Okay, so let me tell you about this little project I tackled, called “tommy junior.” It’s a bit of a mess, but hey, learning is messy, right?
It all started when I thought, “I should probably build something, anything, to keep my skills sharp.” You know how it is – use it or lose it. Plus, I was bored. Really, really bored.
First, I sketched out a super rough idea. I mean, like, napkin-level drawings. Didn’t even use a ruler. The idea was some kind of, uh, thingy that does, well, stuff. Okay, not helpful. Let’s say it’s a system for tracking tasks and projects. Groundbreaking, I know.
Then, I jumped into coding. I decided to use [Framework/Language, e.g., React with *] because I wanted to get better at it. I started by setting up the basic project structure, you know, all those folders and files that seem pointless until you desperately need them.
The first hurdle? Authentication. Ugh. I always dread authentication. I spent a good chunk of time wrestling with [Authentication Library/Method, e.g., * or JWTs]. I read a bunch of tutorials, copied some code (don’t judge!), and eventually got it working. Kind of. It’s probably full of security holes, but hey, it’s a learning project!
Next, I moved on to the database. I chose [Database, e.g., MongoDB] because I heard it was “easy.” Spoiler alert: it wasn’t always easy. I struggled with setting up the schema and writing the queries. I ended up using [ORM/ODM, e.g., Mongoose] to make things a little less painful.
Then came the UI. I decided to use [UI Library/Framework, e.g., Material UI or Bootstrap] because I’m not a designer. I threw together some basic components and wired them up to the backend. It looks…functional. Let’s go with functional.
Of course, nothing worked the first time. I spent hours debugging, googling error messages, and swearing at my computer. I even considered giving up a few times. But I stuck with it, and eventually, things started to come together.
I even tried to add some fancy features, like [Feature, e.g., drag-and-drop task ordering or real-time updates]. That was a disaster. I spent way too much time on it and only got it partially working. I eventually decided to cut my losses and move on.
Finally, I deployed it to [Platform, e.g., Heroku or Netlify]. That was another learning experience. I ran into a bunch of configuration issues and had to tweak a bunch of settings. But eventually, it went live.
So, “tommy junior” is now out there in the wild. It’s buggy, it’s ugly, and it’s probably not very useful. But I learned a ton along the way. I learned about [Specific things learned, e.g., authentication, database design, and deployment]. And that’s what really matters, right?
Lessons Learned:
- Planning is important: Even a rough plan is better than no plan.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help: Google and Stack Overflow are your friends.
- Start small: Don’t try to build the next Facebook on your first project.
- Don’t give up: Even when things get tough, keep going.
- Celebrate your successes: Even small victories are worth celebrating.
Would I do it again? Probably. Even though it was frustrating at times, it was also a lot of fun. And I definitely learned a lot. Maybe next time I’ll build something that’s actually useful. Or maybe I’ll just build another “thingy.” We’ll see.
