Robust or Combust
31 Jan 2024
A Robust mindset
Having a robust mindset in Java refers to the ability of a program to gracefully handle unexpected situations, errors, and edge cases, ensuring the reliability and stability of the software. This can be achieved in many ways such as error or exception handling, strong typing, or various mechanisms to ensure that the code we provide is error free. In this course, there are coding standards that we as students must comply to and make a habit so that it looks professional and easy to read for others. This robust mindset does not only apply to Java but can be applied for this course when following coding standards, and as mentioned before is a healthy habit to follow because it helps us understand structure and how to learn a new language.
Initial struggles
When I was first introduced to using ESLint with IntelliJ back when I took ICS 211, I thought it was very overwhelming at first. Back then till now, there were many iterations of this coding standard which was different for every professor that taught me. It sounded ridiculous at first as there were so many rules you had to follow and I thought that the only purpose of code was for it to work and to ignore everything else. Boy was I wrong. I slowly learned that coding was like writing an essay, it is important to make sure it is concise, gramatically and functionally correct, structured, and in a nutshell pretty to look at.
What using ESLint with IntelliJ taught me
Using ESLint with Intellij taught me a lot of patience. When I used it for the first time, I had code that was prewritten and after applying the ESLint and ics coding standard, there were so many red and yellow underlines in my data types, functions, and even comment blocks just to name a few. It made me very stressed but thankfully the suggestions it provides guided me to show what is the correct way to do it, rather than almost figuring out everything myself. It was definitely rewarding after seeing the green checkmark as I was able to see why this type of coding standard is preferred. The knowledge you gain from each red underline and how to fix it is indispensable and sometimes the mistakes are worth creating just so you know how to fix it in the future.
Conclusion
In conclusion, developing a robust mindset in this course is important not only for following coding standards, but how to effectively handle unexpected situations and errors that come along the way. These are the types of skills that are important as we looks for jobs as our coding will look a lot more professional and appealing for businesses to see and read. Although the coding standards were rigorous at first, it played a crucial role in my development as a computer scientist in learning new languages. Overcoming the initial challenges, maked by red and yellow underlines, not only improved the overall quality of my code but also provided me with a deeper understanding of coding standards that are hopefully permanently etched into my brain. The journey with ESLint and IntelliJ underscored that hte process of learning and adhering to coding standards is a rewarding and indispensable aspect of becoming a proficient programmer.