No, this is not a clickbait! Learning Javascript did make me cry.
Today, I won't be writing on React hooks, javascript array methods, or CSS frameworks. I'll be taking you on a brief journey of my tech career, the transition, the pains, the wins.
Grab a popcorn, Pepsi, or both, and enjoy this ride.
The Start of a Beautiful Journey
I had just spent over five years studying to be a pharmacist, and this dream of a million years had finally come to pass. Elated as I was, I knew I wanted more, I had noticed massive loopholes in the healthcare system that I was grossly dissatisfied with.
With proper research made, roadmaps drawn, and a ready mind, I took the big leap and decided to delve into the world of web development. I loved the frontend aspect and everything that had to do with it. To be honest, I guess no one prepared me for the gruesome learning curve I was going to encounter.
Let's be fair, self-taught programmers should be given their flowers, online learning had never been my forte. All I had was Angela Yu's course I had purchased on Udemy, a couple of YouTube videos, and a developer friend.
The Learning Path
I had just become a newly inducted pharmacist and just got a new job. Challenge unlocked! I had to juggle learning web development alongside my 10-hour daily shift job as a pharmacist.
Excited, I started my journey by learning HTML, and felt good that I could grasp the concept quite easily. HTML was a breeze, and in a few days, I was done.
Next on the list was CSS, of course, tougher, but I was still able to pull through after weeks of learning. I tested my CSS ability with a couple of personal projects and decided it was time to move to Javascript. I had little idea as to what was about to hit me.
Tears welled in my Eyes
Excited, I set off on my Javascript journey. From arrays to loops, functions, operators, etc., everything felt like outright gibberish! For weeks, I struggled, wondering why Javascript seemed so hard to grasp. I watch loads of tutorials, and some of them just got me more confused.
The Straw that broke the Camel's back
Like I said earlier, online learning had never been my strong point but I was determined I was not going to give up.
Being human, I started to get discouraged, I mean, "You studied pharmacy bro, how hard could javascript be", I said to myself. As I pondered on all these, tears welled in my eyes, I could not believe I was going to give up on my big dream!
I wiped my eyes, took a walk to clear my head, and took a break off codes. I guess I just needed some time off to restrategize and come up with a better study methodology because I wasn't going to give up!!
My First Job
I took Javascript by the horns and swore to understand it. I got a notebook, wrote down codes, and went through these codes over and over. Alas, I started to make significant progress! I finished learning the basics, got into intermediate and advanced concepts then wrote a few personal projects. I posted these projects on Linkedin and got several engagements.
"Hello, there is a project and we need a web developer, can you handle it?", was a message I got from one of my LinkedIn connections. A UK-based startup needed a frontend developer to jump on one of their projects, I got on the interview and landed my first tech job!
The rest is history!
Today, I build applications and write amazing tech articles for companies.
The learning process never ends, and challenges still come my way, but I am glad I have never given up. Thank you, Javascript, those tears only made me more determined!
My name is Durosinmi Victory, and this is my story.