The most valuable things I learned was
- Realizing that in regards to DOM manipulation, HTML elements are directly accessed through JavaScript itself, and therefore manipulated through it.
- How to interact with an API.
- How to destruct the API and otherwise observe the data that comes in through the API.
- How to write try catch blocks to gracefully handle errors.
- Learning about memory leaks, what causes them, and how to help prevent or fix them.
- Learning that memory leaks were even something you had to worry about in JavaScript at all, because I thought since JavaScript had garbage collection that was automatically managed for us.
The challenges I overcame were:
- Embracing imperfection.
- Forcing myself to download the starter code and code directly along with Hayk/resist the urge to simply watch and not do.
- Reading the documentation for each module.
I plan to use what I've learned to solidify my confidence in API construction and backend development.