work. You never know when your colleagues will sit down with you and suggest many changes to your code, and you never want to miss important details when somebody is explaining a project's requirements to you.

3. Finish early

Semesters often start off pretty slowly, where everybody's still in the holiday mood. This is the perfect time to get ahead of your peers. Start your research for that assignment early, and start on your assignments the moment you get them.

This way, you always have more say in choosing between rushing for a deadline and going for a party.

4. Review often

Always review your notes immediately after your lecture (or as soon as possible, if you don't have the option to). Your scratches and scribbles lose all meaning quicker than you think they do, so its best that you either tidy them up, and/or add to them to give them more context. As an added bonus, lecturers often stay behind in classrooms and theatres to answer questions from students. Take the opportunity to clarify things you're not clear about (or the parts you can't make sense of in your notes). You might even get a better sense of what your lecturers are looking for in assignments and tests, giving you a better chance at doing better grades-wise.

You might also want to take time off every once in a while for some introspection. Ask yourself which parts of your life are going well/badly, try to figure out why, and what you're going to do about it.

5. Set Up for Success

The first year of any course is often where everybody is the most motivated. Know that you have the option of finding friends that are looking to do as well as you are. Create good studying habits within your group. Once you do, keep each other accountable to stay on track.

6. Motivation

Many people deal with motivation in different ways. Here's how I currently deal with it. Firstly, build good habits. Once things become routine, it takes effort to STOP doing what you do. If you're a morning person, try starting your day with an 10 minutes of studying or exercise. It won't take long for you to notice that the minutes add up, and you'll be a better person. Secondly, start small. I personally take this advice, and start checking items off my TODO list by making my bed. Finally, there are days where nothing works and you just feel uninspired. I believe that there are things that simply aren't fun or easy to motivate yourself to do (see: leg day). I figured, during my time serving my country, that some things are harder to get through while dragging your feet. PRETEND that you're happy to do it, and time might pass faster (i.e. FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT)

7. Use your free time

That odd 5 min break between things that go on in your day could be used to text your family that you love them. Or finding out that odd piece of information that you meant need to google later. Maybe even something simple like setting up an appointment.

On a larger scale, try looking for jobs related to the field. While you might not be compensated enough for the amount of work you do, I strongly believe that you now have more context as to what you will be studying, making school more interesting as well as making you more hirable in the future.

8. Communicate

If allowed, show your work to anyone, and ask for their opinion. Take in what they have to say and evaluate what they have to say. You might not agree with them, but you now have 1 new perspective that you likely would not have been able to see.

Get to know people (juniors, peers, seniors, or alumni, lecturers, or faculty staff) they might be able to point you towards the correct resource, or someone else who might be able to help you.

9. Read books outside of your schoolwork

Personally, I highly recommend How To Become a Straight-A Student, a book that's surprisingly easy to read, and is fairly straight to the point. The author provides very practical tips on dealing with school life and how to do well in that environment.

Other books I would like to bring your attention to include How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading, which will change your approach towards reading in general, improving your ability to read. As well as The Power of Habit, that teaches you managing your habits can change your life.

10. Remember that school is for learning how to learn

In the fast paced world of Software Development, a significant portion of the things that you're about to learn will be outdated by the time you graduate. As such, developers constantly have to learn new frameworks, languages and other technologies to keep up with the times. On top of that, things that you learn in school often do not apply to your work place. As such, remember that you're honing your ability to learn (The most meta, OP, ability a human being can have), especially when you're working on something that seemingly seems unrelated to what you're interested in.

Take the opportunity to take everything in - from learning to manage your time, money, relationships, and whatever your curriculum is trying to teach you.

Closing

On the topic of life decisions, my dad used to say that you can "pick what you like, or like what you picked". I'm a believer that given enough effort, we have the choice of liking what we do for a living (or studying, in this case). So I hope you do too, and this post has helped you down that path (:

Let me know what other tips you have!