What is the DOM, Responsive Website, and My Future in Coding
What is the DOM? The Document Object Model (DOM) is a programming interface for HTML and XML(Extensible Markup Language) documents. It defines the logical structure of documents and the way a document is accessed and manipulated. DOM is a way to represent the webpage in the structured hierarchical way so that it will become easier for programmers and users to glide through the document. With DOM, we can easily access and manipulate tags, IDs, classes, attributes, or elements using commands or methods provided by document object.
In class we learned to structure our first responsive webpage. We went from a webpage to a phone view, which was really simple. The idea is to put rules to the elements where it will reduce to the size of a phone screen if the display gets smaller. These rules can change how the element looks completely from both perspectives and it is a neat trick. It is recommended that we begin with the phone structure and work our way up. The mobile-first strategy comes in handy for many reasons. I think about how so many people now have access to a cellphone or use a cellphone as their main source of information. People are always on their phone browsers or using apps, making it a more demanding structure as cellphones have become more accessible to everyone.
Coding has been really fun to learn but has also proven to be quite difficult to grasp some ideas. I have always needed to fully understand something in order to feel confident about something, and that is especially the case with coding. I am paying so much attention to the detail that is hindering my progress a bit, especially at the beginning. Although it seems tedious, I know fully understanding concepts will help me gain confidence in the things I will be doing in the future. It has been a while since I have challenged my mind in a such a way that coding has challenged me and it was a great feeling. At times I feel stressed mainly because I am having to work constantly and I have to try to fit in academics in a tight schedule, but I never feel too stressed from learning, I actually welcome it. If I could, I would focus more attention to school if I did not have to work so often. It would be nice to have all the time I needed to learn at a comfortable pace but I know the time I invest now will pay off for me in the future when I am done with the coding boot camp.
I have begun to interpret code differently as it begins to make more sense to me. I can begin to imagine what my CSS styles will affect my HTML, and wireframing has helped me breakdown the HTML to a structure that is easy to work with. I can look at a webpage and start assuming the structure and styles that they are using. It has become more evident how a lot of technology that we use is surrounded by codes and rules that effect the mechanic of a program or software. When my alarm woke me up this morning, my mind began to think about the possible structure as to why the alarm was going off and what rules may be applied to it, almost as if it was sub-consciously stuck in this coding mentality. At times it seems weird, but I also like the effect it is having on me and how it is helping me become a better coder. When I first started, it was hard to understand an HTML page or a Styles sheet, but now it is almost becoming second nature to me to interpret code and imagine what it will look like. The more I study, there better it becomes.
A year from now, if I continue to invest in myself and study everyday at this pace, I can see myself working for a great company in the coding field. I am not sure what exactly it is I will be doing as I am still learning all the different things someone can do with a coding background. There are a multitude of jobs and they are all different. I want to play at my strengths and determine what it is I will be good at while also figuring out what I will enjoy doing. I do know that I would enjoy working for a video game development team or anything to do with videogames since gaming is one of my passions. With only two weeks into my coding boot-camp, I have learned about the diversity of jobs that this field has and having options is exciting. Also, knowing that this market is in demands of coders makes me feel secure in my future. I still have a lot to learn and I can’t wait to see where coding will take me.