1 May 2024
The least important thing I learned from studying JavaScript is JavaScript itself, meaning its syntax: values and variables, statements and expressions, objects, etc.
I learned a bunch of other things that are much more important. Things that have value beyond programming.
I learned to break down a complex problem into easier-to-solve problems.
I learned not to rush, to keep calm when things don't go as I want, when the first solution isn't the right one. Programming develops patience in many ways. Debugging takes patience. Reading and understand code you didn't write takes patience.
And one small win after another, I learned to be confident in my skills.
I learned to be precise and to notice small differences.
I learned to construct the logic of my reasoning meticulously, explicating every step.
I learned to stay at the same level of abstraction in my reasoning.
I learned to improve a program by writing the first version, then the second, then the third, and so on. It would be more appropriate to say "I rewrite the program" rather than "I write the program."
I learned to accept imperfection. Knowing that I will return to it, accepting imperfection becomes easier.
I learned to prototype a solution to a problem, starting from the simplest possible case, and then increasing its complexity one step at a time.
I experienced firsthand how effective the hypothesis-test-result-iterated idea-test-result... method is.
I learned to build something to understand it, instead of the school way of preparing myself first.
I learned to keep trying, each time changing the approach.
I had no idea I would learn so much when I committed to learning to program.