Learn to program with me!

                So I am sure you are wondering what has kept me busy for the past few weeks since my last post, and that’s a good question. Well, as you have probably already guessed, my time has been filled with practice tests, book reading, and general studying. My next goal is to complete the CompTIA A+ 220-802, which is the second of two exams for my A+ certification. Let me just go ahead and say I could not be more ready to have this completed. The good news is that with all the studying I have done, there is obvious progress being made. When I first started studying for the 220-801, my scores were horrendous. I mean, we’re talking 30%-50% starting out. Now, obviously I was able to improve this, otherwise I would not have completed the test at all. However, it was a very difficult challenge, though equally rewarding.  Well so far through the practice tests, I am starting on a much higher plateau than the first time. The scores are all ranging from 90%-100% for the chapter reviews in my study guide, and the practice tests are all ranging from 80%-90%, which is quite a morale booster to say the least.

                So, in my last post I made mention that I was shooting to take the next exam by the beginning of March, so to allow for elbow room for anything else that may happen along the way. Well, I figure that’s just not quite ambitious enough, so I am moving the deadline up by a month. Therefore, by the beginning of February I should be completely certified. This comes, of course, with mandatory celebration, including but not limited to chaos and mayhem in the name of victory and fun.

                Truthfully, that is not the only thing that has been going on lately. You may notice in the next few months that this page takes a brand new look, and possibly a new URL. Within the past month I have decided that it would be a good idea to try and customize this blog site to better suit what I am trying to accomplish here.  I have been studying copiously thanks to my newest programming resource: Code Academy.

                 This is a one-of-a-kind site, in that not only do they teach you how to code (in various languages, I might add), but they go so far as to hold your hand and walk you through the tutorials, explaining why things work how they do, and showing you how to implement the features they have shown you. The most interesting part of the experience is that for the tutorials, you are building an actual website by a big name company, in this case Airbnb.com. Now, the layout I designed in the tutorial is no longer in use, as it is an old layout, but it serves perfectly to show you how to implement the code, and what types of design are desirable and how. The HTML/CSS course is about 3 hours long, and it goes quite in depth in regards to the code and design layout.

                I started this blog because I was tired of waiting. Why wait to get into school to learn when we live in the age of technology? We have a world of information at our literal fingertips, and there is no reason any of us can say there is no way for us to learn if we really want to. It is to this end that I have decided to change the layout of this site, both to gain some experience and also to see what I can do. This is one of the first things I have ever created with my own hand and mind. I want to see how far I can take this, and what may happen if I do. You don’t know until you try, and that is something I am learning more every day.

                With the new layout there will be some changes, just a few things to streamline the process here. There is currently a resources section (which if you haven’t checked it out yet, there is plenty of fun stuff there), and now there will be a “Tutorials” section. I have attempted many projects through this journey, and now there will be a place where you can search or browse through them, either for something specific or just in general. Anything I have worked on from computer hardware/software repair, malware removal, console repair, etc. will be listed under this section. My hope is that perhaps this will serve to draw others in, but if nothing else it will provide a place for you to see all of my projects (for research or just curiosity).

                In other news, there is one thing I wanted to touch on before I leave this post for the next one. Here lately, there have been some changes happening in my life, and not necessarily bad either. I have come to realize that as humans, we are not invincible, and our time on this earth is very finite. (Yes, it has taken me this long to realize that. Nobody ever said I had the most common sense.) Anyway, with this realization it has occurred to me that there need to be healthier changes in my life to ensure the best life possible. I quit smoking two years ago (woohoo!), and that was my biggest health struggle. Soon to follow was dropping caffeine, now exercising, and eating better, of course. There are also other struggles I am dealing with that are outside the scope of this post, but suffice it to say they are difficult to figure out.

                I say all of this not to complain, but to give you some insight. I never really considered that all of these people who have done great things have done so not at the sacrifice of their health, but quite the opposite. These people make many, many sacrifices, but their health (with a few exceptions) is not one of them. With this realization I have had to make some changes in my own life that have been rather difficult, but that I know are worth it in the end. A little pain now is always better than a lot of pain later.

                We all have our struggles, our demons, our doubts. But what makes you different is how you handle those fears. Do you turn and run? Or do you face them head on, denying any possibility of your own failure, no matter what? How worthwhile is your dream? Are you willing to fight for it? Scratch, hit, draw some blood? Are you willing to change yourself to be the better person you know you need to be? Every single person who is reading this blog has the same potential as myself, and I have faith in every one of you. I started out intellectually with nothing on this journey. I had no idea what I wanted to do, or how to get there. I didn’t even know if it was possible. So let me take leave you with something to think on: it’s possible. Whatever you want, no matter your goal, it’s possible if you are willing to fight for it. Don’t let this world tell you what you deserve. This is your story. You are the main character, and we are all just extras. You are the director, writer, and lead. How is this story going to go? Will it be a tragedy? Or will it be an underdog story? I’ll be honest with you, I would rather watch “Slumdog Millionaire” any day over “Titanic”.