Month one is in the books!
I just can’t believe that a month has already gone by. This past week, I met my first big challenge at Array. We started to work with JavaScript and let me tell you, it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park!
I think, personally, till now I’ve felt pretty comfortable with the material because it was something I was somewhat familiar with. JavaScript is a complete new world for me, and it’s taking me a little to wrap my head around it. I think part of the problem was my mind set. Just because until now I’ve been able to absorb everything we’ve learned with HTML & CSS, concepts I was already very familiar with, I felt like I should have just automatically get JavaScript. Let me tell you, that was NOT the case!
For those of you who have graciously read my past blogs, no, it’s not all rainbows and sunshines. I actually had my first breakdown this week, but guess what? I still went home with a HUGE smile on my face on Friday, feeling more then ever like coming to Array was the BEST decision I’ve ever made!
Even though the week was hard, Josh did an unbelievable job making me feel comfortable with a subject that was brand new to me. Never once I felt uncomfortable asking the same question over and over, he made me feel like I can do this, even if I will not get it within the very first week. I wish I would have had more teachers like Josh in the past, I would probably be as fluent in German as I’m in English right now! Back in High School, I studied French, English, and German. If any of you has ever taken German, you know that it’s a pretty hard language to learn. Back then, about 28 years ago, I felt like it was too hard to learn, and I just did the minimum to pass the class and move on. My teacher back then didn’t give me any motivation to do any more then that. Of course I’m not putting all the blame on my teacher, unfortunately when you’re young, you don’t always see things like you should. Josh gave me the motivation I needed, even though my first encounter with JavaScript kicked my booty, I’m ready to go back for more. Now it’s between JavaScript and I, and I don’t like to lose! ;)
Another very helpful event to help me overcome my first JavaScript week, was our Friday’s guest speaker. Every week Array brings in a guest speaker for us. This past week was Chris Raga, a successful man in the tech industry. It was so refreshing to hear about his struggle with learning JavaScript in the early days, things I could totally relate to, things I’ve gone through this week. This re-enforced my beliefs, one of my favorite quotes says.. “No one said is going to be easy, but it sure is going to be worth it!”.
I’m at Array because I want to get into a field I’m very passionate about, I want to be successful with it, the only thing I really need to work on is my mind set. It’s not always going to be a walk in the park, some subjects will be a little harder to learn then others. I just need to keep reminding myself that, and keep my eyes on the prize. You only fail when you stop trying!
