Javascript Forced Me To Humble Myself
By: Israel Lucca Canessa
Tags: Javascript Tips, Flatiron School, JavaScript, Programming Languages, Programming

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This blog is a quick introduction to my problems with Javascript, How I feel about Javascript and what I discovered while learning this painful, intricate yet fun and awesome programming language. I certainly like to think that there are no limitations to what I can accomplish, and only thing that can stop me is myself and I. Before starting this Journey of Coding, I had zero knowledge about programming and now I’ve learned so much. However it has been very difficult, and perhaps one of the most challenging things I’ve done in my life. That being said, when I began to learn Javascript I learnt many characteristics about myself that I needed to work with, as well as good things about myself. I think sharing some of these things are very important because someone out there may also feel the same way I did. First I would like to talk about the start of my decline with Javascript.

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In the beginning I felt the usual ‘I have no idea what’s going’ thought flying around my head and then felt my blood pressure drop a few times during the first week of lectures and while attempting to solve labs. Then of course, I convinced myself I can do this and brushed it off but quickly I realized this wasn’t a confidence issue, or a motivation issue. No, this was an absence of a very important skillset and that is key while learning programming and somehow It didn’t affect me as much. I couldn’t figure out what it was at first, but eventually with practice, with more experience and help from instructors I could see it. I realized my personal struggle is a very real struggle for many learning programming.

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Abstract thinking, Logical thinking in programming is not easy and it can be easier for some people and harder for others. As it just happens that is a huge problem with me while coding. Well what does abstract thinking mean in terms of programming? I took the liberty to find a small description and found one in an article written by Thorbern Janssen called “OOP Concept for Beginners: What is Abstraction?” and he writes “Abstraction is one of the key concepts of object-oriented programming (OOP) languages. Its main goal is to handle complexity by hiding unnecessary details from the user. That enables the user to implement more complex logic on top of the provided abstraction without understanding or even thinking about all the hidden complexity.” but in simple terms abstraction in programming is basically solving a problem, or creating something without the need to know every little detail about the tools your using in the first place.

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That is very difficult for me to do, an example to demonstrate this, I remember when I was in college I learned calculus and it bothered me so much not knowing what was the story behind all those equations and how someone came up with them, that I went to the library and looked for the oldest book possible that could give me this information but I failed miserably, not to mention I probably would’ve read one page and fall asleep or gotten even more upset. Moving on! now that I could identify that problem I have, I did what you are not supposed to do. I moved on to thinking that this was magically going to go away as I kept learning the rest of the material but Nope! it didn’t happen. I did learn the syntax, the flow of the way I’m supposed to write certain things but abstract thinking not really. It turns out while seeking help I found that the only thing that can help is actually breaking stuff and practicing problems over and over again. I have started doing these things and I can definitely see progress but it will take much more practice and time to get better at it and thats the beauty of programming, it takes time, dedication and knowing you can’t possibly know everything and that is simply okay. All my life I’ve enjoyed breaking things, fixing stuff, solving puzzles, solving problems and Javascript humbled me because it made me realized that I can’t possibly know everything even if I’m as confident as Elon Musk trying to take us to mars. Confidence isn’t all you need with programming especially with OOP such as Javascript, but time, dedication, and consistency definitely is.

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I can honestly say my relationship with Javascript is going to be very important for me in the future. It may not have been my favorite in the beginning but I appreciate it a lot now and respect its value and its ability to bring awesome things to the web. There’s so much that you can do with it once you become proficient with it and it really excites me. Now I understand programming isn’t just about being a web developer, or getting a job after a bootcamp, its more about a lifestyle of continuous learning, growth and creativity. With every struggle there is growth, so I invite everyone to please not be afraid to struggle but respect your struggle, face it and trust you will 100% find a way to overcome that struggle.