I was promised fun. Where is my fun?
We officially started learning ReactJS today in class. Up to this point I had zero exposure to React, so I had no idea what to expect. From all the hype I'd expected it to be a library of pre-written functions that I could just string together and reference in my own project. Instead of having to write out some long-winded string of code that flips two cards, evaluates the faces and determines a match or not, then puts them into a discard pile or flips them back over, I could just use a line or two to reference a function that someone else had already written, plug in my variables and sit back and collect fat paychecks as a Front-End Developer.
It appears that even the easy and fun programming tools are only relatively easy and relatively fun.
Don't get me wrong I can see the potential in learning React as a way to produce efficient, fast and streamlined code. And it was pretty cool to redo my JavaScript clock in React and not even look at my index.html file much less write anything inside of it. But at this point I'm like one of those chimps that is just about to learn how to use a stick to get ants out of a tree. I've got the tool, and I'm pretty sure its useful, but I haven't figured out the best way to wield it.
Actually I've had a lot of those chimp moments in this bootcamp. I'm definitely learning something. But the sponge that is my brain can only hold but so much...the rest is overflowing into the sink and down the drain. The first two weeks of bootcamp were great because I had a few of those "a-ha" moments that kept the momentum of learning going. Nowadays its mostly full of puzzled looks and having to watch online tutorials to supplement the things I just learned in class.
Case in point: it is Monday night and instead of relaxing and watching something on Netflix I am watching Coding Train and Traversey Media on YouTube. I'm currently about 30min into a 2.5hr long video on React. And in some weird twisted way, I'm enjoying it.
I can do without Netflix for a few more weeks, but there are lots of other things going on in my world that do need my attention. I checked the mailbox for the first time in over a week yesterday. My pool is a weird greenish yellow because of being in school or at the gym during the daylight hours. I do meal prep and just realized that I have no lunches prepared for this week. The list goes on and on.
