How I Got Here: my Coding Journey.

This is a story of how I got into coding, as a fresher in KNUST. I talk about how I started, how I progressed, and where I am now.

/// First Steps (Late First Semester, 2023)

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My journey began unexpectedly. I had started a four-year Computer Science program at KNUST, although I was expecting to pursue Electrical Engineering. While things didn’t go that way (perhaps for the best!), I found myself in Introduction to Structured Program Design during my first semester. Knowing Introduction to Programming in C++ was coming in the second semester, I decided to get a head start.

So I got onto w3schools and learned the basics of C++. It was bliss! I found it very interesting and fun and to keep my skills sharp, I started tackling a set of 49 practice questions (by Dr. Hayfron Acquah) – which were also potential exam questions.

I solved what I could and uploaded them to GitHub _[1]. The remaining unsolved questions are still out there; maybe I'll revisit them in the near future.

When the actual C++ course started, I found it easy and did well in the end.

/// The Long Vacation (August 2023 - January 2024)

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Exams finished, and it was time for the long vacation – four glorious months (August to early January). With so much time and endless possibilities, I planned to work on projects with friends. Some projects thrived, some fizzled out, and some never even started, but they all provided valuable experience.

To maximize my learning during this break, I decided to explore different technologies and tools each month. My goal was to gain a solid understanding by the end of each month.

Month 1:

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HTML, CSS, and Linux.

I grasped these concepts well.

Month 2:

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JavaScript (a 30-day course that was great, though some parts of JavaScript were...well, challenging!)

Month 3:

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This month wasn't as successful as I'd hoped. I planned to learn React but got sidetracked by other tasks. However, I still gained a basic understanding, which proved helpful later.

Month 4 (December):

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Project building month! I focused on creating projects, most of which are now on my GitHub profile. One of them is my first personal portfolio website.

The long vacation was a worthwhile investment. I picked up valuable skills and made online friends along the way.

/// Present

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Back in school, I came across a few GitHub repositories and discovered Astro, the framework I used to build this site!

¹ (this is around when I also learned about Git and GitHub through a seminar)