January to June

In the first half of 2022, I searched for things I could do online to make money.

I tried different things, from drop shipping to copywriting to affiliate marketing, but did not seem to have a passion for any of them. I didn't try programming though, I thought I had to have an engineering background to be good at it.

From the vast number of courses, I picked up a few things, such as rebranding, UX/UI designing, affiliate marketing, and copywriting.

My software engineering journey started in June, after attending the Google I/O Developer Festival. The speakers and participants inspired me. I noticed that many of the top developers did not have their first degree in computer science.

I began asking questions and got the link to my first boot camp in product management, sponsored by Empower Her Community.

July to September

While in the programme, I took another boot camp in front-end development sponsored by the Tech4Dev community. Running both boot camps concurrently wasn't easy, but it was worthwhile because I got to know my interests.

I also took a personal course on Git and GitHub by Amigoscode to improve my collaborative skills using Git and GitHub.

The front-end project was a group project built on sustainable development goals that focused on education. Here is a snapshot of the website.

September to December

At the end of the boot camps, around September, I was introduced to Alx, a one-year software engineering programme. I signed up and got in. The one-month probation period was tough. I joined a 30-day challenge by tech4Dev to keep me accountable for my progress, but I had to stop because I was affected by a flood in my area. To keep up with Alx and the constant relocation, I had to code using my phone.

I was able to weather the storm, despite having many moments when I felt like giving up. At the end of October, the flooding had reduced, and I was able to move back to my home and successfully pass the probation.

Between October and December, our tasks covered Shell basics and the C language. The end of the C course was capped with a group project.

For the fun part, I attended yet another Google event hosted by GDG Port Harcourt, made new tech friends, and learned some new things.

Also in my Alx programme, the fun wasn't left out. In the last weeks of December, we were introduced to AI art during one of Julien Barbier's live coding sessions. Subsequently, a challenge was put across cohorts, and the top five winners would win a free trip to Kigali. I didn't get chosen, but I was selected as one of the students to do a live coding session alongside the founder of Holberton School, Julien Barbier. That was the highlight of my year. You can watch the replay here

Summary

Looking back, 2022 was indeed a great year. I ended the year as a much better person. Following the Alx motto #DoHardThings, I will add: Do hard things consistently and you will achieve success.

My advice to anyone looking to break into technology is to document your progress, preferably on social media, in order to hold yourself accountable. Do not compare yourself with others, but rather keep improving every day, no matter how small. Hard work always pays off!

Have fun while #doinghardthings 💪. Cheers 🥂