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Nicholas Gaerlan
9,501 PointsThe "Real" tracks... where to actually start for a newbie
I've been going through the Flask track because when I first signed up it asked me what I wanted to do, etc... and I went with flask only because starting with Javascript, from what I hear, doesn't teach you good programming habits and Python seems like a modern and general purpose language. That said, I've noticed that when I reached the part where I'm importing from the flask library and starting the flask portion and also during the database portion, I feel a bit lost. HOWEVER, upon looking at the track where one learns Python, it appears at first blush to flow better from section to section. I then looked at the Full stack JavaScript and I think it may be similar.
So to anyone reading this... it might be better to start out learning the language track FIRST and then moving onto an elaboration of that language. For example, I'm also planning on learning Android development, so one would assume you start with the beginner course, but I think I'll find that it's better to complete the Java track first and then move into that Android track. Just my impression. Even though I'm through a good chunk of the beginning of Python I've also decided to try and learn JavaScript and Java at the same time. So instead of learning one, then letting it wane in my memory as I learn another, I'll be keeping the three languages fresh in my memory as I go.
If anyone else out there has found this to be true or has advice for getting through the tracks, I'm all ears :-)
3 Answers
Steven Parker
231,248 PointsEveryone has thier own learning style, and a simultaneous learning process might work for you where a more sequential one might be better for someone else (it would be for me).
But I take exception to the suggestion that JavaScript "doesn't teach you good programming habits". I think any language can be used well or poorly, and possibly because JavaScript is different in some ways from most other languages it might tend to be used poorly more often by people familiar with other languages who don't understand it. But if you learn it correctly, you should develop good programming habits just as you would when learning anything else.
Steven Parker
231,248 PointsI think that may be yet another thing that might be true for some but not others. I don't personally know anyone who learned JavaScript as their first language, but since it's the most widely used language in the world I would imagine that happens more frequently all the time.
Marius Posogan
11,184 PointsHi Nick, great to find you here!
Nicholas Gaerlan
9,501 PointsNicholas Gaerlan
9,501 Pointsthere are probably editors out there that take JavaScript code and then at the click of a button, format it with uniform indents and spacing and grouping global variables in one spot etc. So it's probably a non-issue. I can't say personally that starting with any one language is best since I'm brand new at it. Other developers though, have advised in retrospect that it should be easier to transition from an OOP language (all of the C's, Java, Python, Swift, etc) into JS than it will be to start with JS and then learn an OOP. I have zero clue if it's actually true, but I've come across that sentiment a lot.
I'm definitely not suggesting that part about learning 3 languages concurrently. That's just my own thing. The main take away here is that I've noticed some of these Tracks would be better if you start with the language track first and then tackle some kind of track that uses the language afterward.