This is the last day before presenting!

I have a lot to get done today:

• Finish up my app
• Check that my github bio is written
• Finish writing this blog post (with “tip” and “reflection” sections)
• Share my github with Lux
• Finish my presentation slides

Phew!

Today I tested my code by comparing the need-to-be-generated results with the actual generated results. I also added comments to outline my code and editted the spacing to make it more readable. I considered rearranging my code so that the defined parts (dictionaries and functions) are at the top, but I concluded that it would make the process of logically following the code harder. And because some of the dictionaries are defined based on the user input, it would not work if they were placed elsewhere. I decided to keep the arrangement I have, because it is arranged in the order of logic/performance, and I think it is the most readable.

My TIP for the future Programming Fundamentals takers: Have a document with your coding notes. This can be organized however you’d like, but I would HIGHLY recommend digital, because command+f has never been more handy during this course. When you’re learning about how to use lists, traits of dictionaries, differences between functions and methods–whatever, if you ever get confused while you’re learning for the first time about it, you’ll definitely be confused about it again when it comes up later.

My other TIP for the future Programming Fundamentals takers: I don’t know if you will have a different structure for the course, but in our class, we had “Trainings” where each of them were a Google Colab Notebook covering a new topic. They were the learning and practicing portions of the course. We also had “Missions” where each of them were a mini test/quest to test your knowledge on the previous Trainings.

But anyways, if you have any documents like Trainings and Missions, keep a document with all of them listed chronologically with their links and a brief description about what they covered. Sometimes you find a situation where you need to code something that you know you’ve coded before but can’t find where it is.

And get started with both of the tips right away. It’s going to make your life so much easier. It takes a lot of time and effort to catch up mid-course–and I bet you you’ll have to.

Reflecting on the semester This past semester of Programming Fundamentals started with an implicit obligation and ended with a heap of python knowledge, as well as a genuine pride for my work and thankfulness to my past self for having taken the course. I think the main non-course material related takeaway from this course was the realization that your dislike is probably not a dislike but an unsupported assumption. I thought I hated coding after taking a looooong unit on html in 5th grade. But clearly I hadn’t really learned anything enough of coding to make that judgement, because I enjoy it now. Another important takeaway is the importance of starting assignments right away (the Mission deadlines always seemed so far away until I was caught procrastinating.) (This is actually another really important tip, but I think many others who took the course will talk about it, so I won’t.)

The potential future steps (after the deadline of this project) are the same as stated in the previous blog post (Day 8).