Front-End Follies: Lessons Learned and Laughs from My First Semester at AltSchool Africa - Part One

As I embarked on my cloud engineering program, I envisioned myself effortlessly crafting pixel-perfect applications and diving deep into the mysteries of cloud architecture.

Little did I know my first semester would turn into a rollercoaster ride of confusion, frustration, and moments that left me questioning my life choices?

But fear not! Amidst the chaos of HTML tags and CSS rules, I unearthed lessons that made me a better software engineer and gave me plenty of reasons to laugh at my past self.

In the same way, I find it almost unbelievable, as a bodybuilder, that lifting a 20kg item used to be such a big deal for me.

?Coffee or Tea?

Here, pour yourself out a cup or two. You will need it for this story.

You can call me Gini, and this is the first of many threads to come on my software engineering experience.

If you think the software learning curve is like a serene landscape, please think again.

Yeah, that is right, Onitsha's main market, https://www.tekedia.com/the-need-to-bring-onitsha-main-market-into-the-digital-world/, a maze

or a jigsaw puzzle is the depiction you are looking for.

How would you describe the software engineering learning experience? Share your thoughts in the comments.

?Joining Late: Catching Up in Full Sprint

Now let's talk about being late to the party. I joined the AltSchool Karatu School of Engineering two months into the program, which, in a four-month semester, meant I had much catching up to do.

From the get-go, it wasn’t easy to strive to meet up with my peers, who had already laid the foundation for front-end development.

I was playing catch-up, juggling concepts I hadn’t yet fully grasped while the rest of the class was mid-way into the semester.

What saved me was the fact that I hadn’t started entirely from scratch.

At the beginning of the year, I spent two months dabbling in front-end development through Coursera, learning the basics of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript on a self-taught basis.

I had also participated in a 5-day coding challenge at Codeinstitute. Those self-directed learning experiences gave me enough foundation to hold my own, but AltSchool’s structured program demanded more rigor and focus than I had anticipated.

The move from casual, self-paced learning to an intense, collaborative environment was a bit jarring, but it pushed me to grow quickly.

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Despite my red carpet-like appearance, I dove into the curriculum headfirst, determined to meet up. But meeting up was not just about attending classes—it was also about staying up late at night, poring over every resource I could find, and asking endless questions.

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A Rocky Start: The HTML Nightmare

It all began with HTML, the skeleton of the web. I remember logging into my live class, staring at lines of code, and trying to decipher why my page wasn’t displaying as I intended.

My first attempt at creating a replica webpage from Altschool’s website turned into a horror show.

I had multiple divs competing for attention, and it felt like a family reunion gone wrong - everyone shouting over each other, desperately trying to be the center of attention????.

As I fumbled through <div>, <span>, <iframe>, and <img> tags, I realized that I was not just building a webpage; I was building character.

I learned that patience is crucial in coding, much like waiting for Game of Thrones, Money Heist, or Steins; Gate to drop a new season.

And just when I thought I had it all figured out, a missing semicolon would send me back to the drawing board, reminding me that in the world of web development, syntax matters—a lesson I would carry with me through my coding journey.

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CSS: Styling the Chaos

Once I tamed my HTML, it was time to add some flair with CSS.?

I imagined myself creating stunning layouts that would make even the most seasoned designers envious. Instead, I occasionally found myself in a CSS tug-of-war with the browser ????.

What I thought would be a chic and modern design quickly devolved into a mishmash of colors that looked like a toddler had taken over my palette.

I vividly remember one instance where I tried to implement Flexbox for a responsive layout. What should have been a simple task turned into an hour of wrestling with the alignment of elements that refused to cooperate.

“Why won’t you align?!” I exclaimed, pointing my index finger at the screen. In that moment, I came to yet again acknowledge the importance of thorough documentation and online resources—because, let’s face it, no one ever reads the manual until they’re knee-deep in a mess.

I recalled with a wry smile that I always emphasized the criticality of documenting code to my dev team as a Product Manager.

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JavaScript: The Code of Surprises

Then came JavaScript, the cherry on top of my front-end sundae. I had heard legends of its power, but nothing could prepare me for the emotional rollercoaster that awaited.

One minute, I was successfully fetching data from an API, feeling like a coding superhero. The next, I was hit with an undefined error that left me feeling like I just crashed my superhero jet.

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The first time I encountered a callback function, I thought, “Great, just what I needed: a function that calls another function like I call my friends for a pizza order.”

However, as I dove deeper, I discovered the beauty of asynchronous programming. It was like learning to waltz—at first, I was stepping on my toes, but with practice, I found my rhythm and was able to handle multiple tasks gracefully.

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The Power of Circle-21

While my technical skills were growing, some of the most invaluable lessons came from my peers in Circle 21.

Circles are an innovative part of our learning experience at AltSchool Africa. It is a peer-study group carefully crafted by the program, more like your night classes at MPH or Garuba Square Unizik but comprising multiple study tracks.

Guided by our dedicated course rep, Sodiq, and his trusty sidekick, Lateef, we forged a bond that transformed our online class reviews into a community experience. Their patience and willingness to help were top-notch, especially as I joined the group mid-way.

Not only did I benefit from their support, but I was also entrusted with the task of drafting the meeting guide for our circle due to my project management expertise.

It was a challenge that allowed me to synthesize our learning objectives and keep our discussions focused while also sharpening my organizational skills.

The tutorial sessions were a blend of fun and seriousness, turning complicated concepts into manageable bites ??.

Together, we tackled projects and shared our struggles, which made the voyage feel less like a solo expedition and more like a team mission to conquer the coding universe.

Exam Prep: Late Nights, Discord Chats, and Collective Wins

Our journey took an interesting turn when it was time for the first-semester exams.

TO BE CONTINUED...