Blog Reader App: How Proficient Should I be at this Point?

Although i completed the IOS course rather than the android one. Ive had experience with app prototyping but never fully coded something. It was easy to follow along the courses and get the hang of looking things up but i didnt feel like i fully grasped or couldn't follow the lingo at some points. So i deviated a little bit and went through the web design courses and the same thing happened, im now working as a freelance front-end developer and still learning but the best way to learn these projects was to practise my own projects without treehouse help as much as possible.

This way ive been able to prove myself in other areas although treehouse has been a necessity throughout my learning!

Your question reminded me of something similar I had asked my computer professor many years ago of what defines a Genius Programmer. This is what he told me "Learning programming is like learning how to play a guitar. You start with learning the basic chords and you grow on it only through practice. Just as its a myth that one has to spend a given number of years to become the best guitarist so goes the notion in programming. There is NO! such thing as a Genius programmer. It's a myth again. Like music, programming is more about trial and error, mixing and matching ideas to see what comes out"
He was by far one of my favourite teacher. He might be a little happy high over wine the day he told me this :) but its indeed true if you come to think it. I've been programming for last 8 years now and the only reason I joined treehouse was to explore on the more commercial elements to programming in terms of ios and android . I have started using the android track myself and still making minor mistakes here and there on the first set. You on the other hand have come a long way of making your own blog reader app. However, I guess two weeks is being too optimistic to judge your competency. Get equipped and practice for at least a month and a half and then try the assessment. I'm sure you will see the difference

Android/iOS development is comparatively hard compared to web development when you're first starting out with no previous programming experience. Just to make sure - when going through the TreeHouse videos, you are using the provided project files and typing along as the tutorial plays, and running your app in the simulator? This helps you retain the knowledge much better and you will have solid code to reference in the future when you're doing your own projects. Also Eclipse and/or Android Studio are great tools and will give you hints when you have errors, etc.

You might want to think of a relatively simple app idea and see if you can create it from scratch using your current knowledge. Having a goal (like "I want to develop this type of app") can really motivate you to learn faster. The official Android Developer site has tons of good documentation on app design as well as code: http://developer.android.com/index.html

Also, it's amazing what you can find on the internet if you can search with the right terms! You've probably run across that "Stack Overflow" site by now, it's a great resource for solving programming problems.

Sam, thanks for the tips. There are a few things I have in mind as far as apps go and I'm going to start off as simple as I can then work my way up in complexity. Funny you mentioned moving to another track because I considered that for a minute but figured I'd probably do the same thing you do, bouncing between one and another. Did you learn web development off of online sources like treehouse or a formal education? Eventually I'd like to be able to take on freelancing as well.

Chris, I'm using the project files and going along with the videos inside of eclipse. What I've started doing recently is watching the video once without doing anything so I can better understand what's going on than spending time trying to see what's being typed, then the second time around I'll start coding along with the video. The dev site has been a great help, it's helpful for me to see the workings of the code as I go along. I think what I'll try to do as a simple project is something using the onClickListener and other things we used in the crystal ball app. The key thing for me right now is staying motivated as the material gets more complex. Thanks for the reply!

You have a good question, I just want to add something that I think has been missed. I use treehouse as a supplement to my course work for school. Now does that mean you need a degree to learn code? No. In fact, 20% of Google's workforce does not maintain a degree. That being said, with a constant desire to learn code and new tricks that may follow, you'll do just fine. I do suggest however learning the basic syntax, or lingo, of Java. This is absolutely necessary to proceed. So to end my rant, use treehouse as a learning supplement, the rest of your time should be spent practicing (Java in your case) on your own. After all, how can humans speak a language if they don't know the basics?

You have a good question, I just want to add something that I think has been missed. I use treehouse as a supplement to my course work for school. Now does that mean you need a degree to learn code? No. In fact, 20% of Google's workforce does not maintain a degree. That being said, with a constant desire to learn code and new tricks that may follow, you'll do just fine. I do suggest however learning the basic syntax, or lingo, of Java. This is absolutely necessary to proceed. So to end my rant, use treehouse as a learning supplement, the rest of your time should be spent practicing (Java in your case) on your own. After all, how can humans speak a language if they don't know the basics?

Chad, I've been doing the same thing as you. Watch the video's once, then following along in eclipse the second time. I've actually done the app twice. For some reason the second time around everything began to sink in. I may do it a third down the road for the hell of it. Practice , practice.