Coming off 4 years of full time chemical engineering, why should I learn how to code? Well, I was fresh out of uni and had a slight nostalgia for 'structured learning' and I have had some experience in coding before. I then set myself the goal of developing my own website by learning HTML and CSS from the ground up instead of shortcutting the process. At the time, it seemed like a good challenge for personal growth and since May 2017, putting in an hour or two every night towards learning has been a great experience of learning the languages through an online course and applying them in this initiating project.
Nowadays, everyone has their professional portfolio up on LinkedIn and that includes myself. Why should I bother creating a professional portfolio about myself from scratch? In addition to developing my programming skills, I would like to use this platform to share, as I develop my own narrative on how I grew up, my journey through university and other life defining moments.
I've been riding bikes ever since I physically could. One of the most memorable gifts I have ever received was my first bicycle. It was red. Made out of poor quality metals and parts. And it gave me freedom.
Walking around Perth with my camera in hand gives me a sense of freedom and mindfulness that is unmatched by anything else that I do. The process of creating something that is completely accountable to myself only is also very rewarding in itself. I either go out, create photos and challenge myself or I don't and have nothing to show for it.
Halfway through university, I accumulated enough money by that age to take my first overseas trip without my parents. I took my brother along and we backpacked through the big cities in Europe and this inevitably became the spark for many to come. China. Cambodia. Taiwan. Hong Kong. Vietnam. My focus in travelling is less on pre-packaged tours and buying stuff to take home and more on the rich experiences that you can so readily gain from being lost on purpose.
They provide me with infinite fuel for my hunger to learn.
I fell into coding only recently, about 6 months after graduating from my engineering degree. Driven to 'keep up with the times' after seeing that kids in school (!) nowadays are learning HTML and CSS, I also had the intention of having a structured learning program to focus on in my spare time. And coding was great as I could work on it whenever and wherever I had time and space and the results were immediate. Very rewarding. Easy to pick up. Good skill to have. Would recommend. Oh and also, the Perth developer scene has such a strong sense of community it's great.
“ No one knows what they're doing either ” - Ricky Gervais
