Progress Diary and Planner

Upcoming tasks and projects

Remaining tasks for ZTM Course:

  1. SmartBrain frontend (23)
  2. Node.js and Express.js (24)
  3. SmartBrain backend (25)
  4. Databases (26 and 27)
  5. Production and Deployment (28)
  6. Extras (29-32)

To do after the course:



Updates every Sunday eve about what I've done this week

WEEK 29: 18 - 24 July '22

Actions this week:

  • Practised pair-programming with Dan and Angel
  • Did some kata on Codewars
  • Created a Polywork profile

WEEK 28: 11 - 17 July '22

Actions this week:

WEEK 27: 4 - 10 July '22

Actions this week:

  • Took a break while busy at work

WEEK 26: 27 June - 3 July '22

Actions this week:

  • First interview for the Recurse Center
  • Worked on this.sky - added current time in searched location

WEEK 25: 20 - 26 June '22

Actions this week:

  • Applied to the Recurse Center
  • Started working on this.sky again - added keyboard form entry

WEEKS 20 - 24: 16 May - 19 June '22

Break: Focused on main job (bookshop) and on second job (copywriting) and on my health (rejoined the gym and spent some more time with friends). Continued networking with other devs, plus set up replacement computer as development environment.

WEEK 19: 9 - 15 May '22

Actions this week:

  • Worked on this.sky
  • Started copywriting for Rugged Software
  • LinkedIn and Twitter networking
  • Planned podcast episode with Eddie H

WEEK 18: 2 - 8 May '22

Actions this week:

  • Had a coffee chat with Alex K
  • Worked on weather app (and named it this.sky)

WEEK 17: 25 Apr - 1 May '22

Actions this week:

  • Worked on weather app
  • LinkedIn networking
  • (Took a few days off while away)

WEEK 16: 18 - 24 Apr '22

Actions this week:

  • Finished HTTP/JSON/AJAX section
  • Did some LinkedIn networking and earned a skill badge for FE Development
  • Completed section 21 (Backend Intro)
  • Attended Women in Tech Monthly Mentoring
  • Added a daily.dev DevCard to my GitHub and rewrote bio there
  • Started coding a simple weather app to practise working with an API

WEEK 15: 11 - 17 Apr '22

Actions this week:

  • Continued HTTP/JSON/AJAX section
  • Had an API lesson with Dan
  • Updated LinkedIn bio
  • Took 2 days off to see family and friends

WEEK 14: 4 - 10 Apr '22

Actions this week:

  • Continued HTTP/JSON/AJAX section
  • Asked a question on Stackoverflow for first time
  • Started learning about git log and git diff (have added links to tutorials on git merge, rebase, reset and revert for later)
  • Helped a Twitter friend with their JS code

WEEK 13: 28 Mar - 3 Apr '22

Actions this week:

  • Completed React section and built demo app
  • Started HTTP/JSON/AJAX section
  • Helped someone with their JS code and created a Replit account
  • Fixed a bug in this site's topnav and changed the site colour scheme
  • Finished writing up notes on Git and GitHub workflow
  • Found new resources: added fCC to list of places to submit technical writing to, and made note to apply to Collab Lab in June

WEEK 12: 21 - 27 Mar '22

Actions this week:

  • Completed NPM (Node Package Manager) section
  • Identified and fixed permissions issue with Sublime (can now use subl shortcut from the command line)
  • Started work on my portfolio site, using recommended template
  • Arranged first coffee chat (for April) ☕
  • Started React section (building Robofriends app)

WEEK 11: 14 - 20 Mar '22

Actions this week:

  • JS exercises and practising problem solving
  • Started using console debugger tool (instead of just console.log)
  • Answered someone's JS question on Discord (first time answering a coding question for someone!)
  • Learned more about NaN and isNaN()
  • Started working on RecipeBrain project 🍅 (planning stage, using Figma)
  • Learned GitHub workflow with GitHub Minesweeper; also practised PRs with ZTM and Eddie Jaoude open source projects
  • Started learning about NPM (ZTM section 18)

Halfway through the ZTM course, now! Also really excited to be moving on to building a project over the next few weeks!

