I am mostly new to JavaScript, and the programming languages that I know prior to learning JavaScript are Java, C, C++, and a bit of Lua. Other than knowing about the language, I haven’t had any prior experience. Compared to the languages I know, JavaScript has a few peculiarities that I noticed, like how variable types aren’t explicitly called when initiating them. Another thing that caught me eye was it’s flexibility with arrays and objects. Being able to put different types of variables into the same arrays seemed like a very wild idea to me, coming from Java and C.
Prior to dipping my toes into JavaScript, I’ve only heard about how bad, supposedly, it was compared to other languages like C++, but I never looked or read too much into it. I just assumed that if everyone kept complaining about JavaScript, it was justified and the language would just phase out eventually. That didn’t seem to be the case, however, as JavaScript just seemed to grow in popularity exponentially; I couldn’t get away from it. I’m still not entirely familiar with JavaScript, nor do I have any strong feelings towards it, but it does seem like a fairly flexible language so far, with concepts that I can’t wrap my brain around yet. Although, I think I’ll eventually form an opinion of it on my own the more time I spend with it.
In our software engineering class, we have been doing some athletic software engineering in the form of the WOD, or workout of the day. Basically, we are given problems to solve, and we continue to solve them until we are proficient at the task. Coming from a competitive tennis background, this approach makes sense to me and reminds me of drilling rally situations. The WODs I have experienced so far have been useful, and the time pressure involved definitely helps with thinking of what to do in certain situations of problem solving. It’s a little stressful, but I find that enjoyable; the adrenaline definitely helps me focus on what’s important in the moment. I do think this method will work for me.