Since my last post I have:
- Finally traveled to and explored Seattle
- Finished the Codecademy Python course
- Gotten myself a personal cheerleader, aka a supportive boyfriend who squashes any self doubt I have about becoming a software engineer/programmer
- Traveled to New Orleans with some of my best friends
- Traveled to Las Vegas for possibly my last music festival there, ever
- Completed the Codecademy jQuery course
- Attended [yet another] Hackbright Academy info session
Tried my hand at pair programming!
Yes, this daunting thing called pair programming, which I've been hearing so much about but have been too shy to try out. It's where you get paired with someone at (hopefully more or less) your skill level to work on a project, and at any give moment, only one of you is coding. Yes, the other person without physical control of the code is left with just two tools: their brain + their mouth. They talk their partner through the code, and through talking they learn.
And I can say that that is truly the best learning experience. Nothing teaches you more than your own teaching, especially when you can't be all, "Just let me do it, dammit!"
I signed up for my first Girl Develop It's "Pair Up" Meetup not knowing what to expect. There are 4 levels: 1) HTML/CSS; 2) Intro Javascript; 3) Working Javascript; 4) Advanced Javascript
I grouped myself into Level 1. This was the perfect way for me to get a nice hands-on refresher of HTML/CSS (especially CSS, lookin at you) without dragging some poor soul down with my ambiguous Javascript skill level.
The meetup was held at Dev Bootcamp, which was great to check out because I'm always curious to see the different setups and learn about the different programs of different bootcamps. What language they focus on, how long the bootcamp is, what their day to day programming life looks like, what post-grad life looks like, etc. It's great that they have a very set system in place since they've been around for so long, with added benefits such as mandatory yoga and counseling services, but 19 weeks (with 9 weeks of self studying before the 10 week in person session) didn't seem to be the best fit for me.
Anyway, to prep for this pair programming Meetup I did some self studying of the exercises for Level 1 a few days prior, and as it turned out it was a great decision because nothing feels better than coming prepared. When I got paired together with a nice girl named Rachel I was able to take the first turn at walking her through the first few exercises since I had already gone through them before. Talking her through the exercises proved to be initially challenging in the respect that I was trying really hard not to just take over the keyboard and start typing out the code, which would've been not cool at all.
However, once I started getting comfortable translating my thoughts into verbal instructions, I really began to understand why pair programming is so important in not only learning for one self but also in building a good relationship with whomever you're collaborating with. If I ever were to build a big project, I would need to learn how to
After working through quite a couple series of Level 1 exercises in 2 hours of pair programming , our Meetup came to an end. I thanked Rachel for being a great Pair Up partner and we parted ways, she to getting a new car and I to an art gallery. I left feeling more fulfilled on a Saturday noon than I had felt in a long time. If given the opportunity to pair program again I would not hesitate to be the first one to RSVP!
