In the first week of class, I learned that for my Intro to Software Engineering course at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, I would have to learn Typescript to a level at which I could write code efficiently and effectively for the rest of the course. At first, I was definitely intimidated because it was the shortest time I was given to learn a new programming language. However, as I went through the FreeCodeCamp link and readings given by my professor, I began to ease into it and understand the language one property or aspect at a time. Eventually, I got through all the problems and readings in FreeCodeCamp and W3Schools and had an understanding of the language. Although I was intimidated at first, I trusted myself to be able to learn Typescript from the readings and problems given by my instructor. I took it one step at a time and eventually, I felt confident in my ability to use Typescript as well as Javascript.
In my past courses, I’ve learned Java, C, and C++. Typescript was very new but also very similar in logic and syntax to the languages that I know, particularly Java. Now, I’d rather code in Typescript opposed to Java or C/C++ because of the convenience of the syntax, flexibility, and memory allocation, which are some struggles I had with the other languages. I feel as though it is much easier to get my thoughts onto the computer without having to struggle as much with the coding part (which made me lose my thought process on multiple occasions).
Overall, I think Typescript is a really good language that has fixes to issues I faced in the past. The code and syntax itself isn’t as complicated to implement as Java, and memory allocation isn’t a problem like it is in C and C++. Using Typescript gives me the convenience to write down algorithms or solve problems without thinking as hard about the technicalities I faced in the past with Java and C++ and for that, I think that it is the best programming language I’ve learned thus far, especially for software engineering.
In my Intro to Software Engineering class, the professor uses what’s called an “Athletic Software Engineering” style of teaching/testing. This is done through the use of Workout of the day (WODs). A WOD is a timed coding exercise in which we, the students, are given a specific amount of time to complete the exercise correctly. If we go beyond the time, or if the code is wrong, we get a DNF and 0 points.
This was at first, incredibly intimidating and stressful to think about. However, during my time here at UHM and as a newbie in computer science, I’ve learned that intimidation becomes confidence through preparation. I think that this style of teaching will give me the motivation I need to really go through the practice WODs and readings from what I am learning in detail and retain as much information as possible.
Throughout my life, I’ve learned that failure doesn’t exist and is instead a way to progress myself through the hardships. I think that this style of learning is enjoyable because it shows me if I’m doing something wrong in my preparation and allows me to be flexible and adaptable in preparation for the next WOD or challenge.