Recap

January:
I commit to focusing on JavaScript and the FreeCodeCamp program. I even write a blog post about it.

February:
I get recommendations for Java learning materials and start studying Head First Java. Oh - and I write a blog post about it.

March:
I download the Swifty app on my iPad and start playing with it. I also get through the Node JS course on CodeSchool and a few more of the challenges on FreeCodeCamp - but the harder I try, the more I realize I don’t understand how JavaScript really works.

So I buy Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript by Nicholas Zakas and A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript by Mark Myers and start reading both.

I also get two Rails projects ready to launch (as soon as the clients are ready) and submit a feature I’ve been working on for an open source Rails project. Along the way, I realize how much I need to work on building good test suites, so I pick up Everyday Rails Testing with RSpec by Aaron Sumner.

April:
An upcoming project has WordPress written all over it. As I think about it, I realize some of the projects I’ve done in Rails really would have made more sense in WordPress, too.

So I sign up for the Freelance WordPress Developer Blueprint on Skillcrush.

Reflection

Oh my gosh - I have serious commitment issues! And I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up as a developer.

One of these days, I really need to settle down and focus more intently on a smaller number of technologies. I don’t want to go on forever with a skill set a mile wide and an inch deep.

On the positive side…

Every foray into something new gives me fresh insight and perspective that helps inform other areas. For example, reading formal books about Java showed me the value in pursuing similar books about JavaScript. Studying concepts and vocabulary in Head First Java gave me a good foundation for understanding them when they were referenced again in Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript.

Teaching is the best way to learn, and I have several opportunities coming up to do some teaching and mentoring.

Since the clients aren’t ready to launch their projects yet, I can try rebuilding them in WordPress and get a feel for the pros and cons of each approach. Whichever version makes it to production, it will be a great learning experience.

JavaScript goes with everything. Whatever else I do, anything I can learn about JavaScript will help me do it better.

Tomorrow is another day…!