Forem: Marissa Stinson

Its my website and I can cry if I want to.

Marissa Stinson — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 15:18:47 +0000

   As I get older my interest in design has just grown. I have always been very artistic or when it came to team projects I was always the one who created the poster board or threw the power point together. That is a desire that always came natural for me and something that I always felt confident in giving my input in.  My website is very, ME. That’s how its suppose to be right? I feel like from the very beginning of this project that I had a general understanding in my head of how I would present myself into this website. I think I have been able to follow through with it well, but definitely had some struggle to achieve it. 
My style is very clean and crisp. I am not a fan of busy nor am I a fan of a lot of different colors on the same page. I have been put in positions where I had to present something not so much my taste and actually been quite pleased with the outcome. But for my personal website, I wanted it to have my personal style to it. With that being said, from the beginning I did not really like the idea of every time I clicked on a tab it would direct me to a new page. I suppose that is something I have appreciated in websites when the tabs being opened can remain on the same page, or everything can be accessible without having multiple windows or having to back out of pages. When I first tried to express this I went with the idea of having a navigation bar and figured that there will be a code that will make pages link to certain tabs right there on my page. It wasn't until I finished the navigation bar and went to search for that piece of code that it wasn't there. Not in CSS or HTML, the things that I had any practice with. JavaScript did have something to offer though. So, JavaScript, I had not touched that yet. But that’s okay, because throwing myself out there to try to do it anyways it what helped me learn. Just what the role JavaScript plays in development. I mean, I had heard and read it over quite a bit but it didn't click until I actually had the codes in front of my face and had to break them down so I can personalize the codes to work with my websites. This was a proud moment for me. In the screenshot I attached is me in the process of taking out the navigation bar and replacing it with JavaScript tabs. 
Other than that, another thing that I spent more time then I wanted too was FONTS. Fonts are so important though! I would “Google” fonts to use and a lot of sites would say CSS friendly fonts or HTML fonts and would advertise as if they were compatible but every time I tried to plug it in, Nothing. I though to myself that it was fonts, I mean, simple. So, I really did not want to ask and just really wanted to figure it out myself. Failed. I gave in and asked a T.A. who pretty much said, let me show this as a class. Made me feel a little better because it was something that needed to be taught. In the end, he showed me Google Fonts which was like heaven to me. All these non basic, beautiful fonts. I was so excited. I learned that there is an HTML code to post in your index as well as the CSS code to make it work. I got it down now. 
I am not quite finished yet but so close and cannot wait to see my finished product. Awesome or not, I will still be so proud and have a new appreciation for web developers because the website I created was some WORK!

5 weeks down, 7 more to go

Marissa Stinson — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 20:41:37 +0000

So five weeks ago I honestly didn’t even know what “coding” was. I honestly linked it to medical coding. I have learned so so much these last weeks that I am so proud of myself. It’s funny because whenever the subject of me being in school for this comes up in conversation I am able to speak and use vocabulary that the people I am talking to are not able to follow; and that was me just five weeks ago! Even though I have only learned probably 8% of the information out there in this field, I still know so much. So far I have learned the ins and out of Git and GitHub and so far that is probably what I am most proficient in. I can do a pull request all by myself with no help from my notes but only because I have practiced them quite a bit. That is something that gives my hope in my ability in this field because once I get it down there's no stopping me, just have to put in the work and practice so I can become proficient. I also know many git commands that are incorporated in creating this website. After I felt confident in Git and GitHub, I started learning HTML and then CSS. I have been enjoying both of them very much but I am still not anywhere near proficient. I would say I am still googling about 85% of the time. So I have been working on my personal website, or my portfolio, the last couple of weeks and a couple of days ago it was my turn to present how far along I am and just my website in general. So as I presented my website, the instructor of the class posted some photos of my presentation on Slack where my other instructors can view it. In one of the photos showed my homepage where it says my name and underneath it, in my “h2”, I put “Aspiring Developer”. One of the instructors commented on that and stated “you're not an aspiring developer. you've been developing, so you are a developer.” That was definetley nice to read and made me realize I have to give myself more slack. I am learning and I am getting closer and closer everyday to become a better web developer.

CSS is my New Friend

Marissa Stinson — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 21:46:34 +0000

So, I knew from the beginning that CSS and I were gonna click. Since the start of my journey into the world of coding, I have heard CSS numerous times and every time its about how fun and creative it is and all the amazing things you can do with it. It always caught my attention, not because its “fun”, well maybe partly, but because what motivates me and excites me about learning all this code stuff is being able to CREATE things like websites and apps. The front end stuff they say. I say, The Designer.
So I started to put together my website this past week. To do that, I had to learn HTML first. So HTML I am liking as well. I was picking up on everything pretty quickly and feeling like I was getting the hang of things. What that includes is that I was putting code in my HTML index when it technically should have been in my CSS. When I was first corrected, I was a little bothered and wished it could all just be in the same thing, I mean, I was on a roll and it appearing how I wanted it to appear. So having to switch it up and move majority of my codes into a separate CSS sucked, but only at the time. I get it now.
There are so many more options and cool things you can do within CSS while HTML is quite limiting I began to realize. CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets. Its purpose is to style markup languages (like HTML or XML). Therefore, CSS is worthless on its own, unless associated with an HTML document. CSS brings an HTML document to life, by choosing fonts, applying colors, defining margins, positioning elements, animating interactions, and much more. For an example on how to use CSS is like this. It works is by selecting an HTML element (like a paragraph), choosing a property to alter (like the color), and applying a certain value (like red). That is just something simple. I am still on the “simple” stage of CSS but I am learning so much more everyday. It really is gonna be what makes all of this fun, to me anyways. I highly recommend to all you new devs out there to check it out and really play with it. I am finding that just switching codes around and swapping words for words or colors for colors just to get the hang of things is really helping me figure things out. I cant wait to see all I can do with this wonderful thing that is my new favorite friend.

