Within the few weeks that our software engineering class has tackled a beast by the name of Meteor, I've learned a lot, not only about the application structure, but about myself as a programmer. The biggest thing being that dealing with Meteor, like grief, is a process. Many people deal with it in their own way and at their own pace, but generally, it is accomplished in five steps: Discovery, Confusion, Frustration, Acceptance, and Triumph.
In the first stage, for most people, Meteor is this new and mysterious platform. When introduced to something completely brand new, people respond in one of two ways: Awe or Fear. Those who are in awe are star struck from brand new concepts that Meteor has to offer, like live updates. Then there are those who are afraid, for this is unfamiliar territory that they've never stepped foot in before, forcing them to step out of the comfort zone that they've dwelled a little too long in. Regardless, they begin their journey towards coding using their favorite application and... the command line? Yep, you heard right. So now they now step out of the initial discovery stage and into the next stage:
"The command line? You're telling me that you have to use TWO THINGS to program with Meteor?" Most people in this stage now spend their time lost. They've never had to use another platform alongside their favorite application to code before. It's a brand new concept that helps incorporate the live update feature that Meteor is best known for. All changes made through your files can be automatically published onto a localhost page developed by Meteor itself. On top of that, there are completely new concepts and syntactic structures that need to be followed when pursuing code through Meteor. So, understandably, there will be a wave a confusion that hits the user like a ton of bricks. But fear not, the confusion stage will eventually pass, and you're on to a much more fun and exciting stage.
Once exposed more and more towards Meteor, many people begin to get a little more on edge. This is primarily due to one big issue that many people with slower machines have to sit through: Building. Before being able to code, you must invoke meteor through the command line using the prompt "meteor run". When executed, Meteor then goes through a process, called building, where they get the app ready for use by the programmer. The problem? It takes way. too. long. With a good computer, Meteor will get the app up and running in about two minutes. Easy. No biggie. However, not everyone owns a good computer, and those who don't will face the consequences. I personally fall into that group of people who don't own good computers. It was a pretty bad situation when we had to sit in our timed in class assessments (AKA our WODs) and spend over half of the time just waiting for Meteor to build. Some people stay stuck on this stage, dealing with the turmoil of building and accepting that fate. Then, there are those who use one of the various solutions to this problem and finally step forward towards the next stage.
After probably the roughest stage of Meteor, the highest hurdle has now been passed and many finally are beginning to accept Meteor for what it is. This is where the real fun starts. It's always nice to have a challenge presented at you and to finally be able to conquer it. The harder time a person has with the challenge, the better they feel about striving past it. And Meteor definitely proves to be one of the more difficult challenges I've had to face when it comes to learning a new platform for coding. At this stage, people step forward towards finally learning how to perfect the use of Meteor and can see the benefits provided when using this application. Then, before they know it, they have reached the final stage.
After countless efforts of trial and error, and error, and error, and "oh my god will I ever get this?" Guess what? You got it. And you're pretty good at it too. At this stage, Meteor is no longer a beast you are trying to conquer, but more so a companion you've learned to work alongside of, to build beautifully codded applications and websites. Meteor is now your friend and is no longer something scary and new. This final stage is where most programmers, myself included, aspire to be after dealing with the learning curve of Meteor. Suffice to say, going through the five stages of Meteor, although not the most enjoyable process, will definitely help a programmer grow and expand their knowledge on what the coding world has to offer. It will give people an extra element to add to the resume, ultimately making them that much closer to being an eligible candidate for jobs everywhere. Because if you think about it, if someone is looking at a sky full of stars, you know what will definitely catch their eyes? A meteor.