Tag Archives: CSS

Rogues Ruby Nuby Project Video

The team at Ruby Rogues is putting together a show, Ruby Nuby Project, based on learning Ruby. They’ve requested Ruby noobs, like myself, to submit a video describing their experience. You can see my video and written response below. Here are the specifics of the request:

Have your Nuby record a 5 minute video talking about their experience learning Ruby. They should answer these questions:

Who are you?

What do you use Ruby for?

How have you gone about learning the language? What resources did you use? E.g. books, videos, blog posts, online courses, one-on-one tutoring, etc.

What has been the most difficult, surprising and/or delightful aspect of learning Ruby?

What do you appreciate most about the Ruby community?

Here is why I’m learning to program Ruby.

Who are you?

I’m an entrepreneur, digital marketer, and founder of the digital marketing agency Face The Buzz. I’m on a mission to learn to code. I’m dedicating myself full-time for 18 weeks to transform myself from a non-technical person into a beginning programmer. I’m 7 weeks into journey so far and having a blast.

What do you use Ruby for?

I don’t have an engineering or computer science background. I’m learning Ruby so I can use it to develop web apps. My background is in working with technology startups, but never as part of the technical team. My role has always been in marketing. I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with many great entrepreneurs. I want to be part of the early stage development and building of a product.

How have you gone about learning the language? What resources did you use? E.g. books, videos, blog posts, online courses, one-on-one tutoring, etc.

I learn by doing. Therefore, I’ve focused on online tutorials. I’ve used a few online courses, including Code School’s Rails for Zombies, Treehouse, Codecademy for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I’m also using a project based approach to learn to program and I’ve begun to work on a web app project of my own. This important step and I hope will help me transition between simple repetition into more critical thinking about programming.

What has been the most difficult, surprising and/or delightful aspect of learning Ruby?

Ruby and Rails have an amazing amount of functionality built into the language/framework. This feature is powerful, but can also be difficult and confusing for trying to understand exactly what’s going on inside an app.

What do you appreciate most about the Ruby community?

I appreciate how receptive and helpful the Ruby community is. Whether it’s sending out a tweet, using online communities, or a meetup, developers have been very friendly and happy to help – you just have to ask.

4 Factors Crucial for Choosing Your First Programming Language

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In creating my plan to learn to code, I made the decision to learn Ruby. The first programming language is a very important decision and one that I didn’t take lightly. Below is the process I followed to make this decision.

First, a bit about web technologies (you can skip to the 4 factors if you’re familiar with web technologies click here). If you’re like me, someone without a technical background, you’ve been amazed by a first-hand experience with an amazing web application.

While that amazing web app is a cohesive product, it’s important to understand that there are several layers or tiers of functionality you’re experiencing simultaneously. Before you choose your area of study, consider how each of these areas apply to you.

Tiers of Web Functionality

Graphic Designer – This person creates the visual aesthetics of an app, including colors, logo, and layout. The graphic design determines the immediate impact felt by users and the mood conveyed by a site. Graphic design isn’t truly a web development tier, but I think it’s important to recognize because of its impact on users.
Web Designer – Using primarily HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, the web designer brings a web app to life and makes it interactive to the end user.
Web Applications Developer – This developer is concerned with the interaction between the client (web browser) and the application server.
Web Database Developer – In complement to applications developer, the web database developer ensures a smooth connection between the application server and the database.

Experts in each of these areas work collaboratively to execute a complete web application. In reality, most everyone learns skills across different tiers and it’s not practical to dedicate yourself to learning only one area in a vacuum separate of any others. But, you do need to select your primary area of expertise and that should the focus of your first programming language. This level of specificity will ensure you have a clear end goal and focus of study.

Once you’ve selected your tier of expertise, you need to select a specific language. Just like there are different spoken langues to express “Hello“, there are different tools and languages within your chosen area, each with pros and cons. I won’t start to name all the specific options, but instead show how you can evaluate these options and pick what programming language is right for you.

