Quick Introduction

Hi, I’m Joshua, aka. firstChairCoder. I am a mobile developer primarily using React Native to build beautiful user interfaces and create cross-platform apps that can retain much of the look and feel of a native app.

Working on a myriad of tasks while still being relatively new to the technology enables me to come across a whole range of features that the React Native framework and the larger developer community provides. I’ve had such good fun with all of it, so much so that I decided to pursue mobile development as a full-time career, looking for opportunities that will utilize React Native in their tech stacks.

Why I write

There are numerous online blogs at this time (Medium, DEV Community, hashnode ("no duh"), WordPress, and micro-blog platforms to name a few.) I have been collecting my thoughts in writing on a general level for quite some time now. It has been very beneficial for these reasons that I believe will equally apply from a developer perspective:

• Writing aids understanding:

Writing is a way to crystallize thoughts in your mind.

Have you ever gotten to the point where you try to explain a concept you assume you have a very good idea about and just can’t bring out enough words in a stream to show your grasp of the topic?

Or do you know it in such “low-level language” that if you tried to “dumb” it down, it would sound condescending, if still not understood?

This is a challenge I see many developers face, regardless of experience. Being able to “vomit” your thoughts (as I read author Tim Ferris describe it once) on a sheet of paper helps to aggregate those “clumps” into more coagent streams of speech.

• Writing as mental catharsis:

The growing pains when one begins on the path of learning a new programming language, particularly with the aim of turning it into a career is one I have experienced these past months. In software development, the adage “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know” fits the whole experience so succinctly. It is a constantly changing environment where you have to keep tabs on a myriad of topics and ways of accomplishing tasks that are just as mutable.

Being overwhelmed at some point... or multiple points like yours truly is simply a given.

I have found that particularly as a “newbie” of sorts, the benefits of putting pen to paper (or finger to key /screen as your case may be) not only help learning, but ease mental stress during this time.

Also, a key characteristic of any competent developer is continuous learning. To be able to document your learnings simply helps any developer in accomplishing this by continual reflection on the subject matter(s).

Blog structure

This blog will generally serve to be a documentation of things I learn to do with programming languages over time. At the moment, I am keen on becoming a professional mobile developer after having taking on some work on the side and internship(s). The primary language I employ right now is React Native so that is specifically what I will focus on, but will keep a general outlook on JavaScript (JS) from time to time.

One thing that could be inadvertently intimidating in software development is the plethora of options that are designed to be of help. There are numerous YouTube videos, a ton of online articles and a whole lot of courses that you can go through. Working your way through any or all of these methods could be a source of inertia on your way to mastery of any particular language.

I intend to sift through these here on this blog. I see no reason to repeat information that another person has already provided in a very comprehensible format. So this platform will act as a links basket that can provide quick links to any such fix without having to wade through the mountain of options (which may be equally helpful in truth). I like the idea of Richard Feynman and explaining simply, so I could further break down any concepts from these videos and links shown here just to sort of extract the crucial knowledge required in quick spurts.

I mentioned earlier of working through a number of tasks in my programming journey. This will be a recording of such tasks with clear-cut solutions to help me in case they come up in future, and I don’t remember anymore. I will try to organize this blog effectively enough in time, to enable others benefit from this as well.

The primary person these articles are meant to serve is yours truly. But as the "philosopher" Marshall Mathers once said, “...But if one kid out of a hundred million Who are going through a struggle feels it and relates, that's great.”

Purpose of this online blog;

Putting this on a public platform like (insert wherever you are reading this on) is mainly has three objectives / prospects in mind:

• I would like to see how my writing style evolves around a different structure than I am used to. My private journaling favors the essay type of structure, where one can start from a point and meander through different streams of thought while keeping to the centrality of the topic given. Technical writing (and developer blog posts from what I have scoured) are not that type exactly. I am of the "Consistency is Key" school and really like watching growth patterns in an area over a stretch of time (particularly when I am not the subject but, oh well.)

• The second reason ties to something I alluded to above, but I would like to see how much I can keep to writing 2 articles at least per week on the structure I have decided to write with.

This is a good enough time to introduce the #2Articles1Week challenge on hashnode. Read more here. I think it is a great way to get people sharing their experiences and getting better writing in general.

Sidenote: I applied for this challenge a month ago, and am just starting now. So, please don't hold back from committing. I do hope you do better than me.😅

• Given that I am in the midst of a career change and my mentor has recommended this to have been done a while ago, I would like to see how I work this into my personal brand in a professional software developer setting. I am intrigued by the concept of selling yourself and enjoys books and talks and real life implementations of the subject.

Nothing is set in stone, so a public, long-lasting system like the Internet is bound to have it's changes over time, even as I have changed over time, and will continue to.

I thank you for reading through. Here’s to many more of articles. Cheers 🎩.

Photo credits:

1. Photo by Alena Koval on Pexels.
2. Photo by Matthias Groeneveld on Pexels.