WEEK 10: 7 - 13 Mar '22

Actions this week:

  • Finished Advanced JavaScript section, except for the 3 bonus problems at the end. (Will do them next week!)
  • Signed up to otta.com for job-hunting later

WEEK 9: 28 Feb - 6 Mar '22

Actions this week:

  • Continued with ZTM Advanced JS (13 more sections done, 13 to go)
  • Joined a beginner-friendly open source community to contribute to, once this course is finished

WEEK 8: 21 - 27 Feb '22

Actions this week:

  • Finished last few questions of fCC Basic JavaScript
  • Continued with ZTM Advanced JavaScript section
  • (On holiday from 22nd-25th)

WEEK 7: 14 - 20 Feb '22

Actions this week:

  • Coded along with first JavaScript 30 challenge (drum kit)
  • Finished most of fCC Basic JavaScript

WEEK 6: 07 - 13 Feb '22

Actions this week:

  • Improved the toggle function for the topnav (cleaner code and now allows for other classes to be added to that element in future, if needed)
  • Created a simple to-do list app using JS to manipulate the DOM (had some starter code and added functionality)
  • Added functionality to JS gradient background generator program (it now has randomiser buttons and displays the initial colour settings on page-load)
  • Created a Hashnode account for blogging about programming and tech stuff
  • Completed DOM Manipulation section
  • Did first 6 parts of Advanced JavaScript section (another 30 to go!)

WEEK 5: 31 Jan 22 - 06 Feb '22

Actions this week:

  • Began fCC JavaScript course.
  • Added a responsive topnav to this site using this tutorial.
    Also removed busy background image to make site visually calmer and more accessible.
  • Began learning about the DOM.

WEEK 4: 24 - 30 Jan '22

Actions this week:

  • Completed FCC Flexbox and CSS Grid sections.
  • Completed first ZTM JS section.

WEEK 3: 17 - 23 Jan '22

Spent Sunday eve/Monday morning creating a simple landing page using a Bootstrap template from mdbootstrap.com - template was a bit basic, but I think the finished result looks OK. Have hosted it on Github: https://catehardy.github.io/vegan-revolution/. (Topic choice was because I've been looking at lots of vegan sites, to help Ben with various things!)

Things I did:

  • Swapped out content (images, text, favicon) for ones I created
  • Chose a colour-scheme
  • Chose a new font for the heading
  • CSS: got rid of box-shadows, modified existing classes to alter button and link colours, hover colours, font styles and sizes, and <hr> styling
  • Made a MailChimp sign-up form for a freebie

Question I have:

Other actions this week:

  • Changed GitHub username to catehardy and learned how to add/remove a remote repo via Bash.
  • Learned a bit about Scrum, Kanban and agile development methods.
  • Created new Twitter and Medium.com accounts for chatting about coding and web development, networking and learning.
  • Added a sidebar to this site (using CSS grid) and removed the top-navigation (will add something for mobile devices soon)
  • Completed ZTM sections 9 and 10 - CSS Grid and CSS Layout; Career of a Developer. The CSS Grid and Layout section was trickier than I expected, once I got to the exercise where we were asked to create a webpage layout (lesson 97). Will go back and spend some more time learning Flexbox and Grid later!

WEEK 2: 10 - 16 Jan '22

Actions this week:

  • Completed the following sections of FreeCodeCamp's Responsive Web Design course:
    • Applied Visual Design
    • Applied Accessibility
    • Responsive Web Design Principles
  • Completed ZTM Bootstrap section (apart from landing page, which I'll finish Monday morn)
  • Helped Ben add some additional CSS to his site
  • Passed the LinkedIn CSS skills test, to get profile badge
  • Made improvements to this site: added table of contents to CSS page, organised code for all pages (fixed indentations and removed unused CSS classes)
  • Put this site online via GitHub Pages
    • Things I've learned:
      1) GitHub Pages is case-sensitive for filenames.
      2) The GP servers can take a few mins to update and show changes.
      3) I need to create an auth code regularly to access GitHub from my CLI (passwords are deprecated).

Have invented new low-tech method of fixing problems with code or tools: lie down on floor in starfish position and stare into space until brain stops spinning. Something useful tends to pop up once I give my brain the chance to file things properly. I'm calling it starfish defragging, in style of rubber duck debugging.

WEEK 1: 30 Dec 21 - 09 Jan '22

This first entry is actually a week-and-a-half, due to starting over the New Year holiday.

So far I've:

  • Completed sections 1-7 (Intro, HTML, and CSS)
  • Practised some CSS using the games recommended (love Flexbox Froggy and CSS Diner!)
  • Built this site - so far it's got a page for each main course section and this diary, a flexbox Portfolio page (currently blank) and a working top nav bar (with some help from W3Schools info). Topnav is NOT responsive yet... but I'm just working through the course and will get to that soon (I hope! If not, will look at this tutorial - although it has some JS and I haven't got to that just yet! Trying not to jump ahead of myself, but it's hard not to want to DO things 🙃)