Weekly Update

As inactive as this website may seem, if you look into the content of the previous post, I was using it as a checklist of work I was completing, and it has quite a few updates to the Amazon Scraper. That being said lately I’ve probably written the most code/day of my life, check out my github here to see.

I got really into tkinter GUI building from working on the Amazon project, and decided one day to look into programs for a game I played and see if anyone had one based in Python that I might could help with. Funilly enough I found exactly that, and it was right in the middle of a GUI overhaul as well. You can see the link to the GUI work I did for that program here. Since then I haven’t helped much besides offering opinions in the developer discord for the project because….I started a MOOC. I’m currently taking MITX:6.00.1x, Introduction to Computer Science and Programming Using Python through edX. I’m not going to post up solutions to things I’ve done there here for obvious academic integrity reasons, and thats why I haven’t been posting many updates. The class has been phenominal so far, however I found myself with free time each week after doing my class work so I’ve also began working through problems on CodeWars. I’m currently doing 3 of the lowest level per day (within reason, some days I work far too many hours or have a life), and intend to move up 1 difficulty per 50 problems completed. I’m hoping working through the problems there will help me develope a concrete understanding of the Python fundamentals through their daily use.

I also…started another program. The reason for this one wasn’t really boredom. I am very plugged into the self taught software development information you can find online, and I realized with the pacing of courses like the one I am taking, I would end up with a CS degree before I had a job and I can’t accept that. I’ve decided, for now, that I intend to specialize in web development. My reasoning for this is pretty simple. Much of front end development is design based, and honestly not inherently complex. The barrier to entry is low but it is not prevalent in CS corriculum. By teaching myself this skill I can set myself apart from people with degrees more quickly than I could utilizing a language they spent 4 years using in school like Java or C++. My newfound intention is first of all, to eventually re-write this web page from scratch using a modern front end such as React or Flask. I already have drawn out plans for this I will show on a later date, and will build a series around it similar to the Amazon application, which by the way I will eventually come back to. I’m currently working through freeCodeCamp to get my feet wet. I will probably utilize other MOOC courses if I feel the need to, and actually already have a book on the subject as well.

My progress since the last post is as follows:

I have completed weeks 1-3 of MIT6.00.1x on edX, and am currently studying for the mid term.
I have completed 8 8kyu katas on CodeWars and 1 6kyu.
I have completed 10/28 of Basic HTML and HTML5 on freeCodeCamp.