I wrote my first line of code on the 4th of September, 2022. Severally, I had made resolution to start something new at the beginning of a new month, even a new year. I could randomly think about learning a new language like Chinese, when I could barely put together words in French. Or building a scalable startup, whereas I can't explain Venture Capital to a 7 years old kid.
Bizarre, right? I know that too.
So this time, I didn't give myself the opportunity to procrastinate. I just got started - curating my learning path on the go.
Let me share a little bit of my background for proper context. I will jump back to the coding aspect in a minute.
I have a proper 9-5 job, working in the tech ecosystem, however, I didn't have any reason to write code. As a matter of self-care, I felt it is insanely sane to keep my mental health in check than dabble into programming.
Wrong, right? I know too.
Did I mentioned that I am married, and the fear of "losing" my beloved wife because I felt I will be grossly immersed in reading/writing languages I didn't know how they came about (replace the bolded word in quote with "being disconnected").
Well, these are valid reason, some may term it as " an excuse" for not actually grabbing opportunity at the scruff of the neck and making the most out of one's world. Thing is, 2 truth can exist. For 24 months, the idea of pivoting into software development was tossed to the back burner.
Then mid-August 2022, my wife signed up for a tech bootcamp with Women Techsters Fellowship, she opted for the Software Development track.
"No! This is not happening," I whispered to my alter ego. I consoled myself with the thought that she might just be "testing the water". By the end of August, she was waxing lyrical with basic software development terminology. This was it - I knew I had to take up this challenge.
What makes it more fascinating is that, she manages one of the ubiquitous food restaurants in Lagos, Nigeria.
Nice! Nice!! Right? Your guess was as good as mine.
Nigerians can easily relate to the "nice, nice" above (it is a popular fast food chain store across the country). Out of her busy schedule, she makes out time to attend class, submit assignments, and collaborate on projects.
That was all the push I needed to venture into Software Development. The experience has been mind-blowing to say the least. I really do wish I confronted my fear earlier, but better late than never.
Over the past 30 days, I have curated my learning path and stuck diligently to it. See below for a detailed summary of:
A day in the life of this aspiring Software Developer
11AM: I transit from my home to work (commuting for 2 hours - Afternoon shift at my current workplace begins at 1PM GMT+1).
10PM: I sign out of work, and leave for home. Averagely, I spend about 75 minutes commutting back home.
12.10AM: Time to code, practice, drink water, code, practice, stretch neck, code, practice (I mean, I understood the importance of coding daily and practicing) @hacksultan midnight roll-call on Twitter for techies, is all the reminder needed to gear me up.
3:10AM: Bed time (6 hours of sound sleep, day-dreaming about the codes I wrote).
This has been my routine over the past 30 days. I have learnt how to structure website using HTML and style it with CSS. I am currently hopping back and forth between CSS and Bootstrap.
My learning path within 30 days timeline
Week 1: HTML5 | Chrome Developer Tools
HTML is one of the most fundamental markup language any beginner can start their programming journey with. I learnt about various Elements (Span, Div, Form, Header Body etc) and Attributes (id, class, src, href etc) for structuring my webpage. W3Schools has proven to be a valuable resources for learning HTML. Most importantly, learning how to use the Chrome Developer tools to debug had helped me become more productive.
Week 2 & 3: CSS | Git | Github
Cascading Style Sheet (CSS3) really made me understand the importance of having a problem-solving skill. It literally took me a hell of a time to understand the concept of Position (Relative and Absolute) and its application. The tutorial on CSS put together by Code Academy is all you need to get started. Trust me, at this level you will desire to move your code from your local repository (PC) to the remote repository like GitHub. I learnt how to use Git Bash to Push and Pull my code, and also for creating a Branch.
Week 4: Bootstrap 5 | keep practicing CSS3
I recently delve into Bootstrap while practicing loads of CSS. I have been buildinng landing webpages that would make heads spin (yeah, it is as clean as it comes). Check out my GitHub Repo.
Lately, I have been collaborating with a UI/UX designer (shoutout to ToChuCu for coming through with those amazing designs) using Figma and Behance.
See my Github repository for my work over the last 30 days.
PS: To effectively render the pages in my repository, please use a PC (make sure the browser is maximize. I am yet to make the page responsive) to open the link below. They won't render well on a mobile device.
I built a website to spotlight the Qatar 2020 World cup stadium: https://emeeks94.github.io/Qatar2022/
I built this landing page to sample some features in CSS: https://emeeks94.github.io/coventic-webpage/
Created a Login page: https://emeeks94.github.io/Login-page/
Conclusion
In all honestly, my first 30 days as a programmer made me realize the power behind coding - all it requires is the ability to think of anything, then piece the puzzle together. That, I must say, is a demi-god level. I feel like as a Software Engineer, I could do ANYTHING; ANYTHING at all! One of my favourite aspire to perspire quote from Zig Ziglar reads:
You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.
I would like to know what your first 30 days feels like when you started your journey as a software developer. Kindly comment sharing your experiences, the resources that could be helpful, and what you feel I need to adapt to my learning.
PS: I want to connect with as many newbies as possible on this long road to becoming a Software Developer.
Connect with me on Socials:
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