Today I completed and submitted my video editing unit assignment. I only ran into one problem where I couldn't write links in my description as I have to verify my identity through google first. So I put a place holder instead explaining why so I hope it gets accepted since one of the criteria is out of my control. For music production is seems like the best intro software to use is Ableton. It comes with a lot of sounds that you can use and the UI isn't too hard to navigate through. I also learned about chord progressions and I still don't understand that part too well. I also learned about tempo and more specifically using it in conjunction with a scene in a film to really bring out more life and emotion out of the audience. There is so much more to music logistically and mentally than I could ever think about.
Today I learned that you don't need all the expensive equipment in the world to start making your ow music. Yes it probably makes some tasks easier and makes the audio quality better but it's not a necessity. Anyone can make music from their laptop right at home. You don't even need instruments, you can just use your vocals and modify them in the software to produce your own entirely unique sounds. You can even make mashups which is taking two or more songs/tracks and splicing them and mixing them up together to get an entirely different song. The options that you have are limitless, you can make anything you want. That's not all you can do to work in the music business. There are more other career options out there such as being a recording engineer, video/sound engineer, music teacher, and many more. It's much more easier to breakout now and get your name out there thanks to social media. Back then you had to rely on being spotted/discovered by an agent, but now anyone can gain a following just by exposing yourself online and showing what you are capable of. I myself think that I wouldn't have been able to find at least 90% of the artist I listen to without social media or platforms like YouTube/Spotify. The internet really changed the entirety of this field. I also learned a bit more of the technical aspects, such as what midi keyboards/devices are, different types of file formats for music, lossy/lossless compression types for these files, and different programs you can use to make music. There's also music theory which I like to describe as, math but for music. That seems like the biggest step to make to train the ear and brain into a musician's ear/brain.
Today I did some hands on learning/tutorials on machine learning. I read the first the tutorial and I started working on the second one and I am not going to lie, it's REALLY hard and tedious. I am not sure if I am going to continue as it's really overwhelming and don't know if I'll have that much time to complete the unit within graduation time. I will try to continue to do it and do as much as I can before then. I gave up like midway through the tutorial and decided to see what was up ahead and discover more. I mostly wanted to see if it was for me but it might not be. I never liked working with large amounts of data sets and AI/ML seems to use it a lot to make sure that it's working. I can also see it requires more math than other coding professions as you need to plot out your data and results and do load and loads of tests. This isn't really my strong suit but I'll keep trying and see how far I can get. I wish I could say more but most of my struggles involved the problems I said above and prevented me from going more further than I would like to.
To make AI you have to be able to think algorithmically and be able to understand different types of algorithmic learning that is commonly used in AI. An algorithm in the shortest and simplest of words are instructions to solve a problem effectively. How do you do this? Well, you plan out your thinking and define your goal clearly. Figure out what steps need to be taken and break them down into their own smaller subsets of problems. Solve these smaller problems and gradually use their solutions to solve the bigger problem and eventually find ways to make the problem solving more efficient and quick. This is usually the sort of process that is used to make a simple AI and if you learn to think like this then building AI will be a breeze and it can even help you in other aspects of your life. After learning about this, I did more hands on experience with Python as it's almost a necessity to develop AI and to freshen up my skills as I rarely used Python in any of my projects so far.
Today I learned about three more cross platform development environments: React Native, Buildfire, and Google Flutter. Buildfire is very interesting as it does not require any coding experience whatsoever is more of a drag and drop. I can't see Buildfire being used for games but I can see it being used for social apps, marketplaces, or anything with a simple concept. React Native is built ono JavaScript so for frontend web developers this would surely be far more easier as you can easily translate your experience over very easily. Obviously there will be different functions but that shouldn't be too difficult to get the hang of. It looks very similar to working with html. There is also Flutter by Google which is quickly gaining more popularity and it's primarily written in Dart which is similar to C and C++. I don't use C or C++ at all so choosing a route through this will be more difficult for me. I did try doing the code lab and had various degrees of success but overall I would not choose this to make my app as I lack experience. For monetization I learned how to add app purchases and ads as well as monetization models/strategies. I reviewed the code lab on how to use google pay in your app and well that's just one method of adding payment and it seemed pretty lengthy of a process just for one method. I have made purchases before on an app and there are times where the app opens up to a paypal screen or in Amazon it has integrated support. Hopefully, the process is very similar when trying to add something different like apple pay. Some monetization methods I learned is making the user be addicted to your app. I can only see this being used in social media and games as other types of apps will struggle to do this and have very little options for in app payments. Translating apps are a pretty good example. You probably never open that app and there is nothing to really make the user pay for unless you want to limit the amount of translations per month but competitors such as google are free so an app like that will surely die. Overall, the app market is very competitive and it'll be hard to be able to break in to an already established market.
