I discovered it in 2022. After much debating whether to do UI/UX design or web development, I finally choose front-end development.
I didn't have money to buy the course so I stuck to YouTube. I never knew about platforms like freecodecamp and others, I just followed YouTube. A friend of mine referred me to "Traversy media" and I'm thankful for that.
I took my first course ever "HTML/CSS". The course was over one hour so I finished it under two days. I already felt like a programmer ready to hack Microsoft. 😹 I then added "Frontend developer" to my bio on all social media platforms. 😹
After my HTML/CSS course, I deceived to perfect my CSS skills so I started building websites with just HTML/CSS (link to the projects on my bio). I built about 4 projects with the help of YouTube and Google and then I realized it was time to move on to Javascript.
LESSON 1: It's never too late to start building your portfolio.
I took a break for a month for reasons still cannot understand, but after a month, I came back. Everything became new like I never learned it.😹 I had to start all over again, but this time it was faster because I already knew a couple of things.
LESSON 2: Do not take long breaks.
I then started learning Javascript. This was the point when I started thinking if I should continue on this journey or I should switch to something else.😹 It was difficult for me, I wanted to give up. Then I came on Twitter and discovered amazing influencers in the tech space. I went through their portfolio and saw the amazing projects they had there. I was highly motivated and challenged myself to build my skills to make projects as amazing as that. I then took on another course and I made use of "Scriba". If you are just starting, I highly recommend Scriba. The tutor made everything look simple to me. With Scriba, I build my first project, which was a "Black Jack Game". This talks me the fundamentals of Javascript, I was really excited and I fell so much in love with Javascript, I began digging YouTube for more Projects and I realized that building projects would teach you more than just following courses.
LESSON 3: Building projects will teach you a lot more than your course.
I began building complex projects which built my muscle memory and my frontend development skill. After my first 6 months, I got hired by a tech startup to build their company's website front end. At this point II did 't have much experience but while working on the project, I was able to learn new things.
LESSON 4: Don't wait to be perfect before you can start applying for jobs. Once you are confident enough, start applying. You'll learn a lot more while working.
This is how I became a front-end developer in just 6 months. After my first 6 months, I began to learn frameworks and libraries.
Oh! I forgot to mention, during these 6 months, I practiced 7 - 10 hours daily. I made mistakes, I suffered from burnout, and I slept 4 hours daily because I didn't have money so I used Night plan to download my courses. I was depressed, but I kept pushing.
LESSON 5: Keep pushing regardless.
I'm curious to know, what has been the biggest challenge in your tech journey?
If you have started your tech journey, what's keeping you?