Tag: bootcamp

Day 9: First Project Done!

After much sturm und drang, I FINALLY competed my first website assignment! Of course, there’s no data or JavaScript behind the site yet (except for the small amount I did for the “optional” login code), but it’s looking good so far! It took me ages to hunt down and correct all my capitalization errors. I had the presence of mind to check my page on my cell phone, which is how I discovered I STILL had one more picture that wasn’t rendering on the “About Page” due to the jpg file name having ONE capital letter. One damned capital letter…I mean, really, how could I foul up this one???

I finally have a breather for now. We have some work to do to prepare for our upcoming JavaScript training which starts on Monday, but nothing like the insanity of the past two weeks—drinking from a spewing fire hydrant would have been easier. To prepare for Monday, we need to review the w3schools.com JavaScript section, and we have some Pluralsight videos to go through. I really hate to admit it, but the Pluralsight videos do nothing for me. I know they’re supposed to be an easy way to disseminate information to us as a warm-up for training, but I find I get more from the w3schools site. I tried watching the videos in class this afternoon and almost went to sleep—in fact, I’m pretty sure I did black out at one point.

At first I thought it was my age, and the fact that I prefer a live person vs. Memorex instructing me (only people of a certain age will get this), but then I had to remember that I have NO issue watching hours upon hours worth of YouTube footage featuring how-to clips for the Kitchener stitch, continental knitting, short rows, tunisian crocheting, or (God help me) spinning. My one pathetic attempt at a spinning class really needs to be an upcoming blog entry. It’s the one fiber-related craft at which I’m a abject, dismal failure.

But I digress…must go get my beauty sleep before class tomorrow. Perhaps I should watch a JavaScript training video to help me nod off…

Day 8: I think I can…I think I can…

We have one more day to be done with our first project—Thursday at 5:00 p.m. to be exact. Yesterday was a black day where I found myself seriously contemplating whether or not, at 55 years of age, I’m still capable of pulling all-nighters. However, after much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I’m happy to report that I’m almost done! I was hysterical over the “user interaction” page, but today I went through my Ravelry project folder, and all 2,555 photos on my phone, and managed to cough up six projects I actually created myself. I debated including something I like to call the “Scarf from Hell,” (there IS a story behind this), but I doubt anyone would pay me money for THAT pattern.

I can’t decide whether or not I should try using the optional JavaScript for the login screen that our instructor showed us. It would be impressive (and I’m wondering how “optional” this is), but I’m thinking it could also hose my site. I’ve spent hours upon hours shrinking and blowing up pictures to accommodate media queries, and scouring code for errors. It never fails to baffle me how code that seems to work just fine in the browser validates with 20 tag errors (including tags that are backward). I did figure out my error in deploying to the GitHub .io file…that old filename capitalization bugaboo bit me in the *** again! Something else I’ll need to fix tomorrow…

After all this, I’d just as soon not foul this all up with JavaScript I didn’t write…but I may change my mind tomorrow.

Day 7: It’s a surprise…

I even remember this.

I’m a tad TIRED. I did manage to get some of the user interaction page done, although I have no clue how I’m going to add the dropdowns for the quantity and pdf/printout choice. Actually, I do have a clue, as I scoured through Bootstrap documentation until I found something relevant–I just now have to figure out how to incorporate and size these in my chart of patterns.

I beat my head against a wall (and so did our instructor) trying to determine how to get images to show up on a page. Come to find out, my idea of adding three of them to the HTML in different sizes, and then using CSS to pick the right size per media query wasn’t quite right. I had to do a div container with an id in HTML, and then add the correct-size pictures to the media queries in CSS, using url(“…/img/example.jpg”) for each size. I wish I could say it was easy, but for the life of us, we could NOT get images on the page. My instructor figured it out…I was using url(“img/example.jpg”)! He’d used the same thing, but he’d had the <style> section in his HTML example to illustrate, so img/ vs. …/img worked for him. I had to change ALL my pages. This set me back quite a bit, along with needing to change the pages for the correct code for submit/reset buttons AND fixing my CSS, which mysteriously had an epic FAIL after all my changes and fixes…AHHH!!!

