Day 24 of 100DaysOfCode
Tags: 100daysofcode, freecodecamp, javascript, webdev
Published: 2020-09-16 19:25:32

Hello!

**FreeCodeCamp**
Today I finished the Basic Data Structures challenges at FreeCodeCamp. I also decided to start the Basic Algorithm Scripting challenges and decided to try out a couple of the JS projects on there. Solved the Palindrome checker, and Roman numerals projects. 

I put some work in on the Responsive Web Design Projects. Got the landing page to pass all of the FCC tests. Will hopefully finish it tomorrow. 

**Pygame - Library that I can't get to work** 

I also tried using Pygame to make a snake game but wasn't able to get it working. I've had problems with it for a long time and for some reason it's a library that just doesn't want to work for me. Probably going to write a post about the problems I've had if I decide to try and use it again. 

The problem is probably on my terminal skills and I can't seem to find similar problems on StackOverflow or elsewhere. The tweet below describes my situation perfectly. 

![biggest-fear-twitter](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/wu654ytsq6ar3esl3kah.jpg)


**Study plan**
I decided to make a more robust schedule for coding. My base plan right now is:
1. Read a chapter of EJS in two days. Then do the exercises on the third day. 
2. Do at least ten challenges at FCC every day.
3. Watch a programming related YouTube video or listen to a podcast

This is just the base plan and I'm adding some "spice" to the mix. The spice can be anything that I want to do on that particular day. 

I'll keep this at the beginning of my writings and change it as I see fit. 

Make a plan! It will help you! 

###What I did today:

####1. Finished the Basic Data Structures at FreeCodeCamp
https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/javascript-algorithms-and-data-structures/basic-data-structures/

####What I learned from it:
* How to work with and manipulate data structures
* How more data structures are built

####2. Started the Basic Algorithm Scripting challenges at FCC
https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/javascript-algorithms-and-data-structures/basic-algorithm-scripting

####What I learned from it:
* Real problem solving with fun little puzzles
* Working with strings and arrays
* How to change strings to arrays and vice versa
* Nesting loops
* Finding a longest/biggest element in strings/arrays
* Slicing and dicing strings
* Learned what truncate means

####3. Finished two FCC JS projects
https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/javascript-algorithms-and-data-structures/javascript-algorithms-and-data-structures-projects/

####What I learned from it:
* Utilising regex
* Manipulating strings and arrays
* Matching elements of arrays to other arrays
* Problem-solving 

####4. Worked on the Responsive Web Design Projects
https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/responsive-web-design/responsive-web-design-projects/build-a-product-landing-page

####What I learned from it:
* Centering divs
* Making things not super ugly with CSS

####Time spent learning:
Task 'FCC'. Elapsed time: 2 h 43 min 9 s
Task 'Snake_Pygame'. Elapsed time: 0 h 12 min 49 s
Task 'FCC_responsive_web'. Elapsed time: 0 h 47 min 27 s

#### Total time: 3 h 43 min 5 s
Time spent is tracked by my [TaskTimer](https://www.arttupyykonen.com/tasktimer/) script and the [WakaTime app](https://wakatime.com/about).


### Links and videos
As I said in the study plan, from now on I'm going to watch a programming related video every day. I'll share them here so that others can watch them also.

Found this video showing awesome little python tips.  
{% youtube C-gEQdGVXbk %}


### Further reading


#### [Eloquent JavaScript](https://eloquentjavascript.net/) - My favorite programming book
The book that really teaches you JavaScript. This has been a great read so far! The way the author explains things is both easy to understand and compelling. 

The learning environment which comes with the book makes the experience ten times better. Using the word "book" is a bit misleading. There are lots of code examples that the reader can run in the browser and there are plenty of exercises at the end of chapters. 

And the best part? The book is totally free!

####[Exercism](https://exercism.io/)
A platform for coding challenges. I enjoyed trying it and have read some positive things about Exercism. I liked the way the problems are solved. It requires using your own IDE and the terminal which felt like I was programming like the big boys. 

#### [The Odin Project](https://www.theodinproject.com/)
A great open-source resource for becoming a full-stack developer. It starts with the very basics and gets going after that. Really enjoyed it and look forward to doing more of the lessons. 

#### [FreeCodeCamp](https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn)
Check out FCC for the best interactive exercises! I have finished the Basic JavaScript, ES6, Regex, Debugging, and Basic Data Structures lessons and can recommend them for a beginner

####Psst
You can check my answers to the exercises of Eloquent JavaScript. You'll find them [here](https://www.arttupyykonen.com/ejs-solutions/).

Have a great day and see you all tomorrow!