Math Quiz App with Leah Thompson

Key takeaways

Leah transitioned from teaching to software development due to the challenges posed by COVID-19 and her personal interests.
The 100 Devs program was instrumental in Leah's journey, offering structured learning and community support.
Building the math quiz app served as a practical application of Leah’s skills while allowing her to grow as a developer.
Leah is focused on enhancing her math quiz app by adding multiplayer functionality and more mathematics topics.
Learning Laravel has introduced Leah to new concepts and challenges, pushing her to improve her coding skills.
Reviving past projects, such as the pirate dating sim, signifies the ongoing journey and creativity of developers.
Graph traversal presents complex challenges in Leah’s current work, which has deepened her understanding of data structure.

Summary

From Teacher to Developer: Leah's Journey

Leah Thompson shares her unique transition from high school math teacher to a software developer. Initially resistant to teaching, the COVID-19 pandemic forced her into the role. After teaching geometry for a year and a half under challenging circumstances, she realized it wasn't the right fit for her and decided to pivot toward software development.

The 100 Devs Program: A New Beginning

Leah discusses her entry into programming through the 100 Devs program run by Leon Noelle. This free bootcamp allowed her to learn full-stack development, especially using the MERN stack, and leverage the community support through Discord and Twitch streams.

Building the Math Quiz App: Concept and Challenges

Leah describes her motivation for building a math quiz app, stemming from a project she initially created during her learning phase. She reflects on the challenges faced previously, including struggles with deploying the app and managing state in React.

Multiplayer Mode: Competing in Math

The app will feature a multiplayer mode where users can compete in real-time by solving math problems together. Leah elaborates on how this gaming aspect adds excitement and encourages learning in a fun environment.

Learning Laravel: Overcoming Challenges

Leah highlights her experience learning Laravel while rebuilding her math app. She discusses the differences between Laravel and her previous background in JavaScript, emphasizing the steep learning curve and the joys of overcoming technical hurdles.

The Future of the Math Quiz App: Expanding Features

The conversation shifts toward Leah's plans for the math app's future, including implementing advanced mathematics features and gamifying the experience. She paints a picture of transitioning from purely educational to a more engaging, story-driven experience.

Reviving Old Projects: The Pirate Dating Sim Game

Leah reveals her interest in reviving a side project—a pirate dating sim game—which she started building for fun. She reminisces about the complexity involved in creating her own dialogue and traversal system in Java.

Graph Traversal Challenges

Leah discusses her current work challenges involving graph traversal for a text-based RPG game. She explains the intricacy of filtering data to only show visible areas to players and the learning process involved in doing so.

Delights in Learning Laravel

Throughout her journey, Leah expresses her delight in learning new technologies and how it keeps the passion for development alive. She appreciates the Laravel framework's elegant documentation and how it aids her understanding.

Show notes

Leah Thompson drops by to talk about her math quiz app, being new to Laravel, and (yes) a pirate dating sim game.

(00:00) - From Teacher to Developer: Leah's Journey
(03:23) - The 100 Devs Program: A New Beginning
(06:14) - Building the Math Quiz App: Concept and Challenges
(09:08) - Multiplayer Mode: Competing in Math
(12:06) - Learning Laravel: Overcoming Challenges
(14:54) - The Future of the Math Quiz App: Expanding Features
(20:28) - Reviving Old Projects
(21:17) - The Pirate Dating Sim Game
(24:23) - Challenges in Game Development
(24:37) - Dynamic Problem Generation in Math App
(28:06) - Grand Visions for the Math App
(29:44) - Delights in Learning Laravel
(32:01) - Graph Traversal Challenges
(38:03) - Leveraging Math Knowledge in Development

All things Leah:
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https://youtube.com/@leahtcodes
https://twitch.tv/leahtcodes
https://x.com/leahtcodes

https://sideprojectpodcast.com
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