DEV Community: Louis

Solidify your JavaScript Knowledge with "Just JavaScript"

Louis — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 15:44:21 +0000

Hey peers!:)

A while ago I scrolled through Dan Abramov's Blog and found something very valuable:

Just JavaScript is Dan Abramov's newest project for people who like to learn more about the underlying principles of JavaScript to solidify their mental models of how it works and how things are implemented.

It's structured in lots of small lessons, that get e-mailed to you bit after bit, consisting of detailed explanations followed by exercises to solidify the newly gathered knowledge

I'm just through lesson #04, but I'm already in love with Dan's fantastic style of explaining things through physical alliterations and fantastic illustrations like this:

I cannot recommend this course enough. So, if you (like me) are struggling sometimes when it comes to the principles of JS or you're just curious why 0.1 + 0.2 === 0.3 is false in JavaScript, just sign up for it!

Explain Backend like I'm five.

Louis — Wed, 22 Jan 2020 17:45:36 +0000

So, I'm familiar with how to build a website using HTML, CSS and JS. I'm also quite confident using ReactJS to build webApps and even fetch data from some APIs.

However, I've never used nodeJS or similar technologies to build myself some kind of Backend. What exactly do I need it for? And what kind of code does a Backend typically contain, as a lot of logic already works in the Frontend?

Is it just sort of an API that connects my frontend to some database?

Your favourite non-technical books?

Louis — Tue, 24 Dec 2019 15:00:35 +0000

Hey there,

my biggest goal for 2020 is to read more books. Especially books that aren't solely dedicated to boost my career or increase my developer skillset but books that either broaden my horizon or entertain me.

So please feel free to recommend your favourite books in the comments!

So far, my favorites are:

Homo Deus by Yuval Harari. This book really expanded my horizon and changed my expectations regarding the future of the humankind, considering gene manipulation and artificial intelligence.
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman. This graphic novel is not only beautiful drawn but also tells the dramatic story of Art's Jewish family during the Holocaust.
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. Yep, I've never read them as a child. Started six weeks ago with the first one and been half through the 6th by now. I love them, they're great!
Disrupted by Dan Lyons. Got that as a present from a good friend and it's hilarious! Dan worked as a journalist for a big, renowned Newspaper before. Now he enters the startup world as a "content creator" for Hubspot and encounters the secret tales of company candy bars and Nerf blaster wars.
Blackout by Marc Elseberg. The story of some hackers attacking the European power grid is not only awesome but really well and accurate described - that accurate, that the author nowadays gets invited to countless security conferences and even advices governments!

How to start freelancing as a beginner?

Louis — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 08:12:28 +0000

Hey there!

I started with WebDev roughly 1 year ago and buy now I would say that I'm familiar enough with React, CSS and HTML to build small websites (blogs, landing pages, newsletter subscription etc.) for small clients.

But how do I start?
How does one price his services?
What about the hosting? If I host the stuff by my own Netlify (or similar) account, it will eventually increase my own bill rather than the customers. Do I help them configure their own hosting accounts?

I just want to build stuff the people need and sell it to them for a price that satisfies my relatively low needs and is also not to expensive for the clients.
I'm afraid that building stuff and hosting it on my own pushes me into some maintaining role with consistent and monthly billing of service fees or stuff like that.

So, how do you do that?

I would love to hear your experiences!

What's your advice for future CS students?

Louis — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 18:43:08 +0000

Hey developers out there!

I guess at least some if you went to university and studied computer science or software engineering. What are your tips and advices for those of us who are also planning to do so?

What parts were especially hard for you?

What do you wish you've had paid more attention to when you look back?

Please share your wisdom with the next generation! :)

Feel free to fill the comment section with any advice you have, also related to internships, semesters abroad or something like this.

Is Blockchain really changing the world at all?

Louis — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 12:51:23 +0000

Blockchain is one of the heaviest buzzwords in tech, but is it really that mind-blowing innovative? I see the points of distribution, democracy & transparency and I also think I've got a good grasp on it. However, I hardly found anything like the "one killer app" out there that uses Blockchain except some cryptocurrency projects that are more or less a copy of Bitcoin.

Do you know any cool, innovative projects? Can you imagine something running on Blockchain that may change the world as we know it? Looking forward to hear your opinions!

What learning path should I take to learn underlying concepts and principles?

Louis — Sun, 29 Sep 2019 13:41:05 +0000

Hey there,
I'm Louis. I've been programming since about a year and a half after pivoting from an apprenticeship in banking. Now I'm back in school and I spent a lot of my free time coding.

In the past year I dove into FrontEnd Development, as I started with HTML & CSS and naturally moved to JS and React.
I know a bit of PHP and mySQL from school, but I feel like I'm still not getting the big picture and have a huge knowledge gap when it comes to algorithms, data structures and low level programming.

To pick up these concepts in a "learning by doing style", I want to learn a backend, maybe low-level programming language to apply all these theoretical but underlying techniques and practises.

I mean, I heard of them. Pointers, hashtables, linked lists and big-O. But I really don't know much about them because I never needed them in my FrontEnd projects.

What language or even learning path do you recommend for my situation? Is there anyone who experienced the same? Are there any topics every programmer should know?

I'm really looking forward to hear about your opinions!

How Learning to Code can change your Life

Louis — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 13:22:04 +0000

Coding is an absolutely valuable skill in today's world. Here's why you should learn it yourself instead of waiting for educational policy.

"Everybody in this country should learn to program a computer, because it teaches you how to think".

