Reflecting on my journey as a developer, I can't help but feel a sense of gratitude and accomplishment.
Imagine someone who has always heard he was useless and nothing good would ever come out.
I never liked coding or maths, but I love history and writing poems; it was through my poetry. I went viral in 2018, where I spoke about the pains of scams, not knowing I would be a scam the following year.
When I first began learning to code, I had no idea what the future held for me. All I knew was that I was passionate about finding the hacker that used ransomware on my system and locked my files.
One of the biggest challenges I faced during my journey was the feeling of impostor syndrome.
I often doubted my abilities and questioned whether I belonged in the field. Each day felt like a battle against whether I would ever catch the hacker.
However, I never did catch the hacker, but I learnt way more, and it was through that I began a journey of over four years.
Reflecting on my journey this year gives me goosebumps; first and foremost, I moved from my parent's garage to my own space, paid for through technical writing.
It was a roller coaster of emotion having to see my life spin in the right direction for once and knowing, deep down, you deserved it.
I worked a lot on Blockchain, writing smart contracts and learning from many platforms like Learnweb3DAO, Metaschool, Alchemy and many videos on Youtube and Udemy.
I decided to write about what I know, leading me to open a Medium account where I started posting about what I was learning. It opened my eyes to opportunities in technical writing.
Catching up with the trend became a problem. I needed to unlearn everything I knew and make new connections.
Whoops, that was harder than winning the world cup!!!
I became more intentional with my LinkedIn, followed groups on Blockchain and became part of their circles.
It wasn't until I began working on real-world projects and receiving positive feedback from my peers and mentors that I started to gain confidence in my skills.
Another challenge I faced was the constantly evolving nature of the field.
There are always new programming languages and frameworks to learn, and trying to keep up with all the latest developments can be overwhelming. However, I've learned that embracing change and being willing to learn and adapt continuously is essential.
Through my experiences, I've learned that programming is not just about writing code.
It's about problem-solving, collaboration, and communication. I've also learned the value of persistence and seeking help when needed.
Looking back on my journey, I'm proud of my accomplishments. I've worked on several personal and professional projects that have allowed me to apply my skills and make a positive impact.
I've also had the opportunity to mentor and guide other aspiring developers, which has been incredibly fulfilling.
Overall, my development journey has come with challenges and lessons learned. But it has also been a journey of growth and accomplishment, and I am grateful for the opportunities it has given me.
My experiences inspire and encourage others just starting on their journey as developers.
I would conclude by discussing failure, as most people rarely discuss it.
I have failed more than I have succeeded; for every congratulatory mail, I got a 100 plus, sorry.
2022 made me realise failure is nothing and will keep coming, my codes don't work for months, and I cry sometimes, and it's hard to explain how lonely a techie is.
The travels are good, but some of us are lonely with our MacBooks and gadgets but empty inside.
I learnt in 2022 to shut it down sometimes and see the world anew.
I know 2023 is around the corner, but I am confident that the impossible is nothing.