Week 1 - Introduction
Start by creating an account
Work through the projects in your own time
If you’re brand new to coding, check out freeCodeCamp
FAC have a Discord community and coding meetups every Tuesday evening
Before the application deadline, you’ll need to complete the application form
We’re gonna focus on one project each week
BUT
we don’t expect you to be completing one project per week
Take each one as an introduction, and move at your own pace
Learning to code is a marathon not a sprint 💛
We’re here to give you support, and we encourage you to work together
Pair programming is working together on a problem or feature
When pairing, it’s important for both developers to feel comfortable and able to contribute
There are a thousand ways to work together
Figure out what works for you, and communicate with your partner about that to find a balance
Ping pong 🏓
Take turns writing code. Maybe, one developer writes a line of code and then the other writes a line of code. In a longer session, you might extend this, perhaps by writing for 10 minutes and then swapping who is ‘driving’.
Backseat Driver 🚕
One developer types and follows the instructions of the other developer. The person ‘driving’ is the one typing and should follow exactly the instructions of the ‘navigator’. If the navigator is lost and would like a suggestion, they can ask the driver where they think to go next or suggest somewhere to look online for a solution.
It’s important to switch roles, and for both people to be coding. You get more out of it by getting stuck in.
Switch regularly and give the other person time to read through the code base before they take over. Being able to talk though someone else’s code is a skill and will enhance your understanding.
A four-step approach
What is it asking you to do? What are the inputs and outputs?
Break the problem down into key steps
Use JavaScript Comments
// Loop through array
// Find length of string
// If length > highest, store in var
// Return highest lengthFollowing your pseudocode, code each step. Remember to console.log() to check your code along the way
What can you change about your code to make it more efficient? How might you solve the problem differently?
Git saves the history of changes you make to a project
Saves “snapshots” of your project with descriptive messages
This means you can go back to previous versions of a project
Git can be used from VS Code, or via the terminal
GitHub is a website for storing code
Storing code on GitHub means you can download it to any device and you have a back-up
If you’re just getting started, check out this workshop