How I got into software development...
Getting to be a geek...
I have always admired the amazing things that few of my class-mates did with programming languages (e.g. c#, Java e.t.c) they could write software with and the great earning opportunities it afforded them while undertaking undergraduate studies.
My first real opportunity to intensively get involved happened in January 2009 when I got my first post-graduation job at a software development firm.The firm built portals for managing academic results, fees payment and admission processes of students/applicants in tertiary institutions. Prior to that time, I had been involved in learning Java but often left after a while.
I dived in fully at this new firm to learn the skill having been given access to raw source codes through the demo installations on my laptop which I had to take along to demonstrate the solutions to clients.
I took advantage of e-books and other dowloaded resources offered to me by the established programmers in the firm. They were always willing to help out in explaining vague concepts whenever I got stuck in the course of my reading experience.
I started out with HTML in order to learn how to layout a webpage correctly. That endeavour enabled me to master the skill of using the appropriate form-elements in laying out forms for data collection. For example, it will be inappropriate to use a checkbox for collecting information on a user's gender when a radio button would have been more apt as this data item is one of a choice among several alternatives.
After I had satisfied my curiosity with HTML, I delved into CSS. I must admit that I am obssessed with design and beautiful layouts. I suppose that my hobbyist foray into painting as a teenager, years ago, while in high school must have helped me appreciate this technology a lot. This is because it blew my mind as to the flexibility which could be realized in any page-design objective.
PHP as a web programming language was my next step. I particularly found the PHP/MySQL book published by Wrox to be of immense benefit to me as they were detailed enough to my taste in helping me understanding the concepts in a step-by-step fashion. Initially, it was difficult getting a grasp for the flow of operation and how to design a flow for my own projects. However, consistent practice, revision of text and frequent meditation/reflection on the concepts helped in consolidating my understanding. This effort also helped me to understand the linkages between data entities in a database which ultimately gave an edge when I had to handle technical support function in the firm.
The entire learning experience spanned 6months. Subsequently, I was assigned to a technical support role where my understanding of the inner workings of the web applications enabled me to relieve the developers. This is because I was able to fix every minor to intermediate client issue while escalating only the major isues.
It has been 10+ years since I embarked on that journey into Software Engineering, having veered off a bit from my academic major in Electrical/Electronics Engineering. I can say it has been a rewarding experience.
As a take-away, no concept is too difficult to understand. Consistent reading/re-reading of and meditation on the text that discusses the concept can help any supposed "dummy" become a Pro in any field. So, if Software engineering has always fascinated you, give it a shot and don't stop until the concepts begin to literally replay in your dreams and start to form into products.
