PRECOURSE WEEK 3 {Ruby}

We started Ruby recently and for me at least, it has been a challenge. The switch from Git and Github material to the Chris Pine tutorials has been difficult. The first 7 chapters are relatively easy to follow, but starting at chapter 8, the exercises that come with each chapter have seemed a lot harder than the examples that are provided within the chapters themselves. I'm thinking of trying the other recommended sources and redoing the second half of the exercises from Codecademy Ruby to remind myself of the syntax. So far it feels as though I have an idea of what I am supposed to do, but the translation from my thoughts to my code in Ruby are not ideal.

Additionally, this weekend I was on the road a lot with my fiance and our dogs, and while the short break from the norm was nice, I'm looking forward to being back in our apartment to give the program my full attention.

Some things I learned:

- To try not to waste my time stuck on one issue

- Try different sources because everyone has different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning

- It is TOTALLY okay to give yourself pep talks, because somebody else isn't always going to be there for you and right now it's really important to feel good about yourself. We are learning and there will be challenges, and we will feel small in certain moments, but we have to keep going and we have to adapt. Fortunately, humans are pretty good at that.

Things I need to work on:

- Getting used to this new mode of thought. Transitioning from one focus to a new one can be daunting, but I will continue doing my best to use what I've learned and build up my understanding from that

- Organizing my notes in such a way that they continue to always be helpful when I need them

- Not to do redundant things in code and to clean it up so it's not only aesthetically pleasing, but also easy to dissect when I need to