Today I leaned about mobile app development and how to code them for iOS and Android. Having recently completing the web development unit, I can tell that this is very similar and even learned that I can use the languages and skills that I learned from front end web development here as well. Using Adobe PhoneGap makes this possible and it even works for cross platform development which means that you don't need to code two separate apps in different languages and only need to code the app once. There are drawbacks to this though as speed and efficiency might be downgraded and the fact that each phone has different internals so needing to use the camera won't work the same way on iOS and Android. But all this aside you can easily use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to make an app on PhoneGap. There are many more languages and IDEs that I never heard about that are being specifically used to make apps. It just seems that overall everything feels more modular compared to computer and web coding. It feels like being a app developer is much more overwhelming than being a web developer. There are way more options and it doesn't feel like there is a go to option unlike in web development where it's usually just HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
I am very close to finishing my video editing unit project, I am missing at least 10 seconds, the reason I stopped is because I want to use my main computer and not my laptop to record my voice as it has a better microphone. I will do that during my free time today and finish up tomorrow and upload it. So in turn, I decided to explore ways that I can immediately earn income starting today. Taking surveys seems like the easiest approach to earn a bit of pocket change as well as amazon mechanical turk. For amazon there is this really easy task you can do where you just copy what you see on receipts and and submit to earn some pocket change. You do a certain amount in a row and it can be a decent side hustle to earn some cash to buy a meal once in a while. There is also doing surveys, there are a multitude of websites that allow you to do surveys for a couple of minutes and pay you 40 cents to 2 dollars once completed. Some of the more difficult immediate income methods are being a translator, proofreading, and being a transcriber. You can be fluent in two languages but that doesn't mean you're really fit to be a translator. This is coming from personal experience in both English and Spanish. It's hard to instantly think of the correct words and structure to use when trying to translate and it'll take time to get used to and be really fast at it. Proofreading requires a bit of grammatical knowledge and it may be hard for some to spot out some really picky errors, so you need to have a keen eye and understanding of grammar. Grammar is not all, being able to find weird sentence structure and hinders readability may also be required. Making the piece of text flow nicely and be read nicely. Transcribing is kind of like translating, it just depends on how fast and consistent you are in order to profit the most out of it.
Today at techie youth I mostly worked instead of learning. I was on premiere pro and tinkering and getting comfortable with the program trying to complete my unit assignment. I had some trouble with my shortcuts and messed up a lot but that's normal when first using something you're not used to. I might be able to finish by tomorrow or in two days at minimum. I tried experimenting with J and L cuts as I had ideas on how to use them in my video so to do that I practiced making some with random clips. In short, I had some bumps but I overcame them and everything seems fine now.
