Unfortunately for me, I didn’t have the right motivation when I chose to be a front-end developer. My story began two years ago when I wanted to open a food/snacks store while I was an undergraduate. I had everything planned out, but I noticed that my funds were incomplete. I gathered money from my coaching classes, private tutorials, and the MTN Scholarship fee, but I needed more. Then, during an ASUU strike, I couldn’t start anything related to the business. Amidst this, a foolish thought came to me: to use that money to get a gaming laptop. Yes, a gaming laptop! I decided that if I ventured into programming, I would make the remaining money I needed for my business when I returned to school. Little did I know that this wasn’t how coding and making money worked.
I enrolled in a coding school with part of the funds I intended for my business, opting for an in-person class to learn Python programming since I wanted to be a game developer. I excelled and emerged as one of the top students when we completed our projects. Afterward, I asked my instructor, “Sir, what’s next? I need to make money before I return to school.” He introduced me to frontend development, and that’s how my journey as a frontend developer began.
Once I returned to school, I realized I had spent all my business funds on enrolling in the coding school and purchasing an expensive gaming laptop. I had to face the harsh reality that money doesn’t come quickly in coding. It took me some time to reflect on what I truly wanted. I dabbled in WordPress and similar platforms, hoping to find a way to earn quick money. Well, I eventually learned that when you choose to code, the focus shouldn’t solely be on making money. You need to adopt the mindset that it won’t be easy and have strong reasons and motivations, with financial gain not being the primary driving force, as that can lead to burnout.I decided to work towards being a software developer and I started with being a frontend developer.
Last year, I joined a few programs, including HNG, where we were tasked with replicating a Figma file using React.js. Though I had some knowledge of React, I didn’t know how to use it well, which prevented me from advancing to the next stage. This motivated me to improve my skills. While serving as a Nigerian corper, I learned how to use React and interned with two companies: one where I worked with React.js and another where I learned Next.js and TypeScript.
Now, I have decided to join HNG again to tackle all the projects I couldn’t complete before and reach the finish line. I want to continue pursuing my dream of building useful projects for the world while securing a well-paying job. I’m eager to see what this year brings!
Happy reading! If you’re interested, check out this site where you can hire React and Next.js developers.