Coding Resources: Coffee Break Coding

The most difficult part about being a coffee break coder is finding the time to learn and to code. Then, when we finally find the time, using that time wisely and efficiently. For a lot of us, it is hard to find a stretch of time lasting an hour or more to sit down and code. I'm willing to bet, however, that the majority of us could find an hour or more if we pieced together all of the minutes we spend waiting... waiting in line at Starbucks, waiting for a haircut, waiting in traffic to get somewhere, etc. Add up those minutes with time spent on coffee breaks, lunch breaks, etc. and suddenly learning to code seems feasible. The problem is making use of these snippets of time; we can't exactly bust out a laptop standing in line at Starbucks (I guess it may depend on how long the line is, but you get the point). There is no substitute for sitting down in front of a computer and coding, but the following resources have helped me make the most of my time spent waiting and helped me take advantage of the time I get in front of the computer.

Learn to code app -SoloLearn: Most learn to code apps are going to focus purely on syntax, but this can be helpful for new programmers. SoloLearn is a mobile-friendly learning platform that has a learning plan for everything from HTML to C++. I wouldn't use SoloLearn as a primary resource for learning, but it is fantastic for reinforcing concepts you've learned but haven't internalized. Also, SoloLearn recently added a code playground where you can try out your own code. I haven't used it yet, but it may make my next resource obsolete.

Mobile code editor - Droid Edit Pro. Sometimes you get a random idea for how to fix a function you are working on and need to write it down immediately. A mobile-friendly code editor can come in extremely handy in these cases. I use Droid Edit Pro because I use an Android device. I've never had an iOS device, but I have heard good things about Textastic. An honorable mention goes to Codeanywhere. Codeanywhere is a cloud-based code editor that you can access from ANY device: Android, iOS, and Web. Poor reviews have kept me from diving in, but they seem to be actively addressing the issues.

Podcast app - Podcast Republic: Coding focused podcasts are a godsend for long commutes or other activities where your eyes and hands are occupied. There are tons of great software focused podcasts, and having a great podcast app makes them even better. I use Podcast Republic because it is free and has tons of great features, but you can use any app you want, just make sure it has the ability to change playback speed. The ability to speed up a podcast can save you hours of time. I've heard great things about Pocket Casts if you're ok with paid apps.

eReader App - Kindle: I love reading, and even though I don't think reading coding books is the best way to learn, sometimes it is the only method we have available. It is fast and easy to pull up the Kindle App and read a couple of pages from an ebook. Want to better understand Javascript closures? Find a book, skip to that chapter, and read while you drink your coffee!

Article saver app - Pocket: Sometimes the best use of 5 minutes is just to find the articles you want to read at a later time. When you only have 30 minutes to read articles, you can save a lot of time if you can identify the ones you are interested in reading before you sit down to read them. Use the time spent waiting in line at the drive-through to flip through your twitter feed, favorite news publication, etc. and save the interesting articles to Pocket to consume at a later time.