Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Code
Published: 2021-07-20 17:41:30

Now that I'm at start of the 4th phase at Flatiron School I'm starting to feel a little like this:

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/jgb4bellg4dfhwy77tu3.jpg)

For context: in this scene of the underground anime "Spongebob Squarepants", the protagonist is searching his mind for any information at all but finds that the filing cabinets that information should be stored in are empty. This is exactly how I feel when it comes to remembering our previous lessons and pulling it all together. If it wasn't learned in the past day, was it really ever learned? Specifically, accessing prior knowledge about creating React apps when I had been focused solely on Ruby and ActiveRecord for 3 weeks was much less smooth than I would have liked. I knew I needed to create a state, but I couldn't quite remember how. Or simpler things like auto-generating starting code using the rcaf snippet were hard for me to remember — I'm still not sure if that's even the right order for the letters to be in. Mostly, this is stuff that will become easier with practice. But how exactly should I practice? 

Well, if you can relate then this blog is for you. When I voiced this issue to my instructor, he said "the knowledge is there, but it's like cookies that just came out of the oven. Not quite done, but they'll finish baking in the center with time." One of the best ways to learn a subject within the Flatiron curriculum is to watch videos on it and do the corresponding labs. But sometimes it's hard to focus on videos and you need more practice outside of labs. So here are some of the best tools I've found to bake those cookies!

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/c2dxaito1i7ck55im2nd.jpg)

Up first is my favorite pick, Codewars. 

https://www.codewars.com/join

Codewars is a free website that allows you to choose your preferred language(s). Then, given a skill level, you can pick from user created code challenges ranging from debugging to writing your own code. It also has the added benefit of emailing you reminders to code either weekly or daily so you don't even have to worry about remembering to practice! The skill level comes into play as you do more challenges and gain experience then level up, just like in a video game, and unlock higher level skill challenges. One of the downsides of Codewars is that while it has many different languages, it does not account for libraries or frameworks such as React or Rails respectively. 

However, this is still my top pick because it is perfect for refreshing those memories and practicing those skills as opposed to learning it for the first time.

Second up is Codecademy

https://www.codecademy.com/

Codecademy is similar to Codewars in that users can choose which language to practice. Instead of daily user created challenges, Codecademy offers courses to help you learn the material and also offers a pro version which grants access to additional tools and live support. The lessons are short and offer a great way to refresh your memory even if it's not as hands on as Codewars is. 

Finally we've got Udemy and Zenva. 

https://academy.zenva.com/?zva_show_login=1

https://www.udemy.com/join/login-popup/?next=/home/my-courses/learning/

Both require payment, but Udemy often has sales on its courses and Zenva often teams up with HumbleBundle so you can get access to dozens of courses for one cheap price. While these options aren't free and require you to do some research on exactly what the course offers, they do cover a range of topics and languages that might not be covered as in depth with the other tools. Weather brushing up on some knowledge or learning it for the first time, both websites are fantastic tools for learning.  

With these resources, along with your regular lectures and labs, it should be easier to keep up with past lessons. A little bit goes a long way toward cementing those ideas we've been learning. And with a little time, those cookies will be perfectly baked! 

![Alt Text](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/qqxyr8yped47sm0g6bj1.gif)