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📓 Journal #3

You were asked to keep a journal while going through the program. Each weekend you'll receive a brief journaling assignment in addition to your coding homework. (Review the Journaling at Epicodus lesson for a refresher.)

Journal #3 Prompt​

Spend several moments thinking critically about the following questions, and record brief yet honest responses. Include a date or timestamp and a brief summary of the prompt to refer back to later.

You've undoubtedly experienced tricky bugs in your Epicodus journey so far. This is an unavoidable part of programming. Seriously. Every developer–no matter how experienced–deals with bugs, setbacks, and other issues. We find students are most successful when they're able to turn these issues into learning opportunities.

  • What is it about encountering a difficult task or bug that frustrates you? Do you have any behavior patterns that make solving these problems more difficult? (For example, do you always feel pressured to finish projects quickly, making time setbacks involved in bugs stressful or upsetting? Does being uncertain how to solve a bug evoke feelings of not being 'good' or 'smart' enough?, etc.) List as many as applicable.

  • Conversely, is there anything about tricky bugs or issues you actually enjoy? (It's okay if there isn't, but do you like hunting down the problem? The debugging process? The satisfaction of finally making it work?) Do you have any patterns of behavior that make solving problems easier or less stressful?

  • Review the list of things you find frustrating. For each item, identify something you could try to lessen that frustration, and turn the situation into a productive educational experience. (For instance, if the time setback is what stresses you most about bugs, could you plan on reminding yourself that Epicodus doesn't grade students on the amount of work they finish each day?)

  • Review the list of things you actually find enjoyable about tracking down bugs, if anything. Is there anything you could do to maximize this benefit or enjoyment? List your ideas.

Discussion​

We'll briefly discuss our journal responses to these questions with partners in class. Make sure your responses are recorded before the start of the section!