This entire day has been the Whac-a-Mole game.

I have only two more days to finish. No pressure…

Day 6: The Big Project

…so far, so good.

I managed to spend some time this weekend on our first class project–so far have three pages of the website completed! It’s looking pretty good, except I’m wondering if I should be resizing the images for media queries by width and height in the HTML or try to resize them in my external CSS sheet. Initially, I did it by swapping out pictures for the same pictures in a smaller size, and then adding code in CSS to display the pictures, depending on the media query; however, it’s looking a bit sloppy, code-wise.

I’m DREADING the “user-interaction” page. That’s going to be my patterns-for-purchase page (all two of them). I have NO CLUE how I’m going to create that page. There is a Bootstrap template for a price page and an order page, so I’m hoping I can make use of those and modify them. I’m also supposed to be thinking up an extra-credit page…AAAHH!!!

Day 4: Pull yourself up by your bootstraps…

Okay, I’m probably going to court controversy and hate mail, but I’m just going to say it: I can’t STAND Bootstrap.

We just spent the last few labs relieving existing code of “div-itis” by replacing the div elements with more meaningful HTML5 elements, as well as fixing other errors. It’s been interesting figuring out how to do this. But NOW…we’re expected to use Bootstrap for our CSS styling. As far as I can make out, this tosses our past efforts out the window, as it seems that Bootstrap uses NOTHING but div elements.

I know. There are all sorts of interesting examples and templates to toss together a site quickly. There are carousels, input forms, and even Jumbotrons. However, I don’t like that Bootstrap is essentially a black box. There’s no way of knowing how these different things work, unless you want to delve into the giant Bootstrap file itself.

Also, I just can’t stand the dreary colors. I know…one can add another stylesheet to tweak the colors and settings, but that’s almost harder than creating the CSS code from scratch! I just spent two hours trying to figure out how to manipulate a form that Bootstrap has solidly set to the point of not being able to budge it. I can’t even get the damn input boxes to be inline with the descriptions!

Okay, time to go breathe into a paper bag…tomorrow is another day… 👢🥾👢

“I hope you don’t have any…PLANS for the next three months…”

I am at less than two weeks away from the biggest career shift I’ve probably ever taken.

Back in March, my company posted an incredible opportunity. I know…I hate that word, too. Corporate America uses the word “opportunity” every time they really want to say “big honking, ghastly, insurmountable problem.” However, this was a genuine opportunity. To back this up, last year, the company launched something called a “Code Academy” where people with little technological experience could learn to code, and segue into front end development roles. At the time, I assumed this was something for people decades younger than myself. Also, I am an IT business analyst, and–back in the dark ages–I was a mainframe developer, so that probably would disqualify me right there. I wasn’t what an old coworker of mine used to call “fresh bread.” I was more like stale bread that needs to be tossed in the swill soon.

This year, I saw the post for the Code Academy again. On a whim, I sent off an email to the contact address and asked, “Is there an age limit for this?” The reply was swift…NO. As long as the candidate can pass all the hurdles to acceptance, then there is no age bias.

Thus started this crazy journey. I’ve decided to blog about this, as really, why WOULDN’T I? If nothing else, a 55-year-old woman going through “boot camp” should be highly entertaining. There’s a good chance I may flame out and not make it, but I’ve never been one to turn down a good challenge.

I’m happy to report that, so far, most of my family, friends, and coworkers are surprised, but very happy for me. I have an in, so to speak, in that one of my coworkers–a young single mother–graduated from the program last year. She has been very helpful in explaining what to expect from the whole experience. She’s ECSTATIC for me. After congratulating me for getting accepted into the program, she did have one question. “I hope you don’t have any PLANS for the next three months…” She is right. Currently, I’m in the process of reviewing all my pre-work for the upcoming course, and rearranging my very busy schedule down to the bare bones of what’s going to need to continue. So far, this is proving to be the most challenging part of the process.