Toy_app Done!

I finished chapter 2 of Hartl's book which is a great feeling!  Everything worked and I even had the chance to correct a few mistakes.  I also learned from a few different Stack Overflow questions and am really beginning to feel like I could perhaps do this unguided one day.  Whereas I was feeling pretty defeated a couple days ago, making slow and steady progress through the Ruby on Rails tutorial book has been rewarding.

That said, chapter 3 is really where it begins.  The earlier chapters essentially say that you will not pick much up in terms of deep understanding jut by doing them, but they do give you some momentum.  I am also getting more and more comfortable with git, bitbucket, and heroku.  I even got my app to display and work on an actual browser!

Python has gotten a little more sticky, but I have made it to around 40% through that Code Academy tutorial.  I have gotten to the dictionary portion of the tutorials and am trying to work through how to print the key with the values from two separate dictionaries in one output.

I also notices that I have made it over 40 hours on this journey so far.  Going from no knowledge at all to a decent foundation in basics in Ruby and Python as well as a solid foundation in Ruby on Rails is a pretty good start.  While I love the idea of working as a programmer, coder, or developer I am not relentlessly and desperately pushing for that at this point.  First things first, I want to be literate enough to code some of my own small programs.

Total hours into Programming: 41 (6 today)
Progress on Hartl's Tutorial Ready to start Chapter 3! 
Code Academy Points: 447
Code Academy Badges: 50
Code Academy Skills Finished: 2 (Make a Website, Ruby)

Ruby on Rails Tutorial: Day 1

After a very confusing intro to Ruby on Rails via Code Academy (where I somehow managed to "complete" 24% of the lesson), I was not feeling so confident about apps, Ruby on Rails, or much of anything really.  Tonight, I started Michael Hartl's Ruby on Rails tutorial book which seems to be a real standard in learning the ropes of Rails.  I spent about 2 hours with it so far and have completed 1-1.4.1.  This doesn't seem like much and at the end of the day it is a very small chunk of the tutorial, but I am trying to take my time and really learn it.

So, how is it for the complete newb?  I like it a lot, actually.  I am actually working in an Integrated Development Environment, and it is really explaining in detail what is going on at every stage.  I was introduced to Cloud 9, Git, and Bitbucket today and I have a pretty solid concept of what version control is and why programmers do it.  Hartl does a nice job of explaining what is pertinent to the new coder without speaking a different language I would never understand.  I was also really happy to recognize some of the formats I had learned from the Ruby Code Academy tutorial and understood what was going on when instructed to place a method within the controller.  I also now have a clue what a gem is and understand what is happening on some basic level when rails designs the framework for your new app.  So far, I really love it!

I also worked through a few lessons on Python this morning which were much easier and faster than my early Ruby lessons.  I am enjoying the learning process and have actually had a few moments today where I knew what to do without making many, many mistakes and having to scratch my head in frustration.  Good day!

Total hours into Programming: 30 (4 today)
Progress on Hartl's Tutorial 1.4.1
Code Academy Points: 368
Code Academy Badges: 43
Code Academy Skills Finished: 2 (Make a Website, Ruby)