Along the Way
I was excited for this class. I have been coding in HTML for some time now, and while I never had any formal training, I really wanted to drill in and tackle some of the more in depth attributes and properties to HTML. It was my goal to learn how to do layouts with HTML and CSS much faster than in the past due to missing knowledge about the language. What I learned surprised me more than I thought it would.
I definitely picked up some knowledge that I didn't have before, but I was most surprised to learn that what I knew about HTML was pretty accurate already! It was a good affirmation of some skills I had that I have not been confident leading up to this class, so more than knoweledge, I picked up some confidence that I could learn this stuff and be successful.
The Light Came On
My biggest "Aha!" moment, though, came with something small. I never used the "< th >" tag before, and didn't even realize it was a formatting type of tag for tables! As I learned that, I thought of many hours I spent trying to format table headings using only HTML. Frustation! Now I know I can use a tag that is already made for exactly that!
It's interesting to me how far technology has come. When I first started coding websites, I learned tables ad nauseum and got pretty good at those. But I always had trouble with the DOCTYPE definition statement. There used to be various things you could use, and sometimes, the definition would cause rendering issues. It seemed like a challenge to get a website to display correctly on different browsers, but even different screens. Do I use transitional or strict? It was never clear to me, but I finally learned what they mean in this class, and now, much to my amusement, the DOCTYPE statement has become so simple. What a relief! I thought I was going to have to do a few chapters worth of labs on that one!
Opportunity and Blessings
Having the opportunity to learn something I was already having fun with (HTML) in a structured environment has pushed me to stretch and really roll up my sleeves. I have always wanted to attend college, but timing and, of course, money have always been prohibitive. I have always made too much money to allow a grant of any kind, but never enough to do more than just get by. It was frustrating
Ironically, losing a job was the best thing that could have happened to me. Having worked most of my life, when I lost my job about one year ago from today, I filed for unemployment and was awarded. I decided to take a couple of months off work to enjoy some much needed relaxatoin and reflection when the Unemployment Office called me to do a class they put on. It was during this time I learned about the Worker Retraining Program and decided to give it a shot. I am now in my third quarter and I love this opportunity. I feel blessed.
I look forward to Mondays for this class. When I'm done with all my assignments, I get sad. I love the on-line nature of the class as it sits well with my introvert personality. The instructor, Louis Ho, is very responsive, so if I have questions, I just have to send and email. Usually I get a response within 10-15 minutes.
Halfway There
One of the most important things about CIS 241 is that your instructor is going to be there to help. I know there are people in my class that have little to no experience with web design. It makes things challenging if you are just venturing into this field, but you can be sure that the instructor is not a slacker. I am often surprised at the level of communication and assistance the instructor gives.
In some of my classes, I have teachers that don't respond as often or as quickly, and while they do respond and are helpful, I think that Louis is really excited about teaching and passionate about the class, so if you have questions, you will get answers, and that's nice.
I wish there was more in class time for this course because I learn easier by listening and doing, but I have no complaints. I am very excited to move on to my fourth quarter of classes. That will make one year on my way to a two year degree! Half way there.
