So it's been a while: what I've been doing

I'm sorry to say that I haven't been blogging like I should be. Between traveling (now that I have the funds) and the holidays, I've honestly let this slip. However, I have been learning like I should be and I've actually learned quite a bit since I blogged last. I've been exploring multiple areas of interest and I've been learning to program in multiple languages. It has been a blast, but one this is for certain: learn one programming language and get good at it. The other languages will follow.

What I've been learning and how I've been learning it.

• Java
• How? I've been programming through Graham Mitchell's Learn Java the Hard Way. I really enjoy the program by doing series. I read Zed Shaw's Learn Ruby the Hard Way and I feel it is the most practical way to learn a language. I've also learned what a great language Java is. I personally like how organized it is, though it is quite verbose. Don't let that scare you. It is a invaluable skill and practically lingua franca of software development.
• Machine Learning
• How? I've been taking Andrew Ng's class on machine learning out of curiosity as well as gathering credits for the possibility of getting my master's in computer science. The more I learn about machine learning, the more I enjoy it. I may one day make this my niche. However, machine learning is extremely difficult and math heavy. I'll be blogging about machine learning in the future and explaining what I learn using the Feynmann method. For this class I've been making extensive use of Octave. 
• Python & R for data science
• How? Through Datacamp! It is a low-cost online program for training people in data science and machine learning. This is a great resource, but it definitely needs work. I've enjoyed learning all the methods of pulling in massive amounts of data and using computers to condense down what data we need. You also learn to make useful predictions with that data. I will also be blogging about this in the future. Machine learning and data science are used heavily together.
• JavaScript
• How? Mostly by doing projects from FreeCodeCamp. I've made a Weather App that detects your location and tells you the local weather and displays icons. I've also made a WikiPedia Clone! Both of these sites make heavy use of API's (Weather Underground and Wikimedia respectively). 

How do I have time to learn all these things? Truth is, once you get your first coding job, you'll have plenty of time to learn while doing or do self-paced learning. If you're looking to get into this field, just get good enough to get your first job and learn from there. Learning is my hobby and I'm looking forward to restarting my blog and showing you what I'm learning!