Study Tips
Of all the skills you will need as a developer effective learning is the
most important. There is no library, no framework, no buzzword you can master
that will serve you better than strong study and learning habits.
Fortunately studying and learning are skills you can improve. Keeping an
organized study journal is the first step. So take some extra time before,
during, and after you write some code to write down some notes on what you just
learned.
As you work through this curriculum we will often recommend ways to take notes
on particular topics (ie. descriptive diagrams, questions to explore, organizing
& deploying your notes), but for now take your notes however you usually do. For
now just be sure to take regular notes and to keep them organized.
Take lots of notes! On post-its, GitHub, or even your arm. If you don’t make an
effort to manage your learning process you’ll be surprised at how quickly it can
slip away from you.
Pay special attention to:
- Vocabulary: In programming words have very specific definitions, it’s
important that you use them precisely. This can be extra tricky since many of
the key programming vocab words are also non-programming words. It’s easy to
slip back and forth between a word’s every-day meaning and it’s programming
definition.
- Your Challenges: Take especially good notes on what you find difficult
even if that just means you write a quick list of things you struggled with
today. Not only will this help you structure your studying by concentrating on
your weak points, but it will also help you learn to pin-point what you don’t
understand. This kind of self-awareness is crucial for software developers.
- What you enjoy: As you continue to study programming you will get
discouraged. Having a record of all the things you enjoy about coding will
help with more than just motivation. It will also help you learn more
effectively, it’s easier to focus on and learn something you enjoy. You can
think of this list like a back-up study plan. Whenever you’re about to walk
out, pull up this list and build something fun!
- Stages of development: While you’re building your projects, don’t just
focus on the finished product. Focus on the journey. This might sound corny,
but the truth is that one of the biggest differences between beginner
programmers and expert programmers is the way approach & build up projects in
careful steps. You’ll get a chance to learn about this in more detail later
on, but it’s never too late to get started!
Good Reads
- About Learning to Code
- Read Your Code Out Loud: Learning to read your code aloud and to pronounce
the strange syntax in JavaScript is super important! Practice alone,
practice with a friend, record yourself and play it back. When you watch video
tutorials pay close attention and practice repeating how the teacher
pronounces their code.
- A paper notebook
- Markdown (for taking pretty notes)
As humans we are ‘designed’ to be distracted. Therefore, your study/work
environment is an important aspect of how effective you learn. Here are some
Time Management tools you can use to organize your work.
- Trello - Project Management
- Notion - All-in-one Workspace
- Asana - Project Management Tool
Challenge: Take your notes with Nano!