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JavaScript. The functionality behind the internet. It’s the power behind a lot of that dynamic behaviour we’ve come to know and love. The creation of JavaScript has revolutionised the digital world. It’s even been used to make so many of the iconic flash games from my childhood. I used this nostalgic love for games as inspiration for my phase 1 project, a Pokedex.

After a long month learning JavaScript it was time to create my first web application, a culmination of everything I’ve learnt so far using HTML, CSS + JavaScript. The plan was to create a Pokedex containing the first 151 Pokemon with a search bar that will allow you to search by name or type. When you click on a Pokemon card, it will flip to reveal more information.

Luckily I’m feeling more comfortable with CSS & HTML so I didn’t have to spend quite as much time getting that right. I started by recreating the vision I had roughly sketched during class and hey presto we have our base ready to go. Now for the challenge. It was time to add JavaScript.

I decided to start with loading the Pokedex contents. Thankfully there is a Pokemon API (“pokeapi.com”) but here I had already reached my first hurdle. The link to all 151 Pokemon only provides their name so I used a for loop to fetch each one individually. Unfortunately this didn’t include images I wanted to use so I (originally) pulled them from bastion.org. Now even this was no simple road. The day before the project was due, the site that I’d been using to source all the images from shut down so I had to work out an alternate solution last minute.

Next to tackle the search function. I was determined to be able to search by name and type. I knew I was on the right track but try as hard as I might I just couldn’t quite get it to work. With a little help from my mentor I was able to finally get it to search by name. Searching by type seemed a little trickier to set up as it was nested several layers deep but using the console to find the correct path made it a breeze.

There were been many branches from the initial plan as I tested different features before ultimately settling on the final version. Through this process I’ve discovered how to fetch data from an API to create a dynamic list and connect a search function to filter the results in real time, amongst many other useful things. This growth hasn’t come easy though. To get through it all I’ve had to find a method for studying that works for me.

Over the past month I’ve developed some study techniques to help wrap my head around these concepts and understand how to put them to use. I seem to lean more towards visual learning so YouTube has been an absolute treasure trove of resources. There are countless coders sharing their wealth of knowledge but I’ve found The Net Ninja and Kevin Powell to be particularly helpful while also entertaining.

As much as this experience has been challenging it’s been equally rewarding, with many moments of frustration followed by lot’s of little triumph’s as I developed an understanding of JavaScript. Although I still have a long way to go, I’m eager to explore all the exciting new things I can create with this incredible tool.

You can view the website here or check out my GitHub to see how it ticks.

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Why did I decide to learn Software Engineering? Long story short, I was looking for a change. Change of career, change of lifestyle, to change my life. For the first time in my life I was in a place where I could see a future and so I made my first ever 5 year plan. Part of that plan was moving my income online.

Luckily, during 2020 I was able to move some of my income online. Not enough to be a long term solution and enable me to fulfil my newfound life goals but enough to get me by. But this isn't about money. I've never been driven by money. Freedom. All I've ever wanted was freedom. The freedom to be wherever I want or need to be. Being free to explore my interests. The freedom that a reliable source of income can provide.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my job. It can be rewarding, and it enables me to explore whatever creative avenues interest me. It has helped me travel the world and enjoy things I never could have dreamed of. And the free time! The free time it provided was wonderful for a while. It allowed me to grow as a person and explore things I never would have been able to without it but I wanted more. It was getting to the point that I NEEDED more. I wasn't growing anymore. I'd stagnated.

I'd tried everything. I started up home businesses. Distracted myself with cute animals or learning languages. I picked up every hobby under the sun (most of which I loved and still enjoy from time to time) but it wasn't enough. I realised all I was doing was killing time. That wasn't what I wanted from life so nothing ever satisfied. What I needed was a whole new career. But what was going to interest me long term and not just become another thing I dropped when I realise it's not scratching that itch.

It had to be something I already had a proven interest in. There are two things that I truly love to do and have done so for more than 6 years now. Firstly, I love to create and execute photoshoots. Alternatively, I also love designing and building websites on Wix. The former can't be moved solely online and has limited job prospects so I decided to look into a career in coding, a booming industry with no sign of slowing down.

It ticked all my boxes: the ability to work from home, check; a desire to always be learning, check; the potential to open the door for more opportunities, check check and check! Best of all was the entry point. I didn't need prior work experience or a flashy resume. I just needed to prove my knowledge and one thing I know about myself is I love to learn.

In the past I've dabbled in various coding apps but never really got far. Not for a lack of interest or enjoyment. I needed deadlines. People to hold me accountable. A goal to aim for. So I decided to check out Software Engineering courses and stumbled across Academy xi. One call with a Course Advisor and I was sold. Seemingly rashly, as a lot of my big life decisions must be, I signed up that day. That was 2 months ago. Now I'm almost two weeks in and so far I love it! I've found the experience to be so incredibly rewarding and I've barely even begun. We've started to cover front end languages, beginning with HTML, then CSS and now JavaScript. It's been so satisfying to begin with languages that show me the immediate result of my progress. I've spent every second of my free time exploring the nuances of these languages just like when I get stuck doing something I love! I've successfully found another thing to be passionate about.

Now that I've found a new passion, I plan to develop and hone my skills, particularly for front-end languages. So far I've discovered a whole variety of cool things you can do that weren't previously available to me on a standard website builder but it's not all fun and games. I'll be the first to admit it I've struggled to wrap my head around JavaScript. Nothing made sense and all it felt like I got from it was exhaustion but as with every frustration I've had thus far, after a good night sleep it's all starts to fall into place.

Even though the road ahead is a long and difficult one, I'm looking forward to it. This experience has reinvigorated my love for learning and joie de vivre. Not only am I motivated to jump out of bed each day but I'm enjoying my spare time so much more. It's now something to cherish and not just seen as time to kill. I feel so fulfilled and we've barely scratch the surface.