At first glance, it is super easy to confuse Java with Javascript. Javascript is an another high level language used by programmers, mainly for web development. It is extremely similar to other languages in the sense that it has a lot of features that most high level languages have. These features include object-orientation, string concatenation, linked lists, etc. However, there exists features of JavaScript that are not present in other languages, such as Java.
The biggest difference between other languages has to be the “looseness” of JavaScript. It is possible in JavaScript to compile your code without semicolons after every line of code. In addition, you do not need to specify a type of variable in JavaScript. It’s possible to just declare a variable and store any type of data in it. All these practices in other languages such as Java would throw a compilation error. In that sense, JavaScript is “good” because you do not need to worry about small details such as data type and semicolons. On the other hand, it can be viewed as a feature that increases chance of error, as JavaScript complier could compile it in such a way that was not intended. Based on my recent exposure to JavaScript and what I currently know of it, to me, it is a good language for software engineers. This is because I feel that JavaScript is a lot more flexible than other high level languages because of reasons discussed above. I feel that I would enjoy using JavaScript over other languages when appropriate if I was more comfortable with it.
My first application of JavaScript occurred in the weekly WODs in ICS 314. WODs are a form of athletic software engineering designed to push students to code accurately in a certain amount of time. I feel that this type of learning environment is beneficial for me. Although it is somewhat stressful, it is a positive stress that pushes me towards the right direction. In Biology, we learn that in order for things to adapt and change, they need to be put under stress. Without the appropriate amount of stress, things will never change because as humans, we tend to get comfortable and become afraid of change that involves a lot of work. This applies to many things in life, especially Computer Science. This type of learning will force me to become a better and more efficient programmer.