Learning Through Experiences
01 Sep 2017
Why One Should Learn Many Languages
At first, it may seem intimidating and difficult to learn computer languages, let alone many languages at that. After learning multiple languages, it gradually becomes easier to learn another depending on the language. My career as a student in the Computer Science department allowed me to learn and experience many languages. In my first year, I learned Java and quiete recently I learned Javascript (which is different from Java). I did, however, think it would be very challenging to learn Javascript simply because I was not prepared to learn another, unfamiliar language once again.
The Power of Learning Javascript
Clearly, there are differences between Javascript and other programming languages, such as the aforementioned Java and C. Yet, similarities do exist behind these “back-end” computer languages. For instance, Javascript utilizes the strict equality operator symbol (===) which essentially compares two data types together. In contrast, Java and C#/C++ do not have this quality in their language. To be honest, I was cautious of using the strict equality operator because it was very foreign to me. Of course, with foreign objects humans/mammals shy away since we think these objects are dangerous. After gathering more experience with this operator, I am very aware of how powerful and unique this tool is.
With that being said, Javascript appears to be a decent language for beginner software engineers. It seems to be a simpler version of Java with a mixture of C++ as it shares many commonalities between the two. Along these lines, a benefit Javascript offers is the ability to use classes and Object Oriented Programming. OOP is a powerful tool for developers and I believe having it in Javascript makes it easier for people to create software. In fact, it allows Javascript to be immensely versatile. Its versatility allows it to be used in conjunction with many settings, including databases and user interfaces. That makes it incredibly more appealing to learn and use it when developing web applications.
Now Let’s Look at Learning from an Athletic Software Engineering Perspective
One may ask how could one practice all of the languages they learned, like Javascript. Well, there’s a simple solution for that: athletic software engineering. Essentially, athletic software engineering is an approach that allows anyone, primarily students (then again aren’t we all students!), to practice their programming skills in a high-stress environment. This allows them to become better software engineers and better programmers overall. It ututilizes exercises similar to ones found in crossfit to get students’ minds running and their brain power to explode, in a good way! Besides this surface explanation, an in-depth explanation to this learning approach can be found on the creator’s, Dr. Philip Johnson’s, Athletic Software Engineering website.
Upon hearing about athletic software engineering, I thought it was very novel and unique. It was also difficult to grasp the idea behind athletic software engineering since we needed to solve various coding exercises, otherwise known as “Work Out of the Day,” in various languages. These languages ranged from our good friend Javascript to testing skills in HTML. These were done to train students to program more efficiently and think faster while they were programming. This allowed us to practice the coding skills that lie dormant in our heads.
WODs Up with Practicing?
Practice WODs, or practice “Work Out of the Day,” are coding problems that help students practice for the in-class WODs they would need to take. Surprisingly, these were very beneficial in many ways. For myself, practicing the code allowed me to build an idea of what the future WODs would be like. I also became familiar with a particular langauge and gained more experience while understanding the coding languages by using them in this setting. After all, practice is the key to learning!
There is, unfortunately, a downside to this type of learning: the high stress level. It’s incredibly frustrating to be unable to figure out how to get a piece of code to perform the behavior you want in a short time limit (e.g. 15 minutes). Nevertheless, I believe this high stress environment was advantageous. If taken seriously, practicing WODs conditioned students to function in a fast-paced environment and to think on their feet. In addition, one gains experience with every WOD they participate in, even if they are unable to solve it. They end up either learning more when they can’t figure the solution or feel utter joy when they do figure it out! It’s almost like killing two birds with one stone. Thus, it is a convenient way to help people adapt to the type of environment software engineers are used to, in theory.
Trying Out the WODs
Although the idea behind the WODs is innovative, I would not say they are particularly enjoyable. Despite liking the concept of it, I am still not confident in my skills as a programmer and ability to perform well in the WODs. It’s a good way to provide mental preparation before programming within a limited amount of time; however, I don’t believe this style of learning is something I would continue to enjoy.
Despite saying this, I have been able to complete some WODs (and was in utter awe when I found a solution), which I can only attribute to luck. As such, my initial indecisiveness of the benefits of participating in WODs was slightly correct to an extent. Obviously, the only way to get better at something is to practice day after day. This is a lesson I was taught time and time again and I will always put it to good use. Experiencing these WODs allowed me to see the benefits of practicing coding and seeing the little intricacies between languages. Aside from my low confidence level, I know I do possess some amount of programming skills I gained from every one of my coding experiences. Now, the only way up is to learn from my experiences as a fellow coder.