Today I learned the fundamentals of how to become a freelance editor and I started working on my techie youth unit assignment. One way of getting hired is through sending emails or submitting letters to ads. This choice is probably the most difficult to get results with as you don't have any sort of backing, it's just your word, and you and the client are pretty much strangers. There is no foundation of trust or any foundation to build on. Although, if you incorporate to build a foundation such as offering a free editing job, then you can potentially build a strong foundation and showcase your skills at the same time. If successful, this could lead to more options later down by recommendations and word spreads by about you and your work. If you do nail a job then always be professional and polite, try to give frequent updates about your work as the employer might be interested to see where your at or see what work you have done so far. Make sure to have a clear understanding of the deadline and how much work you have to put in before that deadline to negotiate prices. You don't want to accept a job and be paid little for something that took up a lot of your time and energy. As for my unit assignment, I am trying to make a short video on Techie Youth that will be around 2-5 minutes in length that's kind of like a trailer type style that quickly briefs and introduces people to a goal of Techie Youth. (I haven't picked one out yet)
Today I learned how to structure and organize all my files when editing. Doing this may seem like a waste a first but organizing them into pictures, videos, audio, etc. can really help crunch down on the time it takes you to edit in the long run. This is especially true when it comes to much larger projects that have a multitude of files. So, instead of going through an endless amount of files to find one buried among the others, you can just go through your organized file tree and easily save yourself the time of having to find it. This doesn't just have to apply to media files only, in Premiere Pro you have the ability to save color gradings and other effects to quickly apply them to current or future products. For example, let's say you have two rooms where you record a lot and upload to YouTube. One room may need different color grading settings then another and you transition a lot between these two rooms. Instead of having to copy paste the settings every time or having to tweak them manually, you can just drag and drop the from the Favorites folder where you save all your effects. I also learned about setting key binds to save yourself from making three clicks and only have to press one button. I also learned many other smaller tips such as quickly copying and pasting without having to ctrl+c and ctrl+v every time. I learned about which settings are usually the best to use to export your videos for services such as YouTube. Premiere Pro essentially is very modular and has endless amounts of customizable settings and tools with a lot of tips and tricks that you can learn to make editing far less stressful.
Today I finished my web development unit project but I am unable to submit as of now since I am having trouble hosting it. I will do this on my own spare time as I didn't want to waste more time figuring out how to do it during. I learned color grading but I am still confused as to when I should do it or what I should be looking for when color grading. The videos felt like I should already know some terminology and have some experience with editing so it was a bit hard to keep up and understanding what I should be doing. I also watched a crash course on final cut pro, I kind of understand it a little. But it's a crash course so it gives quick summaries and only feeds you the most basic knowledge on how to use Final Cut Pro, such as the timeline and cuts. hopefully the more longer full class video will provide me with more in-depth instruction and knowledge.
Today I started working on my web developer unit project. I went with doing a wordpress website that I will try to complete by tomorrow. I did this for 3 hours today and got tired halfway through so I decided to start the video editing unit which is the next unit I am gonna work on. I should hopefully be done by tomorrow and fully start the video editing unit. For the video editing unit I learn about the different types of cuts and from what I gained, it seems like L and J cuts along with invisible cuts are widely used and I never though about them when watching movies until now. the fact that I did not notice them means they worked, they did their job perfectly. These cuts are meant to be a more natural cut without anything that's too jarring. Unlike the smash cut where that's mostly used to build up suspense or lower it. There were far more other cuts that I cannot list off the top of my head but those were the ones that stuck with me the most.
Today at techie youth I learned about Java. I already had some prior experience with Java but I have forgotten some things so the video and the Hour of Code practice really jogged my memory again. The Hour of Code reminded me of something I did back in High School that was pretty much the same. We had to use Java to make shapes and build something out of these shapes on a canvas. The function names and use of arguments were exactly the same. You had the name of the shape you wanted followed by the x and y axis of where you wanted it to be on the canvas and after you list the height and width. Though I never actually got to do the animation portion in High School so doing it here was something new. I was able to make the shape follow and place a copy of itself wherever I moved my cursor on the canvas by using void draw and void setup. The video covered a lot of the functions and techniques that I already knew but also had some I didn't know about, such as, escape sequences, formatting numbers and using breaks in loops. I did not know about nay of this before. The video also went through using the code and applying it into real world uses. One of these was a mortgage and someone could realistically use in the real world. This could be bundled into a program or even used online. The rest of the videos were about getting hired as a web developer and went over ways to expose yourself and explain how the hiring process will work when trying to apply as a web developer. Having a portfolio with projects you done are some of the best ways to prove your worth. It shows that you have experience and are fully capable. You might want to host these on and online portfolio with your own domain and website, it not necessarily required but it makes you look more professional and puts you a cut above the rest. Make sure your website also has enough content, you don't just want one page and that being your only page. Have an about me section and an experience section. A place to maybe link to your github and other important places such as linkedin. The place where you showcase your work should include a short summary of what you project does and maybe even have a live version so the employer can test it themselves. All of this and even more can greatly increases your chances of nailing the job or even have the jobs come to you if you link your portfolio on places such as LinkedIn.
