Well guys, if you saw my last post you know that I said HTML seemed like it could be fun. Based off the title alone you be able to see how incredibly wrong I was. I’m being a little dramatic. I know it and you know it but still, part of it is kind of true. I think I’ll be able to figure out how to do the project but those HTML lessons went from 0 to 100 really fast.
It’s not even the concept of HTML that doesn’t make sense at this point (thankfully I’m starting to kind of understand how markdown languages work). It’s more about the fact that as I was taking notes like a good little student, Jen Simmons went from showing little things like This is a Heading , to showing what seemed like an entire computer screen of HTML so we could take people’s emails, names, and probably social security numbers. It was at this point that I accepted the fact that I will probably need lots of extra video tutorials if I actually have to create something like this for a website.
I saw in another post that someone compared HTML to learning another language and it really does feel like that. When we first started this journey of learning about markdown languages it really felt like the German class I had last year (I frequently needed Google Translate just to understand what the homework questions were asking). Now, it’s more like I understand how the language works (the grammar) but don’t know all the words (the actual code) and still need to look them up to make sure I’m not typing gibberish.
I’m just gong to be honest, I don’t know that I’ll ever get to the point where I don’t have to look these kinds of things up. The career I’m looking at right now doesn’t require it and I don’t like technology enough to do this for a hobby but I’m still really glad to have this experience. I genuinely had no frame of reference for coding (even the fake coding that is markdown languages) or how computers work and I like that I finally kind of understand some of the basics. When I tell you I had no knowledge I mean that if I saw the code on a hacker’s screen in a spy movie I didn’t know that it was supposed to be code. I was always just like, “Wow, their screen looks funny,” and move on with my life. So I’m really glad to finally have the basic knowledge it seems everyone else already had haha.
Comments
3 responses to “Ohh How the Mediocre Have Fallen (I am the mediocre)”
Firstly, yes. Just yes. I am with you. I thought HTML was going to be a fun little adventure I would go on and come out of it being super knowledgeable about coding afterwards… I was so wrong. I agree with your statement that Jen Simmons’ classes went from 0 to 100 so fast. I was trying to take notes, and I eventually gave up, and I turned into a screen zombie staring at my computer in utter confusion. This was not a fun time for me, but we got through it all the same. I also am with you that I feel that my future career doesn’t need to master these skills, so I am okay with not knowing. I know if I am confused, I have the resources to help me understand (YouTube and a brother that just graduated with a degree in computer science).
I love the title and I feel you. It seems fun but it is a lot! HTML can definitely feel like a rollercoaster ride, especially when the lessons ramp up so quickly. You learn one thing and then suddenly there’s so much code you don’t know what to do. It really is like learning a whole new language. It can feel overwhelming at first, especially when the code looks like a different universe. But the fact that you’re pushing through and gaining some foundational knowledge is a huge win. It’s all about those baby steps! (My attempt at being optimistic when I don’t even know what I’m doing). I’m sure even experienced coders look up stuff from time to time.
I 100% understand where you are coming from. Funny enough I said something very similar about how I felt about CSS, and this is exactly how I feel about HTML as well. It almost seems we are becoming bilingual in a way because we are now able to understand a completely “new” language.
Of course, markdown felt like a learning curve at first, but seemed be pretty easy to handle, until html arrived. It made me feel like my team went from playing Vanderbilt (before the big Alabama upset) to playing UTK. I thought I knew the playbook, but man I was so unsure. Great job, and don’t worry, I think a lot of us are sailing in the same boat together.