Forem: Alara Oluwatoyin Joel

Switching Profile routes based on user role in registration (Express.js)

Alara Oluwatoyin Joel — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 21:58:13 +0000

Switching Profile routes based on user role in registration (Express.js)

Nov 18 '20 Comments: 1 Answers: 0

A bit of a long read

I am currently building the backend for a MERN project, with quite an interesting structure (I would be changing the specifics because it is a private project).

Database: There are 4 database schemas at the moment, 1 user schema with 3 different roles: student…

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100 Days Of Code Battle Plan

Alara Oluwatoyin Joel — Sun, 19 Jul 2020 08:07:57 +0000

Having a structural outline for tackling challenges in life is a sure guarantee for a better outcome. A half-baked plan is better than none, and a well -structured plan is best.
One rather funny advantage of planning is that, if things don't go perfectly, you can pinpoint what went wrong, and determine how to tweak things around for a better outcome.

In the programming world, it is easy to get overwhelmed. The plethora of things to learn and assimilate can sometimes make you forget that you are primarily supposed to be having fun as you clank that keyboard with your pretty or hunky fingers (pun intended).

But hold on! Do not think of running away just yet. As with everything in programming, there is always a way out, if you know what to do.
Thing is knowing what to do and doing it are as far apart as knowing what "Objects" are in coding, and knowing how to use them (I still don't get it to be honest). Okay! I heard you, enough bickering around, let's jump right in.

The first rule of a battle plan, is sticking to it, the second rule is; "just stick to it", the last is ... well, you get it now.
Due to the dynamism of our lives, and the keen attention coding requires, our battleplan has to be flexible enough.

A battleplan that gets you fagged out few steps into the battlefield will ensue in a loss, not to talk about how tired our minds will be.

Now let's get practical, we are going to be building me a battle plan for 100 Days of code round 4. Grab a drink, as this will cover my entire journey for this round.

By the end of this, you would be able to use my plan as a template to build an even better one for yourself.
Alright, let's jump right in.

Outline of my current situation

Work

I am currently building a project with a startup that focuses on building a product around digital signage.
Will have to build a Vue.js web app to integrate with the signage product once it is ready.
Will be working with the LEMP stack, to deploy and manage the product.
I will also be building WordPress sites (sighs) :).
Better interpersonal skills

Technologies needed:

Digital signage CMS.
The LEMP stack (Basic sysadmin)
Vue.js
WordPress and Elementor.

School

I recently bagged a certificate of completion for part 1 (data science module) of my data science and machine learning with python, diploma with Worldquant University.
Have to do a deep revision to fully comprehend the course material, and get better at solving ds/ml related tasks.
Have to prepare for part 2 (machine learning module).

Technologies needed:

Python 3.
Mysql.
Pandas, Numpy and Matplotlib (Ds frameworks and libs)

Personal development

I need a deep rerun of javaScript's core concepts, to become an A+ js developer.
I have already invested in a MERN stack journey so I have to continue that, and pick all the parts gracefully.
Get better at both SQL databases (MySQL and Postgresql).
Pick up some Adobe XD, and photoshop (nothing too deep).

Technologies needed:

Javascript
MongoDB
React
Node and Express.
Adobe Xd
Adobe Photoshop.

Non-coding related goals:

Understand the basic intricacies of the forex market (tutorials and networking).
Start learning to play the keyboard
Build a side business.

N.B: This is not a checklist that must be finished in about 3 months. No one becomes a pro at all these in that time. It's more about, and still building yourself in stages

Coding /Learning is a journey, a continuity that has no end in sight but rather unwinds into more beautiful and challenging patterns (think the Mandelbrot set) and I understand if you prefer to focus on this for x time, and then move to this for y time, that's fine.

But I don't think that will work for me, because you only get good with experience, be it one tech or four techs you are working on.
Without real projects, you won't leave your comfort zone.
Also, I believe growth should be all-round, but please do not overwhelm yourself. Alright, let's get back to it.

Basic Weekly Outline:

Here I used the concept of Economics concept of the scale of preference, which reasons that the most important activities must be prioritized.

If you work, then on working days, you can get by with dedicating about one hour to coding. But if you don't work then replace that column with coding. That way you can have two coding sessions a day, or mix it up with another activity (any other thing you want to get good at - coding related or not).
As Stefan Mishtok says "You should always leave coding wanting more, not feeling overwhelmed".

Goal (progression) Outline:

The first thing to keep in mind is this must not work out exactly as planned. It could go faster, it could go slower, or it could change up real quick. You do not have to strictly go by this, just see it as a framework to keep you accountable and on your toes.

Also, never stock this so much that it looks like 20,000 feet pack of cards, else it will come crashing down on you hard.
Finally, no one is going to have god-level perfection and smoothness in even HTML in 100 days, you should aim at having an all-round growth in stages and being productive at every level of growth.
You should have this section built up with continuity in mind.

That said here goes mine:
We will be iterating through 5 sets of 20 days. For convenience, we will call each of the sprints.

Find the table files here
Please keep in mind that the goals and focus can change, depending on how long it takes to assimilate them, or if a more important activity add up or replaces another.
Hard work, consistency and perseverance is required to come out successfully. Sticking to the goals is key.

I know this whole setup may look like a tad bit too much multi-tasking. Never overwhelm your self, but never be boring too. As [Robert Heinlein] said (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competent_man)

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyse a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

Phew! that's a long list. The idea is to have a systemic approach to picking up skill(s), while effectively fulfilling your obligations, by making bits of progress which ultimately culminates into all-round success.

Thank you for sticking around with me, I sincerely hope I have been able to help you in some way.
please share your comments, advice and corrections with me below in the comment sections.

