100-ish not-necessarily-consecutive days of code (& other cool stuff)
Lower your expectations
I like programming and learning about stuff I find interesting. Particularly interested in functional programming and typing systems.
I have a background in Cognitive Science/Psychology and Mathematics. Sadly halted due to physical and mental health issues arising from getting Covid. Which unfortunately hit me quite hard back on 2020. I'm still dealing with some sequels so I would prefer working from home.
I find it fun trying to find insights that cut across disciplines. I tend to favor the "theoretical" side of things. But I also try to get as much hands-on experience as possible.
I am writing a blog. Trying to share what I learn, and that others might find useful. I try to focus on the unique things I can bring to the table. Hoping to add value to the life of other developers. I always have a thousand ideas racing through my mind, so I don't have any trouble coming up with ideas on what to write. If any, I have a hard time cutting down on the number of things I want to write about :D
On a personal note. I have always been quite solitary and introverted. But I don't think I'm shy. I love videogames and started programming because I wanted to make my own.
I've been recently seeing posts here on Hashnode about the 100 days of code challenge. It seems like a delightful idea. And a fun one too! So I decided to hop on the bandwagon as well.
A few caveats though
No 100 consecutive days
I have a lot (and I mean A LOT) of trouble being consistent. I have been dealing with ADHD all my life. So I will not make it mandatory for the challenge to be consecutive days. Will help me avoid burnout as well.
Both our behavior and our thinking benefit from external scaffolding: systems we put in place that help encourage certain behaviors. I think of this blog as such. In the end, I want to end up with 100 posts. Regardless of whether they happen one day after the other. When life gives you lemons...
Code & stuff
To me, the challenge's goal is not to code per se, as much as learn new and useful stuff. It is necessary to stop and think before starting to write software. So too, it is necessary to stop and think before starting to learn.
Deliberate practice requires, well, deliberation.
So I will maneuver some of those days for research and not so much for coding. The result will always be a blog post reporting either my work or my findings.
Topics
I have identified some topics that seem interesting and useful. Many of them I already have some experience on. And some of them are still new to me, so it is a good research opportunity!
On the technical skills aspect:
- Algorithms and Data Structures
- REST APIs, Web servers and Databases
- Web3 and Smart Contracts
- Game dev and Generative Art
- Frontend and Native clients
- Type systems and Functional Programming
- Unit and Integration testing
- Javascript objects, functions and data
- Software Design and code quality
- Mathematics (ML and FP)
On the soft-skill side:
- How to make interesting GitHub repos
- How to create a portfolio
- How to contribute to open source projects
- Coding interviews
- General problem solving
- Topics in Cognitive Science useful for software development
The choice of topics follows a practical goal of course. These topics are, to the best of my knowledge, needed to become a software developer.
I would like to read if you have suggestions for extra topics.
Let us see how it goes :)
