Commit, Commit, Commit!
I began my software engineering journey just over four weeks ago at Flatiron School. To think that I have already created my very own Command Line Interface (CLI) project already is absolutely mind boggling. I have spent the past week creating, learning and breaking, fixing and breaking my project. It was an incredible challenge, and I am grateful for the lessons I have learned, and quite frankly I am elated that it is complete.
I spent the first few days searching for the perfect API. I ran through a list of API’s and soon realized that there is no such thing as perfect when it comes to API’s. After much trial and error I decided to collect data from this API. It allowed me to pull a list of breweries in the state of California, and utilize that information to create a brewery tour. As a California native and beer lover, this is definitely something I would utilize in my everyday life.It allows you to select a brewery, find out about what type of brewery it is, what city it is located in, as well as provide a link to the brewery’s website. You can bookmark these breweries along the way and add them to your itinerary that you can look at, at any time. Here is a video I have created walking you through the project.
Throughout this week I felt every emotion, excitement, anxiety, frustration, and perseverance. As I mentioned above, I had a rather difficult time starting my project. I felt as though I was wasting a lot of valuable time looking for an API. I had gained my footing, and eagerly got to work. Recalling all of what I had learned in my weeks prior. I kept in mind the focus of showcasing my Ruby Object-Orientation skills. I got out a pen and notebook and physically began drawing my ideal flow chart for how I wanted my project to flow. I am a very visual planner, and feel seeing the idea on paper allows me to better execute my plan.
It was about day three, when I had incurred my first major obstacle. I had gone ahead and opened up my Visual Code Studio, as I did every day, to see a shiny new update begging for my attention. Upon completion, I opened up my project and realized I had made a fatal mistake. I forgot to “commit” my project to my GitHub account. An innocent mistake, as this is my first rodeo, I lost the progress of my project. Which meant I was starting from square one. Git commit is essentially taking a time stamped screenshot of your repository. These also the building blocks to “save points” in Git’s version control. This was the greatest blessing in disguise. While I was devastated that I would be starting from square one, I knew there was no chance of me ever repeating my mistake.
Sitting here and being able to reflect on this past week, I feel so proud of myself. I persevered through having to scrap my project midweek, but I can confidently say my project turned out 100% better than it would originally be. I know the importance of breaking your code, rebuilding it, and breaking it again. Looking for holes within my own code, allowed me to further my true understanding for Ruby.