Finally here are few resources I would be using to learn the skills I outlined, check them out if interested:

Also connect with me on twitter
Cheers, keep learning, happy coding and stay safe!!!

What I have learnt so far from 100Days challenge

Alara Oluwatoyin Joel — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 04:22:15 +0000

I finished 100 days of code round 3 on the 23rd of April 2020. Within a year, I have gone through 3 iterations of this challenge, and my tech knowledge has skyrocketed

It feels like just yesterday when I was learning HTML 4 and css2 from a VTC course (maybe all those details will be in another blog shortly).

In my first round of the 100 days challenge, I started learning the foundations of javascript, while completing my Freecodecamp responsive web developer projects. And I also completed Wesbos's javascript 30 challenge (where we build 30 amazing projects, all in vanilla js).

Finally, I worked began working through Andrei Neagoie's Complete web developer's course.
In round two, I went deeper into Andrei's course and finished up with the full stack react project. It was intense and quite fulfilling. Technologies I got to work with include:
HTML5
CSS3
Vanilla js
Git
React
Redux
Postman
PostgreSQL
Express.js
Node.js
This was a real workload and an eyeopener on how the industry runs. It's obvious that a lot of hard work goes into building web projects, but what is admirable is the fluidity, teamwork and cohesiveness required to get things done, and on time.

Round 3 for me took a rather different turn, in terms of momentum and concentration. A lot of personal issues got in the way of my otherwise stellar learning speed, and it became quite a struggle to keep up. I would have been riding on eagles wings if things remained the same, but still, I didn't fall off the clouds.

At this point I was focused on brushing myself up professionally, so most of the challenge was spent on building a portfolio from scratch, using Webpack as a bundler. I took quite some time to get it done because there was quite a lot to learn and figure out for myself.
I also made another attempt at WorldQuant University's data science diploma.

At the close of this round, my portfolio was ready, and I had learned quite a lot of things about production environments, and responsive design. My main focus now was on completing part 1 of my data science diploma.

In a nutshell, I would say that the 100 Days Of Code challenge helps you to keep up with coding and hence helps develops your skills as a programmer. Whether your a beginner, or already working as a dev, partaking in this challenge helps hold you accountable, and always pushed you to learn, or at least (for working devs) write down and track your improvements.

My little advice will be to take your time and really pick up the fundamentals first, and do more projects too, especially not strictly following tutorials all the time. And when you do tutorials, improve something no matter how small.

If you want to get started too visit the 100days official website. You should also take advantage of the social media handles, as it is a way to meet a lot of amazing developers at every level; beginners who want to learn alongside you, intermediates who will challenge you with their progress, and experts who will give you nice nudges into the right direction.

All I am saying is that the community is amazing. I hope you tag along and join me on Twitter as I get ready to take on Round 4, and I will help you the best way I can.
Till I come your way again, cheers and happy coding.

Links to some resources for learning that has helped me, or will soon :)

Tips for getting the best out of online courses

Alara Oluwatoyin Joel — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 19:34:03 +0000

Often times when people choose to better themselves in an online setting, it is a bit of a struggle.
This is because there are tons of different activities competing for your time: some useful, and some not. Especially owning to the fact that no one is really keeping you accountable, as in a school setting.

But with a few guidelines, you can stop the procrastination, and prevent time from ticking your opportunities away.

Below I will share some pointers with you that will enable you to get the best out of your studies online. Believe me when I say I learnt some of these the hard way.
Here goes the list:

Zen Mode (Zone Out)
Be Creative
Take Notes
Research 5.Commit
Have fun

1. Zen Mode (Zone Out):

First and foremost, enforce the classroom environment when learning online. Zone out. This can't be over-emphasized, because there is mostly no one to enforce concentration, hence you might keep playing around.
The worst distractors are chatty friends and your phone. Put both of them on airplane mode, and enter your Zen-mode (A place of utmost concentration).

2. Be Creative:

Creativity is the root of all great inventions. The good thing is you do not have to be an Einstein to be creative. When learning especially online ensure to experiment, don't be boring; mix things up, shake things up, learn 1000 ways it doesn't work.
Do not limit yourself to what is being taught, be ready to extend beyond the borders, and do not be afraid to break things (Do not break your computer tho).

3. Take Notes:

Please your head is not a hard disk drive, nor a sales ledger. Allow your pens do the storage. Write as much as you can, It is your best shot at breaking the knowledge being passed down into understandable bits. Most online courses are fast-paced, and you might get fooled to thinking "you got it all", trust me: you don't. Write the notes and pen down your ideas, and most importantly your progress.

4. Research:

When learning online, you are mostly connected to the internet, but the thing is your tutor is not with you when you need to ask a question. Hence your favourite search engine is your best friend, and sites like wikipedia.org and stackoverflow.com (for techies) are storehouses of knowledge.
Ask all questions, be thirsty for knowledge. You might just learn way more than you expected to.

5. Commit:

Do not start dancing around when taking an online course (Well even if it's a dancing course). Learn to finish what you started, if you pick one course, learn to commit to the end. The gold mine might just be in the last sentence. If you do not learn to do this, you will be missing out of a lot, and might never make any tangible progress. It could be daunting, but hey, nothing good comes easy you know.

6. Have Fun:

This is not a war, I repeat this is not a war. Find ways to have fun when learning online. connect and interact with tutors and fellow coursemates, you might be isolated from them physically, but you can connect your minds. Think "Team", not "Individual".

I hope you have learnt something? if you would like to follow me on social media, my account links are down below.
Image credit to Ada, Grab it here Pexels
Thank you for your time.
Cheers and Happy learning.

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