Short Update

I am planning a few fun and exciting changes to the site. I know I always disappear for like a few months here and there, but I have been diligently keeping up with current trends and technologies whenever I can. I am currently restarting the process of learning React. I haven't really coded in a whole lot of JavaScript lately. To be honest, coding still gives me the chills sometimes because of what everyone else identifies as 'imposter syndrome'.

This time, I am not going to take no as an answer. I am going to show myself that I am capable to power through all the challenges ahead of me. I realized that when I was learning React the first time, I wasn't dedicating a whole lot of effort into it. All I wanted was a crash course of what it was and whatnot. Now that I have restarted the process, I am really taking the time to look up information and completing all the coding challenges.

I have also recently discovered the amazing CSS grids, so I am super excited to get started on that too. When I mentioned I am planning 'fun and exciting' changes, I am trying to redesign the whole site based on some basic UX principles - pretty much a side project where I will apply my scarce knowledge on UX to building a strong portfolio. Of course, I am ready to take my site off squarespace and perhaps migrate it to a platform or framework that is more relevant to showcasing the skills I have.

Right now, I am relying on a few platforms to help me get there. I personally am a fan of SuperHi. Although I am not currently enrolled in any of their courses, I find them to be extremely useful because they post these short videos on how to achieve a certain effect. Of course, CSS-tricks and CodePen are always great places for that. I am also enrolled in an Udemy courses that takes me through the entire cycle of building a functional React app. I have yet to get to the challenging parts of React but so far, it has helped me refresh on a lot of JavaScript concepts such as the this keyword and asynchronous JS and whatnot. I am super excited to hopefully apply the knowledge to rebuild one of my apps - SpotiBeer. Last but not least, I've been reading a lot of Medium articles. Everyday, I try to dedicate a good chunk of time not only to code but to also read up on trends, technologies, and programming. What's great about Medium is how raw and organic some articles are. It certainly makes me feel like I am not alone when it comes to becoming a self-taught programmer, looking to land a job as a Front-End Developer somewhere. 

In the meantime, bare with me as I try to document my process of revisiting React and identifying new ways (that work for me personally) to become a self-taught programmer again. Yes, I have gone through a coding bootcamp. And yes, I have worked at a startup for 3 months. But sometimes, being able to take a few steps back and restarting a process has proven to be even more valuable for learning something I am not ultra familiar with.