Dee's Landing Page Project
F.E.N.D. Journey
For as long as I can remember, I have always had the love for tech “toys”, gadgets and cool websites, such as MySpace. I know I know, MySpace may not be a cool website these days, but that sparked my interest in web design and development. Having previously built websites using templates with drag and drop methods, functionality, design and analytics are limited and I did not know how to make adjustments to code. I discovered this Udacity Front End Web Developer program where One Ten was offering scholarships to individuals who applied on their website. I applied and was granted a scholarship in October of 2022 and April of 2023 the program will end.
The goal of the program is to equip learners with unique skills needed to build and develop a variety of websites and applications. In addition to the technical learning, problem solving, collaboration and resources was gained through the community that was formed throughout the program.
Blog Project
The second project required building a BLOG site with no starter code provided and use Hyper Text Markup Language, Cascading Style Sheets and Assets folders. Blog posts, images and buttons & items were required and standout features were optional. I deployed my project to my domain and also connected Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel which are codes provided that would be included in the header of every page. I also included widgets and from Google Calendar & Eventbrite. Easy Peasy!
The most challenging part of that project was getting started. Decision paralysis is real and I could not decide on the design and style I wanted to showcase. Once I began inputting code in my code editor, VS Code, it was up and running then. Using the live server view and the inspect tools were crucial in the design phase, in addition to finding typos too! I always seem to spot them after I push send a commit message in Github.
Shopping Cart
The third project introduced the Javascript language to build a Shopping Cart website. Starter code, content and structure was provided and the project taught students how to turn a static website into an interactive one. A simple website at minimum is built with HTML, CSS & Javascript. There are many other languages for website development and knowing Javascript is great for a beginner to know to create fun and dynamic websites.
The most challenging part of learning Javascript to me is the terminology. Therefore relying heavily on additional resources and others with greater knowledge is essential for growth for a new web developer. Completing this project during the program formed and strengthened the connection for many of us new learners as we began to come together to collaborate and share resources. One of my favorite quotes is the African Proverb: "If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together "
Landing Page: Final Project
The final project of this program includes this Landing Page site you're currently browsing. Minimal starter code was provided by Udacity and this project relies primarily on manipulating the Document Object Model to modify the website contents dynamically. Learning how to use the Chrome developer tools to inspect and debug during the building process is imperative for Front End Website Developers. As well as having stable wi-fi and electricity, but that's a blog post for another day, on my site of course! P.S. Don't forget to visit it if you haven't yet, just look for my name below ;-)
This project was as equally challenging as the previous ones, however I enjoyed discovering the plethora of tools and features that's available in the Chrome tools that's more than the Console. Reading and writing README.md files on Github and the power of community and connections as I continue on this Front End Web Development journey.