Intro to HTML

Marissa Stinson — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 19:20:40 +0000

Yessss! This is what I have been waiting for. So, this is week three on my code school and I have heard the term HTML in like every other sentence. Did I know what HTML was? No. Did I think I did? Yes. I thought HTML was just a fancy word for “text” because lets face it, all this code stuff is just a different way to write something, hence the word “code”. Technically, it can be a fancy word for text but HTML is so much more than that. To me, its like the opening of where the fun begins. HTML stands fro Hypertext Markup Language. HTML is what I will use to begin to build a website. So when I think of website I think of how cool I am going to design it to look. That is not HTML’s job though but it still does take part of creating how cool that website turns out to be. HTML is used to create the actual content of the page such as written text and CSS (Cascade Styling Sheets) is responsible for the design or style of the website, including the layout, visual effects and background color. So CSS is where the fun comes into play as far as design but we cant do that without our HTML. HTML uses tags to help you add paragraphs, headers, pictures, bullets and other pieces of structure. Just like you would write something on a word document, HTML helps you write something on a website. HTML is also responsible for retrieving online information via hyperlinks at the click of a button. It design forms for searching for information, making reservations, ordering products and etc. It also includes apps in the documents like spreadsheets, video and sound clips. So see, all that stuff is awesome!. They way I look at HTML is being the bones of the website. It is raw and bare but it is the foundation of the website. CSS is what takes those bones and designs it to be appealing. I must say, this is the first part of class that I’m like, “yeah” and excited to keep working to see some cool results.

Working with Obstacles

Marissa Stinson — Fri, 11 Oct 2019 18:06:43 +0000

Obstacles. Well, they sure have been present in my day to day life. You know, like the times when your out and about and the baby is upset because they have a wet diaper but oh no, you didn’t realize you used the last diaper last time. No problem, just a run to the store can fix that. Its an inconvenient or even frustrating situation, but at least seeing that beautiful solution in the horizon is comforting enough and we can take a breathe of relief. We can handle those obstacles, right? Unfortunately, not all obstacles give you the comfort of having or even knowing if there is a solution. Those times, not so fun. Oh, those dreadful times can take anywhere from an hour that feels like days to the days that feel like months. So what are we to do when we are unexpectedly hit? For all you devs out there, I am sure you have figured out your own little way to deal when your code just isn’t working and you are just stuck. Or maybe you haven’t. I mean, we are to confide in Google as long as we can before we go make our problem some one elses. Even then the thought of giving up because you feel like you have tried every option there is over and over again can really play in your head. For those people or the noobs like me, here are some helpful tips that I have came across by our trusty friend Google or just word of mouth.

Identify your starting point
So where do you start? Not with a specific language or job, but with a path that starts with the fundamentals. Before you learn React, you need to learn the command line, how the web works, JavaScript, understand front end frameworks, and then you can finally learn React.
Learning Alone
Start alone but continue with others.
Pacing and Goal Setting
This is still a struggle for me. I feel like there is so much information I need to learn so I want to know it all, because frankly, until I do, I will feel so behind. I just have to accept that. I have to keep reminding myself that everyone has been where I am. Just slowing down and setting reachable goals will gain huge accomplishments.
Managing Frustrations and Troubleshooting Effectively
1. Read error messages.
2. Get comfortable with not knowing.
3. Struggle, but not for too long.
4. Learn how to ask questions.
There will be some days you read over these and feel like none of this can help un-stick for the super sticky spot your in and that may be the case BUT just try to start practicing these steps and getting familiar will definitely help in the long run.

Entering the World of Coding

Marissa Stinson — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 21:32:55 +0000

Entering the World of Coding

So I can say that I have officially completed my first week of coding school and from what I have been told, since I have written my first code, I can officially call myself a CODER. Yay! So, a week ago, my vision of what this whole experience was going to be like was more like a college setting. I had my binder with my notebook and pens all ready to go and I was going to take as much notes as possible to memorize the terms the teacher would be explaining to the class. Well, I can say that I had my notebook out the first day and quickly realized I wouldn't be using it like I thought I would. Being the daughter of a man who graduated high school in the 80’s and worked his way up in the IT world to become very successful and with a mother who followed right in his footsteps that I would have this IT stuff in the bag right? I mean, they have been ingraining computer this and computer that into my head since I was born. Wrong. I walked in here just as lost as anyone else. This line of study I would say is 85% self teaching and you will hear that a lot as you move forward. Of course, you learn from the videos you watch and the research you do and cant forget about Google, I hear he will be my best friend! The other 15% is for when you are just simply stuck and cant figure it out. Then its okay to reach out. I must say, at first it frightened me a bit. I have always found myself as being more hands on or I suppose I have never been shy to ask for help. Demonstration has always worked good for me which really didn’t make me an expert in self teaching. As the days have gone by, I find myself wanting to just raise my hand and ask for the explanation I need so I can have an instant answer. But no, I have been challenging myself and trying my best to find answers all on my own. Even if that means its one hour later and now my browser has 10 more tabs of things I MUST go back and look more into. What you can learn in this field is endless and there is so much knowledge to obtain. The thing I was sure of before taking this journey was that I would need to practice self-discipline. For the times that I feel stuck or that I am way behind. For the times that I think, what am I getting myself into? Can I do this? That self discipline will help to get through those rough patches as challenging as it will seem. So, a wrap up on my first week entering into the world of coding is something that I have to accept that I will need to constantly be challenging myself to keep up and let alone teach myself if I want to make it far but in the end it is so worth it.