• Understand what to expect in Phase 1

Welcome to the the start of Phase 1 — our core JavaScript content! What you've done so far is no small feat. There is much more ahead, but you're well on your way!

If you completed the prework, you will see a number of those lessons and labs repeated here in Phase 1. This is content that we feel is especially important to review before you move forward. If you feel comfortable with the content, you are free to skim or move on.

Note: If you have already completed the prework labs but would like to redo any of them for practice, you will need to delete your current fork of the repo from your GitHub account and fork it again.

You will see below an image that illustrates the stages of learning that each of us goes through, at least when it comes to programming:

1. START: You don't know what the road to knowledge looks like.

2. SECOND: You've learned what the road looks like, and consequently you know you're rather far from your end goal.

3. THIRD: You're working toward the goal via the road, acknowledging an increase in knowledge along the way.

4. GOAL: You got to the goal and moved on to other roads, taking the knowledge with you!

You will see below an image that illustrates the emotional journey of creating anything great. We want you to take a look at this because there is much that you and your cohort mates can take away from it as you enter the most intensive of the five modules:

1. The first point we want share with you is that it is normal to feel the weight of Phase 1 (and the entire program) on your shoulders — you will not be alone in however you will be feeling. Many students are actively going through the same thing. Lean on each other! We encourage you to find others at the same place in the course as you and make time to work together towards your shared goals.

2. The second point we want to share with you is that you should try to be aware of where you find yourself mentally and emotionally, and should act accordingly to attempt to stay out of the dark swamp. Lean on family, and remember to have confidence in your support system. If the administrative support system available to you is not clear, talk to an instructor and a meeting can be arranged with the two of you and an administrator such as the Senior Program Manager.

We know JavaScript is new to most (if not all) of you. It is not unusual, when a student gets to the second step of "The Stages of Learning" and sees how long that road is, to feel discouraged. If you feel that happening to you, keep the above two points in mind and also keep confidence in the curriculum: it is a thoroughly crafted, thoroughly tested, and further refined system that is designed to get you ready for the workforce!

1. Read the Error
2. Google the Problem
3. Ask a Neighbor
4. Ask an Instructor

• Learning JavaScript can be difficult because it is a language with many quirks and a large vocabulary.
• The material for this module requires increased use of critical thinking and problem solving skills. You cannot pattern match to solve the labs. Your priority should be drilling down and understanding the underlying concepts, not just passing the tests.
• Test your code often! As you code, you should be regularly checking your assumptions about what your code is doing against what it's actually telling the browser to do. Continually ask yourself what your code is doing and why it is doing it.
• One topic does not always flow into the other. This is because JavaScript has many moving parts.
• Going forward, not all assignments will have tests. There will be some that are more open-ended. These are provided to allow you to practice applying concepts without being restricted to a specific design. You will need to use your judgment to determine how much time you should spend working on this content.

We want to empower you to take control of your own learning. This means learning to teach yourself how to approach new topics, debug, and find the answers to conceptual questions.

For this reason, instructors may steer you towards resources, rather than answer your questions directly. We aren’t avoiding the question; we want to see if you can read documentation and become a Google-ing boss. These are the skills you will need in your first job!