I started getting back into Web Development at the end of 2021 after realizing that I enjoy understanding how modern web development works and noticing that no-code page builders overcharge for features that are sometimes just one little line of code. Don’t get me wrong, I like no-code website builders, they often save a lot of time, but they can get pricey if you just want a few extra features.

Especially because I had made websites with HTML, CSS and Javascript as a teenager and had a general understanding of how the web works which made me often think “No, I won’t pay an extra 5$/month for that option”.

Scratching My Own Itch

As I needed a website for my first small company I made the decision to create it on my own and learned a lot along the way by working through the Responsive Web Design Course by Freecode Camp. It’s a great platform to learn in small chunks but also create some projects. In the end, I wanted to learn more and dived into The Odin Project which has a more realistic approach toward web development, as you have to set up your development environment instead of working on the platform.

Keeping It Up

Working through The Odin Projects curriculum made me notice one thing about myself. I do not enjoy working on projects that I see no real value to myself. Yes, I can create small little projects, but when it comes to more complex issues, I need more motivation and this comes as soon as I create projects for myself, which is what I went on doing.

Having A Mentor

I am extremely lucky to have found a supportive Mentor who is not only a fantastic engineer with entrepreneurial experience, but also really good at explaining complex topics in easy words. Without him, I would have not been able to start to understand what React.js is, how the modern web works and learn smart little tricks, like split screens on VSCode.

AI

To me, AI is to programming what Google was in the early 2000s. Before you had to get your information from online forums, books, pdfs and so on. With Google, you could suddenly search for information and maybe even find answers to the exact search query, which saved you a lot of time. Having an AI assistant by your side is helpful although I am also really curious about how the programming world will look in a couple of years.

Continuous Learning

I love to dig deeper into modern web development tools and frameworks and hope to soon release my first small AI-based project