Odin Project Foundation Course
A hands-on introduction to all of the essential tools you'll need to build real, working websites
A great place to start learning web development
The Odin Project Foundation Course provides an excellent jumpstart into the world of web development, immersing you in hands-on experience right from the beginning.
Tutorial hell medicine
The Odin Project is effective medicine for the tutorial hell problem. I have been there many times, watching another YT video, thinking that I can replicate the process easily. The Odin Project is not about procrastinating by watching videos or reading extensively about web development; it's about actively engaging in the process. The course encourages practical learning using essential tools like IDE (Visual Studio Code), Linux, Terminal, Git, and Github. Throughout the program, you'll delve into extensive documentation, draw your own conclusions, and apply your knowledge by building simple projects.
The internal system
The entire process is documented in the internal system of the Odin Project. It gives you sense of progress and motivate to progress. The scope of the course is divided in chapters. After some of them you have to make real projects in pure HTML, CSS, JavaScript. For me was very important to learn about the basics before jump start into React, Next.js or Object Oriented Programming
- Introduction (How This Course Will Work,Introduction to Web Development, Motivation and Mindset, Asking For Help, Join the Odin Community)
- Prerequisites(Computer Basics, How Does the Web Work?, Installation Overview, Installations, Text Editors, Command Line Basics, Setting up Git)
- Git Basics (Introduction to Git, Git Basics)
- HTML Foundations (Introduction to HTML and CSS, Elements and Tags, HTML Boilerplate, Working with Text, Lists, Links and Images, Commit Messages, Project: Recipes)
- CSS Foundations (Intro to CSS, The Cascade, Inspecting HTML and CSS, The Box Model, Block and Inline)
- Flexbox (Introduction to Flexbox, Growing and Shrinking, Axes, Alignment, Project: Landing Page)
- JavaScript Basics (Fundamentals Part 1, Fundamentals Part 2, JavaScript Developer Tools, Fundamentals Part 3, Problem Solving, Understanding Errors, Project: Rock Paper Scissors, Clean Code, Installing Node.js, Fundamentals Part 4, DOM Manipulation and Events, Revisiting Rock Paper Scissors, Project: Etch-a-Sketch, Fundamentals Part 5, Project: Calculator)
- Conclusion (Choose Your Path Forward)
The sources
In almost every lesson, we are provided with knowledge and instructions from the course authors. Additionally, we are introduced to valuable knowledge sources. These sources often lead us to places where the concepts were born and developed. Following these sources gives us an idea of the complex and lengthy journey that has led to the way web apps are written today. This is not just a simple concept; it is a long story of constant improvement of imperfect languages, tools, and methods.
Someone who believes that this is a fully organized world with a strict way of doing things should quickly reassess their position. This is a very complex world where one idea gives rise to another, and this cycle continues. It is not inherently negative, it is an evolutionary process. However, gaining a holistic understanding of this complexity is very challenging
The environment
I highly value knowledge on how to learn. The Odin Project emphasizes avoiding distractions, such as social media. The Linux environment can help mitigate this issue if we treat it as a dedicated space for learning, without logging into our social media accounts here. Noise distractions can be minimized by using headphones with ANC - an excellent solution. Pomodoro technique is also recommended – learning in sequences of 25 minutes of study followed by 5 minutes of break – significantly enhances efficiency. The Linux Ubuntu has a good Pomodoro app
Summary
After completing all 8 chapters of The Odin Project Foundation, equipped with the right tools, we are poised to embark on a deep dive into the vast world of web development. Thankfully you are now prepared to avoid beginner's mistakes and navigate the tutorial hell confidently. Our journey continues within The Odin Project, where we can choose one of the remaining paths:
- Full Stack Ruby on Rails
- Full Stack JavaScript
I have chosen the Full Stack JavaScript...