And just like that, I am finished with my first project! It took me just under a week to complete, and I can honestly say that it was a frustrating, but rewarding week.
I attended the Weekend Warrior as I was finishing the final labs that come before beginning the project. Up to that point I still wasn’t sure what all the expectations for the project were. I was too nervous to look ahead at the curriculum to see what the project entailed. After the Weekend Warrior I had a new sense of confidence and courage surrounding code, which were two great feelings leading into the CLI Gem Project.
But those feelings didn’t last long…
I read through the project details and expecatations and immediately felt like I was in over my head. I understood what I needed to make but had no clue how I was going to get there. After a few minutes of immense sweating and terror I told myself I had to finish looking at all the materials associated with the project and start looking at things one piece at a time. This was the key.
Looking at the project as a whole is too intimidating, but taking the project one step at a time made it seem like something I could actually accomplish.
The other big helpers were watching, and rewatching Avi’s Daily Deals video, and then watching it again. I also scrutinized over each CLI example that was provided in the project details. I kept looking over these examples until I understood why the code in those examples was written the way it was. Another huge help was attending the CLI Gem Project Study Groups. Talking through aspects of the project with instructional coaches and discussing other students projects really helped me to think about what my project was lacking and also what was good about it.
The final helper was utilizing the Project 1:1 meeting. I had gotten to a point where I was stuck in my code and didn’t know how to move forward. I had three different branches of ways I thought my code could work, but didn’t know how to get to that working point. The Project 1:1 allowed me to talk through some of my ideas, and hear some advice on ideas I hadn’t thought about yet. I left my Project 1:1 filled with things I wanted to try and I worked on my code for 4 hours straight after that point and that is when I had my magic moment. I typed ./bin/foodie_recipes and my code ran! It actually worked! That feeling is seriously amazing. I was so excited that it worked that it honestly took me a while to fall asleep because I was so happy I had actually gotten my CLI Gem to run the way I wanted it to.
There will inevitably be ups and downs while working on the project, but the end result makes all the blood, sweat, and tears worth it. If I had any advice, it would be to take advantage of all the resources that are available to you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to instructors, or other students working on the project. You’re not alone in your frustration or confusion and there are always people available who want to help!