Hello there,
I’m Moeen, a Frontend Developer, working somewhere around the globe. I’m here to share my journey and the story of becoming a developer. I hope you’d find some inspirations and lessons that I’ve learned the hard way.
Let’s get started!
Abstract
I’m not a tech guy by education, I’m still studying Law besides my full-time job. The journey was never easy and I didn’t get an overnight success or like everyone else with a couple of months or years. During that time, I got lost in myself, lost my passion, my goal, everything. It literally took 10 years to fully understand and reach the goal of becoming a developer. In this article, I’ll try to tell you my story, the ups and downs, and what made me a developer. I think a short and summarized version won’t be enough to cover my process and it’s true for everyone.
So, brace yourself. It can be boring, long, and redundant; but you might learn something.
Chapter 0: An explorer and curious little boy
I’ve always had a passion for computers and technology. I always wanted to build something that helps people and also which does some things. From my childhood, I continuously kept myself busy dissembling my toys and assembling them in a new way. It’s in between 2002 to 2003. In my country, the Computer was a luxury then and the Internet is way out of reach. I couldn’t help myself to restrain from being intrigued. I was a kindergarten student. But I managed some tech magazines where I first discovered Apple, Microsoft, and Linux. I tried to read but I couldn’t understand a thing, however, I’ll never forget those brand logos and pictures. At that time Honda’s Asimo was a big sensation and everyone predicted that robots will take the place of humans in no time (I’m still hoping to live long enough to see that). Gradually, I developed an interest.
Chapter 0.1: The Start
I got my first PC in 2008 without any internet. The internet was less accessible then and a snail could easily beat the speed of the internet in my country’s context. After getting my first PC, I spend the next two years only playing games. Although did self-learn some things in Microsoft Word, and Excel by reading a primitive book.
By that time I got an internet modem (supports only 2G) and after some self-surfing, I opened a Gmail and Facebook account. Yahoo! was a giant then and everyone had a Yahoo! mail, but for some reason, I loved Google’s simple UI. So, I ditched Yahoo! and choose Google. Don’t ask me the state of Facebook, please!
At that time I always wonder, how a computer actually works. How the programs (software) are built, and so many questions. I was an introvert and I didn’t have any friends who had that knowledge. So I googled and googled and learned there is something called C which is a language that the computer understands and humans also. So, I ordered some books, written in my native language. They’re basically for undergrad students and again I didn’t understand a thing. So I googled again. In the meantime, I started to understand the basics by reading some online materials and articles mainly.
Chapter 0.2: The Pendulum
I wrote my first factorial program when I was 14. It’s not an extraordinary thing I know, but it opened huge possibilities. I love to think and I started to grokking deeply. Unfortunately, the education system was not so sophisticated for a high school student who wants to code at that time in Bangladesh. Coding was not a part of our education and it was not even treated as an extracurricular activity (glad it is now).
After a year I learned about the hype of Web Development then. There was a time when Joomla was the most popular CMS, and WordPress barely compete. Look, where WordPress came along! Consequently, I realized I needed to learn about it and stopped practicing in C/C++ rather I started to learn PHP and MySQL by reading some books. I didn’t even know I just walked away from my actual plan and learning. The procrastination and lack of consistency started. Sooner I started to lose interest in it and the hosting solutions, deployments were not easy as these days.
Chapter 0.3: Lost the Track
By that time I became a college student (don’t confuse the college with the undergrad level, you may call it 11-12). At that time my passion for programming and web development are long gone. I started to do some music, formed a band with some of my fellas, and started to cover Metallica, Iron Maiden, Lamb of God, and so on. Had a short dream that I’m shaking the stage playing guitars and the people around me were headbanging! Wanted to become a musician then. I’m not saying they weren’t good or this track is bad. But the thing is I completely forgot what I wanted to become and my goal.
After a couple of years, I was admitted to a University and decided not to study science subjects. But deep down I always wanted to become a software developer.
Then, I choose Law and thought to become a lawyer instead. So, as you can see my plans were constantly changing and I couldn’t stop myself. But I knew there was a missing piece in my life. I tried to find it, but I failed. During my one year at law school, I did a great mistake in my life and totally fu*ked up. I’ve wasted two years of my life and got addicted. Lost all of my friends and well-wishers in a nip of time and decided to drop out. Started to make friends with some other drug addicts. Eventually, I lost my love, my life, and the list is endless.
