Let's Learn JavaScript
19 Jan 2022
The Beginning
Back in highschool, after learning a a bit of HTML and CSS I was introduced to the javascript language in my STEM class. This shiny new language was a whole new world and a bit different than the ones I learned before because it added more interaction to the website. Entering college I was exposed to even more coding languages such as Java and C, which were both cool to make various things and sharpen my understandings of core concepts such as implementation of data structures, sorting algorithms and more. But now after a couple of years I am re-introduced to my old friend JavaScript and he/she is looking better than ever.
Revelation
I watched Professor Johnson’s riveting video on why Javascript is better than Java and C++ and he has convinced me that…it indeed is. There was a lot of educational content in that video, one thing I learned was that languages like Java and C derived from Von Neumann Architecture and Assembly which is more rigid and old fashion, while JavaScript was adapted by newer and more radical idealisms and languages. Another benefit JavaScript has is that its functions are “first-class”, which means functions are treated like variables and can be in an array among other capabilites and even allows dynamically generated functions at runtime. Some other cool things about JavaScript is that it simplifies objects -> JSON and allows backwards compatibility for programmers to define and redefine standard libraries. There is a lot of technical advantages that come with JavaScript that I may not know much about, but even at face value and with my little experience with it, I feel it is the most free flowing language I’ve used and I like it a lot so far. This shows in the way you don’t have to initialize a variable with a type and for functions you don’t have to set a strict return type.
Importance of BWODs
A crucial part of learning I feel is consistently working and bettering your skills, and the BWODS are great for that. My experience with the BWOD’s so far have been beneficial in getting familiar with JavaScript, its syntax and the different functions in the standard library. The workouts also engage my brain in problem solving and soon it will have to solve the problem but under a time constraint which adds pressure, but a good kind. Another crucial part of learning that the BWODS incorporate is communication and teamwork. I really enjoy that we get to collaborate in small groups where w can bounce ideas off one another and get feedback, all working towards the same goal with different perspectives and approaches to solving the problem at hand. I am excited to practice more with JavaScript and see what great things I can make with it!
Source of image.