Today I finished the Python tutorial video and played the Ozaria game. The last part of the Python intro video had more advanced functions and it even went into machine learning and using Python to build a website using django. I went through the process of using pip in order to install user made packages and use the modules provided with them. This is helpful since your idea has probably already been made and it will save you the trouble and time of having to make your own packages or modules so you can save time and focus on coding your own work. I also learned where to find and use all of pythons modules with the example of importing the random module which allows you to generate random numbers. In the python game I really got hands on with using for loops and putting what I learned in the video into practice. The game overall really helped me visualize and implement what I learned but it never really went too far into more complicated functions yet. I only covered the for loops part but who knows if there is more.
Today I learned how to code Python. I watched the tutorial and again I had that "this works like this in another coding language but is structured differently" type of moment. I really liked python the most out of every language that I've learned in this course so far. It looks really clean and simple so it makes it far easier to read and decipher compared to other languages. The tutorial I watched had lots of real world examples and applications that I never really thought of doing before with coding. It had an example of building a guessing game, a car game, making a text to emoji converter. I really liked how nested loops were explained as when I first learned it wasn't too clear but this made it much more simpler to understand. There wasn't too many new things though as I've mentioned before most of it is the same as other coding languages but structured differently. Different syntaxing and styles the only work with a particular language or have benefits that fit a certain program more than others. For example c looks really messy and cluttered and you always have to be very specific with everything you tell the computer to do while here you have dynamic variables which change depending on what you assign to them. Most of the basic stuff like, objects, regular loops, and if statements are pretty much the same throughout any language so far. It's really fascinating to see how everything feels so similar but is still daunting to learn.
Today I learned about the fundamentals of NodeJS, more specifically the differences between it and browsers. In NodeJS applications you can easily transition into a full stack developer if you're already a front end web developer since it's the same language and all your current knowledge can be applied. In most cases getting a job as a full stack developer often pays more than being a front end. With JavaScript also being both the front end and back end language, this will lead to cleaner and more consistent source code since all the strategies you learned can be applied to both so you will always use the best coding practices for both. With NodeJS there are also a lot of free libraries that you can use to focus more on developing your app and not having to start completely from scratch. I also learned how to code in php which apparently is very similar to Perl but I never did any Perl so I cannot say this will benefit me. It has some similarities to JavaScript but they are not exactly the same. I mostly worked with C and Java before and I always declared my variable names but in these languages they're dynamic variables so I instinctively type "int" sometimes but I don't have to. Most of it was really similar to the JavaScript tutorial though with some minor differences. This really helps me visualize how easily ones skills can transfer to another language, as the basics are structured very similarly. I felt that, "Ah Ha" type of moment whenever I saw something that looked similar to another language that I used. It's a very good rewarding feeling.
Today I watched videos on how to gain web design clients be with a portfolio or without. It is much easier with a portfolio considering that it shows experience and what your capabilities are and you can probably get away for charging a bit more compared to without. I also learned how to code in JS and learn the fundamentals. I used the star wars JavaScript game, that was pretty basic and used really simple to understand coding block and functions. In the video I learned the fundamentals which consisted of the differences between JS in browsers and node and how to start working with JS. I learned about variables and using let to change them after they are assigned. I also learned about objects and how they basically store multiple variables that can be used in functions. It's kind of like a box but every box has one a certain item BUT those items can range in size, color, etc. There were also arrays which also store multiple variables of the same type. So it's kind like an object but not at the same time. They each have their own use and purpose.
I wrapped up the 8 hour video and did the quiz on databases. I learned about queries and how to use them to retrieve data from a table. I learned how to manage and organize my tables in a more advanced way. It's important to to be organized since website will store massive amounts of data and it makes it less painful to search and swift through data when everything is neatly packed and styled. I also learned about the commands and functions of database to delete and add rows, tables, and columns. I am having trouble with the WordPress quiz so I might take a quick refresher on that tomorrow.
I am still learning about databases but today it's more specifically on skills and abilities to design and plan out a database. I got through 3 hours of the video and I'll watch the rest tomorrow and maybe take the quiz if I have time.
I didn't learn to use any new programs but expand my knowledge on SQL, Mongo, and other databases. I watched the videos and did some practice after them or the link sent me to a practice page and did those too.