Chapter 0.4: Rise from the ashes
I know it may sound weird but COVID-19 was a blessing for me. At that time everyone was in quarantine but I got into a self-solitude mode and gradually started to find myself. Unlike everyone, I didn’t start to learn code without any thought. Rather, I started to play video games, binge-watch some movies and read a bunch of books (mostly self-development). Introducing myself to the tech world once again wasn’t a part of the plan. I began to read articles about new technologies, programming careers, and so on. Then I discovered FreeCodeCamp.
I created a soft habit to learn something new every day by giving a minimal amount of time (like 2-3 hours per week). I didn’t want to overwhelm myself again by falling into tutorial hell. I was just taking my time to adapt. I’ve tried embedded programming, system programming, IoT, mobile development, game development, and much more. That’s because I was far away from this path and begin to wonder what Web Development was, and what it is now! The definitions changed totally. I immediately fell in love with it. It’s simple, yet complex. Accessible to anyone, and you could build anything you imagine for every platform.
In late 2020, I’ve decided to continue my study in Law but determined that no matter what I’ll stick to the plan this time. I got serious about my career. Although I didn’t want to continue my career in Law rather I did a hunch. I’ve decided to do a Coding Bootcamp.
Chapter 0.5: The Start v2.0
After a couple of months, I discovered myself in the boot camp. The learning process wasn’t simple. I needed to consume a huge amount of materials in the shortest possible time. I had to submit assignments, online assessments, and a project per week. I self-studied a lot, really a lot.
I was continuing the boot camp and law study side-by-side, which later caused me serious burnout. I got demotivated. So, I wrote down my demotivating and motivating factors like this 👇
After re-improvising those above facts, I was thinking I’m on the right track. I just needed some more time and patience.
So, I ate the Frog 🐸! I challenged myself to complete 100 Days of Code. Began to code for 7 to 8 hours per day - seriously, building projects and exploring other technologies and the tech communities. I realized a coding boot camp won’t be enough.
I started to focus more on what I’m doing and what I want to be and forget the less important facts. I set a strict routine and kept myself stuck to it, no matter what. I set aside minimal time for my undergrad study (and I still follow it).
Luckily, I just nailed my boot camp and passed with a great result (they call it Black Belt). I didn’t expect that though, I just wanted to learn and become a developer. Simple as that.
Chapter 0.6: The Hunting
Remember, if you want to be recognized, you need recognition. Without the profession, no one will count on you. It’s the harsh truth. It doesn’t matter if you’re an expert and knows everything or if you have a trail of followers on social media.
I knew the basics of programming, I knew how the web works and web development. But until I got a profession, I couldn’t call myself a developer, engineer, etc. The profession could be a 9-5 job, a business, freelancing, or vice-versa.
Keeping that in mind, I began to apply or more specifically hunt. I failed my first interview miserably. I applied for roughly 50+ jobs and internships around the world and 10 of them rejected me (the others didn’t even call for an interview) until I was accepted. I landed a remote internship in India and finally, I did it. Now I can call myself a DEVELOPER.
Conclusions
Becoming a developer isn’t a phenomenon, it’s a process. You could never find the exact reason for what made you become a developer. You’ll find many unsorted pieces and abstract thoughts. You just need to make them sorted and build them piece by piece like a lego. And I believe, it’s not only for the developers’ scene. It’s applicable in all circumstances.
Don’t try to find exactly what made you something, rather try to find and follow the timeline, the process of becoming one. That way you could achieve anything you desire. And after achieving the thing, don’t think you are successful. You just completed a small step of sky-high possibilities. Our desires are constructive and never-ending. So, keep pursuing.
If you read this article, you’ll never find an appropriate reason or you could assume something. I leave that up to you. I think that’s the beauty cause it doesn’t rely on a particular thing. Everything is connected.
Last but not least, I’d like to thank you for your patience and time to read it through. I hope my story has inspired you at least a little bit. If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them in the comment box. I'd love to hear from you.
Till then, have a great day.