How I tackle ALX tasks
I'll be frank with you, ALX tasks are really difficult, like it or not, you'll do hard things. The curriculum looks fairly easy, the concepts and resources are a bit confusing, but the real issue is the tasks, they are a real pain in the a**.
Here are tips on how I tackle them heads on 🦾
Be up to date
Luckily for us, we have a calendar to guide us. I go through the calendar frequently so I always know what's coming
Prepare ahead
Just knowing what's coming is hardly enough, you gotta know what's coming - gotcha😂.
Seriously speaking though, you have to have insight into what the next concept is about, don't be caught unfresh.
Read/Watch the resources
This one is obvious enough, if you've not been reading the resources, then you'll have to be a genius.
Even more resources
Don't rely only on the resources that's provided for you, do your own research and find out more for yourself.
Praktice
About 20% of your learning would be from resources, the rest would be from actually trying out what you think you understand.
The fun part is, you don't need to understand the resources to practice, practice makes you understand the resources. PRACTICE FAM!!
Don't put too much pressure on yourself
When you're learning something new, don't expect to understand it all at once, give yourself breaks. If you don't take breaks, it's similar to eating then immediately going for a jug. That'll feel very uncomfortable right?
Remember, pressure is good, but excessive pressure does more harm than good
Find a partner (Optional)
Pair programming is one of my biggest secrets. It might look trivial at first, but you'll come to appreciate the process. If you can find someone who's probably on the same knowledge with you, that's perfect.
Borrow from someone else's code
Most times when I do my best and still don't get it, I'll look through someone else's code. I don't just copy and paste the whole thing, I try to understand what the person did and why he did that. I also go further to try and modify the person's code or even write it better.
Please this isn't cheating, before everyone does it at one point or another. You can't be all knowing.
ALX tasks are not there to test what you already know, they are there to teach you. So please, always attempt them.
I hope these tips would be of help to you as we do hard things together 🦾🤍
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Written by
David John
David John
I am a developer actively searching for creative ways to express himself. I spend my working hours solving problems and spend my sleeping hours dreaming.