Hello Javascript!
12 Jan 2024
The Universe of Software Engineering
Stepping into the world of software engineering is like stepping into a vast universe: everything is unknown, complex, and scary, yet it begs to be explored. It seems to hold no bounds, being limited to what we can see or imagine. However, with the right tools and experience we can unravel what we don’t understand. At least, that’s how I view software engineering.
Hello World, Hello Javascript
There are many tools that, we as developing programmers and software engineers, learn to utilize throughout our careers. Personally, I started to develop my skills with Python, C, C++, Git, and Javascript. Based on my past experience with other progamming languages and being a new user of Javascript, I found it to be relatively simple to pick up compared to others. It is possible that it felt easier because of the previous languages, since it can be said that once you know one language, you know the rest. However, just because I believe it to be a friendlier language, that doesn’t make it any less powerful. That being said, Javascript does simplify a few things which makes life easier when compared to stricter languages such as C or C++.
One specific quality of life difference that I appreciate from Javascript is the ease of destructuring object properties when using Object Oriented Programming to assign them to variables. Another helpful operator I learned of is the spread operator, which makes manipulating arrays and strings easier in my eyes. So far, I’m enjoying Javascript and look forward to utilizing it to develop more substantial projects.
Journey with Javascript
Like anything else when you’re starting out, I don’t know much when it comes to writing actual professional level code in Javascript. Is that a little daunting? Of course. Does this mean I should cut my losses here and give up? Absolutely not. The challenge itself is just more motivation to learn new things; to understand what goes on behind the screens.
The software engineering course that I am taking as of right now in the Spring semester of 2024 at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa is meant to do exactly that: to challenge me so that I can become better at my craft. Having timed, in-person programming assignments may be stressful, but that’s just a part of the field. Almost everything about software engineering will be stressful and challenging, but being able to develop the skills I need to be successful will undoubtedly be worth the effort.