Done with the basics and now on to roaming the big big Web

I went to hackathons, where I met a lot of cool developers who introduced me to cool languages and tools. When one guy tells you Javascript is the thing to learn for web, the next guy is already telling you he's using this really cool library in Python that allows you to do magic.

Finding what you need to learn is always one of the biggest challenges for any coders, not to mention aspiring coders. When you're new, it's very easy to get lost when everyone tells you to start with X or do research into Y. I ended up installing a bunch of things on my computer with the idea that after I try studying a little bit of everything, eventually something will stick.



Huge huge mistake! I did not touch 95%+ of all the tools I grabbed from the Internet, at least in a meaningful way. And I was still lost and had no idea how things work together. When you're a beginner, it's essential to do a great foundation course to equip you with basic CS theory. Then you're free to branch out and do your exploration. Referencing an actual college CS degree could be helpful but that is hardly what's needed in the real world, where programmers don't bother as much with theory (plus, you can't wait to get your hands on a real world project right?).

I feel lucky I found the MIT course. However, before that I've tried numerous programming resources with no luck. This course is certainly not the end and be all but it prepares me for using internet resources more effectively and I'm now able to say that I can figure most things out on my own, given enough time and effort.

I'm hanging out in the world of Free Code Camp along with other tutorials on the two areas I'm interested in: data analysis and web. I can't wait to release a project some time this summer, something hopefully much better than the air advisor app, so stay tuned.