Leveling-up on Node

levelup.md

Core Principals

• Read lots of code.
• Write lots of code.
• Don’t be afraid to throw it away.
• Don’t be afraid to share it.
• Find your happy place writing tests.
  • You’ll probably spend more time writing tests and debugging than writing code. Embrace this. Make it a key part of your workflow.
  • Tests are one of the first things I read in a module. That and the example(s). Probably before API docs.
  • Don’t know where to start. Write some tests for a module you like. This benefits everyone.
• Focus.
  • You’ll improve your overall skill set most effectively by choosing something that really clicks for you and diving deep into that thing.

Read the docs. No, really.

• Node.js
  • http://nodejs.org/api/
• npm
  • https://npmjs.org/doc/
• Express.js
  • http://expressjs.com/guide.html
  • http://expressjs.com/api.html
• Kraken.js
  • http://krakenjs.com/
  • http://krakenjs.com/#Examples

If something isn’t clear, write something yourself. Share this with someone you trust. Avoid pedantry. Contribute what you and others find meaningful.

Leveling-up even more

• Share
  • Code
  • What worked for you?
  • What was hard? What help you break through?
• Teach
  • There is always someone who isn’t quite as far along on their journey as you are. Help them. Help those who are sincerely interested.
  • Teaching others will force you to understand things more deeply.
  • Often in explaining something to someone else, you will improve your own understanding of that thing.

Getting ready for Kraken Forge at PayPal

• Bill's original Fluent talk
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1PcbSz3bPE
  • http://www.slideshare.net/billwscott/kicking-up-the-dust-with-node-js
• Jeff's Node Summit talk
  • video not published yet
  • http://www.slideshare.net/jeharrell/node-summit