The second week was a shorter week. Only two classes instead of 3. Technically, we aren’t done with week 2. When classes resume on January 4, we will cover the third module of the second week according to the course syllabus.

On day 4 we went live. We did a bit of a recap on what we covered the week before. We worked with the Chrome Developer tools and hacked websites. Got introduced to CSS resets. We were showed how to use Github Pages to host sites. From now on this will be the way we will host our demo sites.

On day 5 we covered Typography and Google Fonts. Pseudo classes like :hover, :focus, :active and ended with an intro on Bootstrap. The week ended with our first homework assignment due, which was a basic portfolio site. The purpose of the assignment was to get us started with the basics of HTML, CSS, using Git and Github, and follow some specifications based on a website mockup so we can practice using layout with CSS.

It was interesting to see some of the reactions from the fellow Bootcampers when they were introduced to Bootstrap. A lot of them had a big sigh of relief when shown how easy it is to make something look “good” by copy and pasting some Bootstrap components.

Note, I’m not an educator and I don’t know how many of the students have more of a Backend Developer goal in mind, but I’m beginning to understand why as a Front End Developer you could get away with not caring about Design, and even, HTML and CSS. I can see why there is a Great Divide. This is “minutia, details that don’t matter” you say. “The box model, padding, borders, margins, typography, argh! Let’s get on with the looping of the arrays and stuff. Let’s make React apps already!”

Let’s assume you had no idea what HTML and CSS were. You could theoretically learn the basics of HTML and CSS in two weeks. You could also make a Portfolio site in two weeks to look decent like the one we were assigned. But to understand how HTML and CSS work together? To really wrap your head around the box model, block vs inline, positioning? That’s gonna take a bit more time to sink in.

I understand why we would jump into Bootstrap so quickly. We could spend weeks on CSS. We could learn Grid, Flexbox, Sass, The CSS BEM Methodology, animations, variables, and so many cool stuff about CSS. But it makes sense, knowing that the course is trying to give you a full foundation on the whole field of Web Development.

Listen, I have used the hell out of Bootstrap. My old, RIP, Interactive/Web Designer Portfolio was pretty much built with Bootstrap. All my projects had that same Navbar with the collapsing hamburger menu. I got some crap from people on the internet for using it when I would ask for feedback. But anyway, I digress.

Here’s the point I think I’m trying to make: No matter where in the stack you think you’re going to specialize, don’t rely heavily on a library like Bootstrap. Be aware that you can create your “own” Bootstrap. There’s also other libraries out there like Foundation, Tailwind CSS, and Tachyons.

Keep learning. Happy holidays y’all.