Leaping into the Unknown: My Career Change to Web Development

Ken Nartey — Sat, 08 Jul 2023 10:30:18 +0000

Leaping into the Unknown: My Career Change to Web Development

It was the last day of 2021, I took a leap of faith that would forever change the course of my life. I bid farewell to my stable sales job, embraced uncertainty, and embarked on a path I had always yearned to tread — the path of a software engineer.

“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Back in 2014, during my university days as a telecommunication engineering student, I was introduced to the world of programming. This initial encounter with C++ wasn’t love at first sight, but it left a lingering curiosity. Spending hours sitting behind the computer, meticulously editing metadata of thousands of songs I downloaded online already sounded like debugging to me. However, with the demands of my coursework, finding the right time to dive in seemed elusive.

Discovering Web Development

Destiny nudged me towards web development in 2017. I had the opportunity to serve in a high school where final year students were introduced to web development. It was during this time that I started learning HTML on the fly, and I found myself captivated by the possibilities of the language. I would learn and teach it in class. The more I delved into it, the stronger my interest grew.

The Sales Job Challenge

But once again. life had other plans, and I found myself taking a sales job at a roofing company. It was a departure from my aspirations, but despite my lack of sales background, I embraced it as another exciting challenge. I’ve always had a growth mindset so, armed with that, and some childhood experience helping at the family stores, I immersed myself in sales books and quickly became a top performer. But a growth mindset can only take you so far. You must love what you do to continue growing. Not to say I hate sales, but I didn’t enjoy it as much after 2 years working at it. As time passed, I couldn’t ignore the lingering question within: Was this truly the path I wanted to pursue long-term?

“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life .” — Confucius

Rediscovering Software Engineering

After two years in sales, my inner voice grew louder and I couldn't ignore it anymore. I conducted extensive research, mapping out a personalized road map. I knew it was time to make a pivotal change in my career. It was going to be hard, I knew that but I had saved enough to be able to make this change. So on the last day of 2021, I bid farewell to my stable sales job.

Taking the Leap

Leaving behind the comfort of a stable sales job was both exhilarating and terrifying. It was a leap of faith into the unknown. It marked the beginning of a new chapter, one filled with challenges and learning opportunities but I knew it was necessary to chase my dreams. With this burning desire to excel, I embarked on this self-taught path, ready to invest my time, energy and savings to acquire the skills needed to become a succesful software engineer.

Fourteen months have passed, and my dedication has yielded remarkable progress. I have immersed myself in the essentials: mastering HTML, CSS and JavaScript in the first year. The first iteration of my plan stated that I should be done in 6 months LOL. But within 4 months, I already knew it was impossible. There’s simply too much to learn. After the first year, in 2023, I was ready to pick up the frameworks. I started working with Bootstrap, TailwindCSS and React. The Odin Project, The Mozilla Developer Network, Free Code Camp, W3Schools, YouTube, and vibrant tech communities on platforms like Discord, Reddit, and Quora have been invaluable resources on this journey.

“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” — Sam Levenson

Although I haven’t yet landed my dream job in software engineering, I am filled with hope and optimism. I believe that with perseverance and continuous learning, the right opportunity will come knocking at my door. The passion that drives me is unwavering, and I am excited for what lies ahead. In my next blog post, I’ll delve into the challenges I’ve faced as a self-taught developer, aiming to inspire and offer insights to fellow learners on similar paths.

My journey is a tale of embracing change, following my heart, and taking risks. I’m grateful for the opportunities that have shaped me and the resources that have supported my growth. As I continue to learn, grow, and share my experiences, I am confident that I am on the right path, eagerly anticipating the moment when my dream job becomes a reality.

Hello World: My Debut Blog Post

Ken Nartey — Sat, 08 Jul 2023 09:53:29 +0000

Hello World: My Debut Blog Post

My name is Kenneth Nartey, I live in Accra, Ghana and this is my first blog post. I am currently on a journey to become a Software Engineer and I am very excited to share my self-taught journey with you.

You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great — Zig Ziglar

Exactly a year ago, I quit my Digital Sales job to pursue a career in Software Engineering starting with Front-end Development. It has been a very challenging, yet rewarding journey for me so far. I taught myself the basics of HTML, CSS and JavaScript and even built a few projects using these languages. I’m currently diving deeper into the world of frameworks and libraries so I’m learning Bootstrap and React side by side. I look forward to continue learning and growing in this field for many more years to come.

As a self-taught developer, I spend a lot of hours a day, watching YouTube tutorials, devouring documentation, reading articles, and combing through the web for resources. I think my personal favorites are The Odin Project and the MDN (Mozilla Developer Network). These resources have provided me with invaluable insights and most importantly, practical knowledge that I can apply to my coding projects.

While it can be a lonely process, I get help from online communities on Discord, Stack Overflow, Quora and Reddit. I’m constantly amazed by the wealth of knowledge that’s out there. And, I’m always eager to connect with like-minded people who are on the same journey as I am. That’s why I decided to start this blog. It’s a way for me to share my thoughts, insights, and experiences with others who are or were on a similar journey.

In this blog, I’ll be sharing my experiences in my Software Engineering journey, as well as tips and resources that have helped me along the way. I’ll also be sharing some of the challenges that I’ve faced and how I’ve overcome them.

In conclusion, I’m excited to share this journey with you and hope that you’ll find some value in the content that I’ll be sharing, which is hopefully once every week. If you’re also a self-taught engineer or someone who’s passionate about Software Engineering especially on the front end of things, I’d love to connect with you! You can find me on Twitter as @thewebken.

Thanks for reading... and I hope to see you again soon!

Forem: Ken Nartey

Leaping into the Unknown: My Career Change to Web Development