I learned about svn and git and how they can be used to manage and control files on your website. One of the benefits of using these programs over others is due to the fact of saving version history so you'll always have a a back up in case anything ever goes wrong. I also learned about how to make websites using wordpress. if you do not intend to fully dive into being a front end web developer to just make a website then wordpress is the second best option for you. It's not terribly complicated and just about anyone can do it with minimal work and effort involved. I also learned about databases more septically SQL and how a website calls this SQL to obtain and deposit information however the programmer planned it out to be.
There are free ways and paid ways to host your website. Purchasing hosting service is the most easiest method as it's pretty much set up and always online. Unlike locally hosting a website where you yourself have to manage your resources and always have a powered server or computer. But if you are hosting online then managing and uploading files to your server isn't too hard. You can use an FTP client to do all this. Easy as dragging and dropping files. You'll also want to purchase a domain name so it's easier to remember your website address instead of having to type in an IP every time. It is much more professional and is easier overall for people to remember and go to it.
Today I learned how to use HTML and CSS to make a simple website. I followed the video guides and copied in real time what the presenter was doing. I feel like I got a good grasps at the basics and feel comfortable making my own basic website. I learned about the HTML tags and CSS properties and how to implement them and what they do. I ended off with recreating the presenters website. HTML is a markup language interpreted by browsers and CSS adds style to website. Then there is also JavaScript and that's intended to add more interactivity on websites but can also be used offline using NodeJS.
Being a front end web developer takes and enormous amount of energy, time, and dedication. It's a really hard and tedious task to achieve and it'll more than 6 months or even a year until you're ready for a job. This is what usually turns people off at this point, but, for those who are willing to put in that effort and work, then the results you receive will be incredible. A high salary with the benefits of being able to work from home, you want to to start out small and learn about computers and how to they work, the Harvard CS50 course is an incredible asset you can use to get started. Then you can slowly work your way up the ladder to practice and get familiar with different components of programming, such as, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java and even more. There are a lot of free resources online to the point where anyone who puts in the time and effort can do it without spending a single penny. Though there is one important rule to always keep in mind before you start, always challenge yourself to practice to think like a programmer and never give up on the question because it CAN be solved. And always remember to implement what you learn before moving on, keep building projects continuously and your knowledge and foundation will stack and become stronger and it'll much more simpler to learn future techniques because this field is always evolving. Always keep up.
Time is money but so is health. You can't have time if you don't keep yourself up and running. You need to balance both to have the most optimal results in your work. Making plans and using methods like Kaban to really organize your work and make it efficient. There's no point in working a lot if you spend most of that time being stuck and cluttered and getting lost every so often. This won't provide the same quality and quantity of results compared to being organized and having plans. Plan out exercises and make them a habit, sleep well every night, and always try to maintain a healthy state of mind. All these contribute to efficiency, you'll feel better and more motivated. Learn to love yourself and be the best you, with this done, nobody will be able to stop you. build healthy habits and always plan to get the most out of your day.
Interviews are probably some of the most anxious places you can be in. This is the time where you have to sell yourself and advertise yourself but doing that can be quite tricky. There's lots of traps and questions that you need to be aware of, such as when they ask you what salary you want or when it's your turn to ask the questions. You want to practice a lot and learn all the basic questions on an interviews so you feel confident and comfortable when the real interview comes around. Be prepared to have your own questions, do some research on the company and their goals. Try to stray away from never using "I" and use "You" when offering a skill or objective that aligns with the companies views/goals. When the question of salary comes up never give a direct answer and leave it in the air so you have more control and stronger ground to obtain the job and get a better desired salary. Always remember that the first person to say numbers first almost always loses. You must always come with your own questions to and try to make some after the interviewer finishes speaking to show that you are intrigued and show that you have some excitement to work there.
Working remotely could both be a blessing and curse depending on the person. Some may like the aspect of gaining back freedom and hours lost and use that spare time towards things they love. While others won't as much as they'll miss the social aspects of work or don't have the mentality of being on task and potentially make their work hours even longer. You essentially gain a lot more freedom to choose how you want to work and where you want to work. You can even work while travelling the world if you wanted to. There a lots of opportunities online too that don't require you to work full time but part time as well. You can be a freelancer and do certain tasks for a certain amount of time/pay depending on your contractor. This could be useful to earn a bit more cash online while maintaining your current job.