The time allowed was crystal clear, “One week!”. I had been consuming API backends for years but I never thought to learn how to build one or read up on it. I had always thought to myself, why do I need to build an API when I could just use out of the thousands already available on the web or outsource the build process?
Finally, my nonchalance had caught up with me; I had just one week to build a well-tested API backend for a web application using the famous Node.js and Express framework. I also had to ensure that my code followed a specific style guide (Airbnb) and use Mocha, a popular testing framework. For developers with years of experience, this might look like a stroll in the park, but for newbies with just a few months of coding experience, this can be daunting. If the only thing you can do after installing Node.js is to type `Node –v` in your command line terminal to check the Node.js version; then closing your laptop to sleep can very much look like the best option.
Of course, the first instincts of a millennial kicked in — Internet search. My search query was simple enough- ‘How to build API backend’; but the results varied quite a lot in style, pattern, framework etc. I became more confused and fear kicked in. What if the little JavaScript I knew was not enough to implement an API backend? What if I am unable to implement it at all? What if I implement it but followed a wrong tutorial and did it in a completely wrong way? What if after what if!
But one thing was absolutely certain: I was determined to do whatever it took to become a fellow at the prestigious Andela. I could not give up now. I would not let fear and a fixed mindset stall my progress. I knew too much about Carol Dweck’s amazing work on mindsets to fall victim of a fixed mindset. It was yet another challenge for me to demonstrate to myself that my mind was the only obstacle between unimaginable growth and me.
There was no time to waste, the time was short and the requirement was clear. This was my first encounter with using the required frameworks and building an API so I had to start from scratch. Tutorial after tutorial, video after video, one blog post after another, I kept on reading, watching and learning. After all, no one has ever been reported to pass away from information overload. Learning had never felt so laborious.
After close to two days of non-stop self-learning, it all began to make sense. Our minds just have a funny way of making things look difficult out of fear. The process became clearer and easier after running through tens of tutorials. And when I eventually opened up the command line terminal and started typing away the code, sure I made a lot of mistakes, but then every mistake meant more reading and more learning — an opportunity to grow.
Then, I reflected on the state of mind I started from, I was afraid to even think about the challenge or open up the command line terminal. But now, I was happy with what I had learned and how far I had come with building the API. I was even happier when I was able to help my peers and point them in the right direction from my little experience.
I realized my mind was afraid to learn at the beginning, for fear of being limited in capacity, but I had successfully bullied my mind into learning even under pressure.
No comments:
Post a Comment