That's what Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple and Pixar Studios, said in 2013. With this statement, he contributes to the current debate about digital literacy and the role of computer science in today's school curricula. But why do people even think it's important and how should one start to learn?

Keep up with the Times

The debate about digital education and the need for digital literacy was a logical consequence of the ongoing process of digitalization in nearly every part of the labor market. In the past 10 years, many jobs and industries changed dramatically based on new technologies and their increasing affordability. In manufacturing for example, a lot of people lost their jobs due the implementation of fully automated production lines and robot technology. However, not only technical jobs are affected by the digitalization - there is also a lot of office work that got redundant and inefficient due the introduction of accounting system or automated record keeping.

In times like these, digital skills are more important than anything else when it comes to employability and therefore sustainable, future-proof education.

Coding is more than Maths & Logic

Learning how to program computers, websites or apps is one of the most important skills of our time, even if you're not going to work in a field that's especially dedicated to technology or computers. Different from what a lot of people think, programming and software development isn't just a mixture of mathematics and some cryptic lines of confusing code. The job of a programmer is mainly about solving real-life problems with the help of given technologies. Jan Koum and Brian Acton, for example, solved the problem of expensive mobile bills due to high SMS fees by developing and providing WhatsApp, a mobile app that allows you to chat with others over the internet for free. In order to do so, they had to examine the problem closely and look for possibilities to not only optimize the current situation but also disrupt the way we communicate with each other. Today, WhatsApp is used by over a billion people worldwide and has completely replaced the SMS as a medium of communication.

Dealing with Problems

According to a slogan of the CODE University in Berlin, the key characteristic of a good problem solver is to "fall in love with the problem, not the solution". That's a slogan that fits perfectly to the process of software development and its difference to the skills you learn in school or university. Take the school subject of mathematics as a quite accurate example. The way you solve mathematical problems in school is highly solution-oriented: first off, you learn a concept or principle like integral calculus and then you're given explicit problem sets that you must solve with the concepts learned before. In the field of software development, something like this is unthinkable. The main goal here is to solve a clearly defined problem with whatever technology or approach is the most suitable in this situation. You always keep the problem in mind, whereas school requires you to always keep the solution in mind without scrutinizing its plausibility. In programming, however, there are popular patterns of how one can solve a problem, but there are literally a million different ways, each with its different benefits and drawbacks. So, one can say that Steve Jobs is right when he speaks of programming as a skill that teaches you how to think because it introduces you to the concept of problem-oriented thinking and teaches you the procedure of problem-solving.

School's Shortcomings

Today's school curricula, however, are still stuffed with the same subjects and methods students learned twenty years ago. Programming is still an optional skill that can be achieved in electives, while the understanding of digital processes and problem-solving procedures are hardly ever discussed.
This deficit in education is a huge topic in today's politics and a lot of changes are likely to come during the next decade. However, since there aren't as much computer science teachers out there as there's need for them, you should not assume that there will be a big change soon.

Get your Hands dirty

So, what can you do at this point? How can you avoid the pitfalls of solution-oriented thinking and overcome the deficits of today's educational ecosystem? Well, just rethink the process of education in a problem-oriented way! As you may have recognized, thinking of your personal education as something school is responsible for, is like tackling a problem with a prefixed solution in mind. Are you sure that school or the education system in general are the perfect solution for your problem? I don't really think so.
Just do it the other way around and search for possible solutions to your problem, the deficit in digital knowledge. You will soon recognize that there are literally endless possibilities available that are so much easier, faster and more expedient than complaining about the school system and waiting for a change to come!

Don't know where to start your journey in coding and software development? Well, here you go! These resources already helped thousands of people and I can highly recommend all of them:

freeCodeCamp

The completely donor-supported nonprofit organization teaches you how to develop web applications by providing an interactive curriculum with challenges for over 1800 hours of coding, as well as hundreds of videos, articles and a forum. It's completely free to use!

Codecademy

Like freeCodeCamp, Codecademy offers an interactive curriculum that's free to use. Besides that, there's also a paid, extensive version with a broader variety of topics and more detailed insights. Other than freeCodeCamp, you can take specific learning paths like data science or machine learning.

Harvard's CS50

This cryptic name is nothing less than the course name of Harvard University's Introduction to Programming class. CS50 combines lecture videos with weekly problem sets and is completely free. For an additional fee of €90, you can get an official certificate for your CV.

hack.pledge( )

This is an online community of developers, offering free mentorship for the next generation of software engineers. You can sign up for free to either learn from experienced teachers or mentor beginners yourself. It's a new approach to connect experienced and new developers to create amazing synergies!

Forrest Knight's CS Degree

The youtuber Forrest Knight composed a completely free computer science curriculum from a variety of online university courses. The curriculum is equivalent to the content you have to learn in an undergraduate computer science degree, including both technical and mathematical modules.

Code+Design Camps

The nonprofit organization Code+Design arranges events all over Germany to teach young people the art of coding, designing and promoting their own applications and projects with the help of voluntary coaches. The entry fee is around €75, containing unlimited drinks and three meals per day for the time of the event.
No worries if you don't live in Germany - there are plenty of Hackathons like this all over the world! Just get in touch with you local coding community.

Scrimba

This interactive video platform is also free and again dedicated to web development. Through the combination of video tutorials and an interactive code editor, Scrimba enables you to directly apply the coding skills you learned from the video examples.

What are you still waiting for? Choose one of the above mentioned courses and resources and get started right now - it was never as easy as it is today!

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