A JavaScript Odyssey
17 Jan 2023
Early Beginnings with CS
Before becoming an Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) major at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, I had taken one class in high school that allowed me to undertake several small projects that tested my relatively limited knowledge of programming at the time. However, much of these projects featured work in which our instructor did not allow us to get acclimated with one specific programming language. Instead, he gave us projects, assigned us in groups, and required us to produce a solution to the problem space.
Notably, these undertakings provided us an environment to work with code, but not the inner realm of how things work. Though I remember making a platformer on Scratch or my attempts at an interactive story with Python and a fitness mobile app with MIT App Inventor to name a few, it did not allow me to grasp the main components of a programming language’s syntax or semantics in an in-depth manner.
A New Perspective
In the Fall semester of 2021, I began my journey as an undergraduate at UH Manoa. ICS111 was the first class that formally introduced me to a programming language: Java. It was the first language I was formally introduced to, with further elaboration on syntax. Learning JavaScript was interesting since I had no prior experience using it. With this, freeCodeCamp’s basic exercises helped refresh ideas from Java while learning JavaScript.
Overall, I think that JavaScript is simpler to read and interpret compared to other languages. The less strict structure of the language, and particularly without the need for type declarations stood out to me since it made reading and writing code feel more fluid. From a software engineering perspective, I think that JavaScript is a good programming language, although it has drawbacks depending on where it is applied. Its syntax simplicity is a standout feature, but having a less strict structure for coding may lead to difficulties in catching errors and in computationally intensive tasks.
An Athletic Pedagogy
An athletic approach in learning class content through WODs (Workout of the Day) has been beneficial for assessing what I have learned so far in the course. Though I have been struggling with the practice WODs, I know that establishing a rhythm and maintaining consistency will eventually lead to better success with future assessments and projects. Ultimately, the time-constrained environment has led to increased pressure, but has allowed for a way to find solutions quicker and in an efficient manner. I hope to see continued and improved success with this approach as the semester progresses.