I think a little background story’d be proper.
I am currently pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering. Under “normal” circumstances, I would be pursuing a business degree as I grew up in a business background. But ding it! We make our “normal”. And I have chosen my path.
MY CODING JOURNEY SO FAR
In 2020, I started learning to code. Prior to this, I had always had a grave curiosity for this thing called “Programming” but did not start learning earlier because I either didn’t get the clear concept or I was too busy trying to sort out other aspects of my life, I got a certification though, ikr, shocks me too!
I decided to start in March 2022, damning all consequences or challenges because at the time, I desperately needed something to believe in and build. Life “happened” and I was at my lowest but I chose to start because the perfect time most likely wouldn’t come. I had to create my perfect time for myself.
I enrolled into college and joined the GDSC and HUAWEI ICT Clubs in my college as the only female in these clubs, in the whole college, yeah… that’s meee!
I got introduced to coding, specifically HTML and CSS, I tried writing my first line of code, it felt like a magic my wand couldn’t perform, yet I found myself going to bed with a smile on my face and cookies by my pillow for trying out something new. My love for designs drew me to Figma, I did good the first couple weeks but somehow, I found myself writing a HTML boiler plate for my next practice.
My plan was to take the self-taught route and teach myself to code with free resources available on Youtube, Udemy, FreeCodeCamp, w3schools, Stackoverflow and co. I downloaded lots of courses on HTML, CSS and Javascript which I dedicated at least 5-hours daily. For someone who was struggling to get through every day because of school work, I put in A LOT of effort into studying and trying to build projects with the knowledge I acquired. A few of the tutorials I used and am still using to develop my skills are seen below:
A Full course on HTML: https://youtu.be/pQN-pnXPaVg
A Full course on Git and Github: https://youtu.be/3fUbBnN_H2c
A Full course on Figma: https://youtu.be/g6rQFP9zCAM
And yeah, I did not have a laptop at the moment so I paired with a friend for the time being, in case you get to see this Thomas, may you keep getting better RAM spaces!
About four rough months into studying, I got introduced to a coding bootcamp which I applied for and got accepted to learn Web Development. The program was nothing near easy as each week I was dealing with something. I even had to work over the long vacation to purchase a laptop. (My father’s village people will not see me!)
Though extremely challenging, the coding bootcamp helped me to learn more, overcome my initial fear of projects and gave me the opportunity to build my network as I met other people transitioning from their fields to the tech industry. I only have one regret which I would be writing about in my next article.
MY GOALS FOR MICROVERSE BOOTCAMP
In the next 5 months, I plan to immerse myself into the process, showing dedication, teamwork, grit and self-motivation to achieve these goals:
Hone my skills using the tasks that will be given.
Build solo project using JavaScript!
Learn to work with a team.
Build my network by interacting with the mentors and my peers.
Build my portfolio so I can officially start internship-hunting (oh well…) at the end of the bootcamp.
GET THAT BAGGGG!!
So here's to debugging, failed tests, git conflicts, errors, sleepless night, and most importantly, learning and growing. Come with me!!!...