Meteor has been one of the more difficult software architectures to learn so far in my young software engineering career. Just like anything new, Meteor has a steep learning curve and can be tricky to effectively build things in it. But it is well worth the trouble to learn. Meteor is the culmination of HTML, CSS, Javascript, and semantic UI all rolled up into a beautiful burrito of software. If one of these pieces were to go missing, the rest of it will crumble, but all together it creates a powerful web tool that any software engineer would be proud to know.
One of the things I found very difficult about meteor is the directories. The fact that the database you will be working with is very large, trying to find where to put a new snippet of code can take almost just as long as coming up with the code in the first place. You have to put a conscious effort into knowing where everything is in relation to each other. But the more you get familiar with meteor, such as loading directories, you will get more and more comfortable working with it. A lot of files have identical names but will be in different directories, so knowing which file is which and how they relate to the web app you are creating, is a key component in learning how to effectively design and create powerful web apps. I think that understanding Meteor, and why different files are in different directories is a big key to success.
One of the things I found very easy in meteor is bug testing. Often times when meteor crashed, it will tell the user exactly where the problem is persisting at making it a quick fix. I also really enjoyed the amount of powerful tools you can use with Meteor. Where Semantic UI made your website look great and professional, Meteor gave it the brains to be functional and have enough features to make your web app more structured.
Overall I have really enjoyed Meteor and being able to use it to develop websites. I have only begun to scratch the surface when it comes to all of the different things I can do with Meteor. As I stated before, Meteor is what ties all of the pieces that make up a website. It’s what is probably the most important tool when it comes to building a web app. I feel that if I put more time and effort into learning more about Meteor, I will be able to better myself as a software engineer. Even though Meteor can seem like something out of this world and alien to a software engineer, taking the time to unlock the potential of Meteor will lead to websites that will not only mystify most people, but they will admire the individual who created it.