In this article, I want to talk about my tech journey and what I have learned so far. Hopefully, this article will inspire others to start their journey into tech as well.
Life Before Tech
My fascination with computers started when I was a kid, as I spent much of my time gaming and playing around with Microsoft Paint. In high school, I got to work more with the Microsoft Office Tools and got to do other challenging tasks, like creating a database application for a soccer league using Microsoft Access.
I. however, did not consider getting into the tech industry at the time, as I thought that my fascination with tech was just a mere hobby.
The Turning Point
A boring holiday in 2015 led me to stumble upon Adobe DreamWeaver, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop, and thus began my fascination with web development and graphic design. I learned HTML and CSS using numerous tutorials on YouTube and W3Schools and created a couple of projects. I also got to work with a little JavaScript and JQuery in some of these projects.
And just like before, I considered my fascination with web development a newfound hobby. I, after a short while, forwent programming, got into the business world, and pursued a course in Procurement and Logistics.
However, in 2020, I decided to rekindle my romance with programming and enrolled in an MIT course at eMobilis Mobile Technology Institute. I was introduced to other languages like PHP and the Bootstrap framework and got to work a little with Android Development using Kotlin. I also got to work on a couple of projects on these languages.
What I Have Learned So Far
My journey thus far has been filled with achievements and failures from which I have compiled a few takeaways. These include:
Start now. There is never a better time to start venturing into tech than now. And if it may be hard to start programming, just consider where you would like to be 10 years from now.
Be patient. I have struggled with understanding various programming concepts, more so now as I struggle with learning JavaScript. Make a decision to stick to learning every day, and be sure to make note of every single accomplishment you make. This will help you when you feel stuck.
Don't compare yourself to others. I have fallen prey to comparing my journey and progress to others quite a number of times, which has led me to feel quite demotivated. Choose instead to keep on challenging yourself and learning. Remember, you are not in a race.
Be consistent. Discipline and consistency is key to getting better at programming. Set aside time for learning every single day and stick to it, even if it be for 30 minutes. And if you would like to challenge yourself, you could participate in the #100DaysOfCode
Going Forward
There's still so much I need to learn and do, and more so seek to grow in my web development journey. I am, however, quite hopeful that with hard work and dedication, I will be able to achieve my goals.