I would like to know if I am expected to memorize coding in a workspace or am I allow to fall into references whenever I am unsure.
In a week of non-stop self learning, I feel I can understand the basics html and CSS, but am I required to memorize every single code once I get a position in this field or is it fair to use references to provide you the edge to finish your development. I was always under the impression you had to hand-code everything but I am wondering if I’ll be looked as less of a developer if I fall to references. Understanding that if I do memorize most things, it will save me the time it will take me to code something but I don’t want to feel penalized if I need to refer back to a code because I need refresh myself.
This Programmers question held a lot of good answers, but they don’t quite fit for me. My role is as a graphic designer/illustrator not a developer, and I am still relative new with how the process works. I’ll definitely like a strong input to make sure I go along the right path in my learnings Because HTML and CSS are just a starting point, I want to excel in other areas as well.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post.
P.S (if you have any other additional references or advice, I’ll gladly appreciate it)
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You don’t need to waste time memorizing the precise particulars of any computer language. learn the basic syntax, get a handle on your defence documentation, and start creating. Memorization will occur by itself, as you find yourself remembering the details of css or html after looking them up for the Nth time.
Do get in the habit of doing small things yourself to observe behavior and result, though. In both markup and programming, too often I’ve seen things done by rote or by guessing, instead of doing a clean test to ensure the basic behavior is as expected.
Programmers are not human encyclopedias. We remember what we use often, and we keep actual encyclopedias nearby for what we don’t. I consider myself a “veteran” C# coder, and there are things I Google every day to do my job. That’s probably one of the hallmarks of a veteran; that he knows what he doesn’t know, and where to find it.
The only reason you’d memorize as much technical detail you could is for the same reason any grade-schooler would; to pass an upcoming test. MS certification tests are full of this kind of crap, requiring you to memorize the order of parameters of obscure built-in method calls you typically code once, in a general-purpose library, before moving on to more interesting things. This is one of the reasons I don’t like certification tests and don’t think the resulting titles are worth much; all they prove is that you have managed to ingrain into your brain the same knowledge the IDE itself could tell you in two seconds.
What you usually need to know, given a basic intuitive grasp of how to program, are the basic rules around whatever language you’re studying; structure, syntax, formatting and naming conventions, and a few best practices. That allows you to read code in that language, and to maintain it. From there, the reference books or online resources will tell you what the code doesn’t, and that’s what else you could do.
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I’m not entirely sure there’s a question here, but I’ll take a stab at it.
- This is a profession. Some of us have been at this for 30+ years and are still learning. What’s a week compared to that?
- The code (syntax, language, rules, etc) is easier to remember with practice. Someone experienced with Photoshop can probably fly through that app 1000 times faster than I can. Why should this be different?
- Build something small using only a few tools (perhaps just html & css for starters). Learn from it, then build something bigger.
- Repeat #3 a lot.
- Ask a lot of good questions. See SSCCE.org and What have you tried? for some good info on how to ask a good question (hint: it’s really hard, but important)
- Repeat #5 a lot
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Programmers’ virtues include lazyness. HTML and CSS are not programming, but the same principle applies. Learn to use specifications and reliable references. Stay out of w3chools; see http://w3fools.com
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