Why I’m Starting a Blog On My Journey to Becoming a Software Developer
Becoming a software developer — pandemic edition
I know not many people will read this post, as this is mostly for me to track and document what I am learning, but just in case — Hello World!
Before I explain why I decided to start a blog, let me briefly introduce myself and what I am all about.
A little bit about me 👨🎓
My name is Joel Ramos (he/him) and this summer I will be graduating from Western Washington University with a BS in Computer Science and hoping to start my career in the upcoming months.
Being a first-generation, Mexican-American college student has brought its own unique challenges and experiences. I don’t see this as a disadvantage, but rather an opportunity to overcome these challenges and show resiliency.
I grew up in Washington State with both my parents and a younger brother. I discovered my interest in Computer Science during a summer in high school when I picked up an old programming textbook. I read the first chapter and wrote the classic “Hello, World” program.
I was hooked.
Flash-forward a couple of years and I am now capable of developing pixel-perfect and accessible user interfaces, websites, web applications, RESTful APIs, and more!
I have a passion for both Front-End and Full-Stack development and hope to continue my computer science education at a full-time job.
Be sure to check me out on my personal portfolio website where I highlight more about what I do. If you’re looking for someone like me — don’t be shy! Let me know through my website below 😃
My inspiration 💡
While applying to an absurd number of internships and full-time positions last year, I realized I never felt satisfied with the initial screening and interview process simply because I thought I didn’t showcase myself well enough.
Although that probably spoke to my interviewing abilities at the time, I wanted a platform to talk about how I am making myself a better software developer.
I thought,
if only I had some sort of way to document or track what I’m learning everyday
then I could easily talk about what I got out of each project, as previous experience is something that comes up during interviews.
That is what this blog hopes to accomplish.
My blog posts will act as timestamps of my early career development that anyone can look back on to see what I was doing on any given week.
Inspiration for this also came from wanting to show others like me — members of underrepresented groups in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), first-generation college students, and Mexican-Americans that someone like them was able to succeed in the tech industry.
If I could inspire someone to pursue a career in STEM, that would be a dream come true as I wish I had that experience earlier in my education.
Upcoming post ideas ✍️
Before ending my first blog post, I wanted to mention some topics I want to write about soon:
- how to maximize your learning on HackerRank and LeetCode 📚
- developing a portfolio website is a good idea and you should do it 🌐
- why Front-End Mentor is amazing for front-end developers 👨💻
- what Imposter Syndrome is and how it’s affecting you 😦
- how React was a game-changer for me ⚛️
If these topics sound interesting to you, make sure to follow me on Medium or connect with me on LinkedIn and keep an eye out for them!
The Outro ➡️
We made it to the end! Not too shabby for my first blog post — hope you thought that as well.
I am excited to continue sharing my journey to becoming a software developer and talking about why I enjoy what I do.
That’s it for now. I hope to be able to chat with some of you about your journey and where it has taken you. Feel free to reach out! ✌️