I selected the Web Applications Developer tier and then narrowed my language choices to python, PHP, and Ruby. Here is the process I used to evaluate different languages and decide where to start.

4 Factors for Learn to Code

#1 Executing a Prototype

You want to learn because you want to build something which serves a purpose. Your first development attempt will not bring you fame and fortune. But, you may build a prototype which either inspires someone else to work with you or to invest in your idea. How easily you can build this basic mode is a strong factor to consider.

Learning programming is a means to an end objective and getting outside support can expedite your process. Because Ruby has the Rails framework, I felt confident I’ll be able to get up a working prototype by the end of my 18 weeks.

#2 Learning Feedback

I’m part of the ADD generation. Our brains have been trained to expect immediate gratification. If you’re learning and there is large barrier to begin executing, it’s going to make the process more tedious. If you have the dedication, then more power to you. Be realistic about your expectations and commitment to your goal.

#3 Access to Mentorship

Don’t underestimate this factor. There are unlimited resources avaiable online and in books, but the talking with someone one-on-one is a huge help. Use meetup groups locally where you can meet web developers in your selected language. Developers were in you’re shoes once, and most are willing to help you. Even better, find mentor-specific opportunities to get involved with.

I was lucky to get connected with Tara Tiger Brown in Los Angeles and the Teach My Stuff program. Through this program, I’m working with Joe Goldberg, who’s Ruby expertise helped me plan my own learning program. We meet every two weeks and he’s available to answer questions when I need clarifying.

#4 Future Relevance

While not as important factor as the first three, it is still worth considering. Web development changes rapidly and you wouldn’t want to bank on what’s going to happen in the future. You should consider your future opportunities, both from a career standpoint and the type of projects you’ll be suited to work on.

For example, there are many people who have a passion for Latin and thus choose to learn what’s considered a “dead language”. But, your future opportunities if you learn a programming language that’s the equivalent of Latin will be diminished.

Conclusion

These are the factors which I considered when choosing Ruby. Do you agree or disagree with my reasoning? Are there factors that I didn’t include, which should be considered? Leave your thoughts and questions in the comments.

Update: Join the lobste.rs discussion here.

My Plan to Learn Code

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We each have our own learning styles. Because I don’t have an engineering or computer science background, I’m hoping my that previous learning experiences will be applicable enough to this new undertaking to learn code.

Learning Styles

I learn by doing. I’ve previously tried to pick up programming books which were formatted like an academic textbook – an introductory chapter, followed by 10-15 chapters, each on a specific topic. I didn’t become engaged in the material.

With learning a foreign topic, I need to feel like I’m hitting the ground and running. Even if in reality I’m moving at a slow walk, I still need to feel the movement of progress underneath me.

Therefore, tutorials and online lessons will be the bread and butter of my first three weeks. I especially enjoy interactive micro-lessons, where each step involves learning a new concept followed directly with user application. For Ruby, I’ll be using Code School (Rails for Zombies, Git Real). For HTML, CSS, JavaScrip, and jQuery, I really like Codecademy.

Project Based to Learn Code

I have 18 weeks and I know that I can’t simply spend the entire time following other’s tutorials or lessons. Starting with week 10, the halfway point in my process, I’ll start working on a web app project of my own. I imagine I would quickly become mentally fatigued without diving into a project of my own undertaking.

This important step, will serve as a transition between simple repetition and more critical thinking. Also, I’ve selected an app for which my interest will help to motivate and drive forward my learning. I’ll be writing more about the project (and looking for testers!) as the time approaches. The app functionality isn’t a secret, I just don’t want to get too far ahead of myself by discussing it at this point.

And don’t think that I have any irrational expectation that my first app will be a runaway success. My excitement is driven by the possibility of building something useful and interesting.

And if it happens to make a billion dollars, well, that’s just an added bonus.

Understanding personal learning style is a critical step in learning anything. Do you learn best by doing, listening, reading, or something else? How would you improve my plan? Leave your thoughts and comments below.

Andrew K Kirk

Hi. I'm Entrepreneurial Startup Exec.