How to learn Elixir or The Tale of Two Alchemists and One Master
No matter if you are a programming newbie or a senior developer in a different technology, it’s high time to give Elixir a try. Then, a tale of two alchemy beginners comes in handy. But to complete the process of gaining knowledge, one more ingredient is necessary: the Master. Let’s call him Jose…
Chapter 1
The story begins with the first meeting of two alchemists-to-be and their master.
– My apprentices, please tell me what’s your experience in alchemy — asked the master.
– I have got a decent amount of experience extracting rubies, working together with very agile alchemists on complex solutions ready to sell to most demanding merchants — said the first apprentice. But I don’t have any experience with Elixir Brewing or functional approach to alchemy at all.
– Fear not, you will obtain this knowledge very quickly. And you? — the master asked the other student.
– Well… — this reply was full of shyness — I have no experience at all…
The Master realised that first contact with any new topic might be a pretty stressful situation for a complete beginner. He tried to use all of his empathy to encourage the student.
– That’s also not a problem. Of course, it might take you more time, but as you will see through our journey, there are a lot of materials on how to deal with elixirs.
Chapter 2
That being said, they continued the process of getting to know each other until their conversation returned to the topic of learning resources.
– My dear apprentices, Elixir Brewing is quite a young field of study, but the community is experienced and well-organized. There are not as many learning resources as there are for rubies or coffee brewing, but the ones you can find are of very high quality so you shouldn’t be misled. They are also easy to find because creators of Elixir Brewing foundations collect, filter and share the best of them. You can find them on the official site in the Magical Cloud here. — even though the master’s explanation was detailed and at the right pace, uncertainty could be found on students’ faces.
– But master, do you have experience with them? Which one do you suggest to start with, based on our experience? — it was noticeable, that curiosity replaced fear and stress in the alchemy novice.
– I think all of them are worth trying, but let’s see… I think at the beginning, you — he looked at the novice — should direct your attention to Joy of Elixir, where not only Elixir Brewing but also some Alchemy bases are explained. Then your journey will look similar — master said to students with confidence in his voice.
I suggest you both check these materials in the Magical Cloud: Getting started with Elixir or Elixir School and the official documentation. There you can find detailed instructions on how each particular aspect of Elixir Brewing works, and it’s more than likely that you will return to these materials also in the next levels of learning. — The sounds of quills scratching the parchment assured the master of students’ willingness to learn.
Then, I have a piece of advice for both of you, because I know that the first steps are always the hardest, and it’s best to learn from someone more experienced. There are a few interesting resources recorded in the Magical Cloud, where authors demonstrate various aspects of Elixir Brewing, one by one. Access to certain of them might cost you some coins: Elixir sips or Alchemist Camp.
– Wow! — students exclaimed excitedly.
– There you can find resources for each level of proficiency: from absolute basics to detailed knowledge, and I recommend them especially to you — the master looked at the less experienced student. — To realise how alchemy works, not only Elixir Brewing itself. Of course, a theory will be nothing without practice. You should test the skills which you will acquire, by at least copying actions of your teachers and try to do something on your own. In the resources which I have just recommended to you, you will find tips on how to set up your laboratory.
Chapter 3
My dear reader, if you had been present on this lesson you would have noticed, that novice student already started imagining his stellar career in Elixir Brewing, whereas the other one was more cautious and slightly worried about results of their experiments (perhaps such knowledge comes with experience).
– But how will we know that we are going in the right direction, and our experiments won’t end up as a catastrophe? — the master smiled and nodded with understanding.
– Well, there is a possibility to test yourself and then be graded and advised by mentors on specially prepared tasks which allow you to master Elixir Brewing. This option is available in the Magical Cloud here, and it won’t cost you even one coin. If you learn from these materials by heart, do some projects on your own, I think both of you can try to join the Elixir Brewers’ Guild. — it looked like this advice was the most heartwarming part of the Master’s lecture.
I have also something for more experienced students or bookworms. These three titles will help you in the next steps of learning: Programming Elixir, Elixir in action, Metaprogramming Elixir. I think that you have more than enough materials to learn, now it’s your turn to use them.
Then, a very big Phoenix bird landed right next to the master.
– What’s that?! — asked students together.
– Well, that’s a subject for our next lesson…
PS. Apprentices’ notes with a full collection of useful learning materials are here.
Originally published at www.briisk.co on December 4, 2018.
