I started to code and the world opened up for me!
Not even two months ago, I knew basically nothing about web development. Sure, I was working as a journalist which meant that putting content into websites was part of my everyday life. Ocasionally I even had to click “inspect” on my browser to get something called “post-id” from an article I had published. But the box that opened after clicking “inspect” was mostly scary to me. All these weird cominations of <>/”… I knew it was HTML but it could have been hieroglyphs as well. I usually closed the window as soon as possible.
Then I started being a student in a boot camp for frontend developers. Why that? I had tried to learn programming on my own several times, tried some Python, looked into Java, but I never had any use of my knowledge and soon my discipline faded. When I decided to give it a new try, I heard about the boot camp and just applied. I got the place and started in August. Since then, my life has changed.
The camp means learning at a high pace. It’s intense, demanding, sometimes hard and always fun. Especially during the first weeks I was euphoric and even now, when I reflect on my journey, I still am.
The feeling reminds me of how it was to learn reading as a young child. All these weird signs that the grown-ups called “letters” suddenly started to make sense. They provided information and stories, and the world around me got a new dimension.
Something similar happens now. The online world has been part of my everyday life for many years and it just plays a more and more important role. This world suddenly also has a new dimension. I can understand what’s behind a web page, how a sign-up form works and how much effort there can be behind a single “Publish”-button. I can read code.
And even better: I also can write code. During the last weeks I’ve built a weather app, a pizza bot, a randomizer for board game enthusiasts and much more. I’ve become a creator, I can make things with code. It feels like a superpower! The feeling of empowerment that comes with these skills is incredible. It’s amazing, it makes me proud, it’s addictive. And it’s highly recommended!
