Dev Retro 2022: Reflecting on my journey as a developer
A year of personal and professional growth
A bit about Myself
Hi there 👋🏻, Dhruv here. I am a Flutter developer with over 3 years of experience.
I was very excited when the #DevRetro2022 campaign was introduced because it gave me the opportunity to reflect on my journey as a developer over the past years and share my experiences and key milestones with others.
Writing this blog has been a great way for me to look back on my journey and think about the progress I have made as a developer.
I am excited to share my experiences with you and hope that it will inspire others to continue learning and growing as developers.
How I Started My Development Journey?
Fascination with programming
- When I first started, I was completely new to the world of programming. I had no experience with coding and didn't even know where to start. But I was fascinated by the idea of creating things using code, and I was determined to learn.
Starting college
- I started college in 2018, studying Computer Science and engineering. In my third year, my college organized a hackathon, and I decided to participate even though I didn't know anything about app development. (Finger Crossed 😅)
Struggles with Native Android
We got a task to develop an app using Native Android. I was completely clueless, but my friend knew a bit about it so we tried our best to complete it. By We I mean my Friend 😁. Cuz I didn't know how all that things work lol.
I saw my friend coding the app, and I also got interested so I also tried coding small-small tasks with his help, but I found it very difficult to understand, and in the end, I gave up 🥲.
Introduction to cross-platform development
That's when a senior of mine suggested that I try cross-platform development, such as React Native or Flutter. And Guess, what I picked?
Flutter 💙.
Learning new languages and technologies
Parallelly, I was also trying different programming languages and technologies. I learned about JavaScript, React.js as I also got interested in Web Development. So I started experimenting with simple coding projects.
At first, it was a struggle. I had to wrap my head around complex concepts and syntax, and I spent hours over documentation, youtube videos, StackOverflow, etc trying to understand how everything worked. But as I continued to learn and practice, I started to make progress.
Focus on Flutter
Eventually, I settled on Flutter for mobile development, and I began focusing on learning that.
The course that I took to learn Flutter is by Angela Yu on Udemy. The course is designed very well and her teaching is top-notch. I highly recommend it to everyone who just started learning Flutter or wants to start.
After completing the course, I started making small applications and published four of them on the Play Store within six months.
That was my first big achievement 🥳. Because developing an app to publish to the play store is a big task for any developer.
However, I realized that my development was lacking proper architecture and code maintenance, so my code was not organized well.
Also One of the biggest challenges for new developers in Flutter is state management, and at the time, the popular solution was Provider.
The course covered Provider, but I struggled to understand it due to my weak programming concepts.
So, I studied general programming architectures and concepts to better understand what was happening under the hood. Over time, I became more comfortable with these concepts.
Tough time never lasts.
- It was not an easy journey for me. Looking back on my journey, I am proud of the progress I have made and the things I have been able to create.
How and Why I Started Blogging?
My lack of experience in writing
Starting my blogging journey was not an easy task. I had no connection with writing by the way, but I wanted to share whatever I was learning.
Youtube was one option but I was not into video-making things, that's why I decided to write. I was never sure if I was good enough to start a blog. However, I took the risk and decided to give it a try.
The motivation behind starting a blog
I started a blog with the intention of documenting the things I was learning so that I could refer back to them and share them with others.
At the time, I was confident with my knowledge of Flutter, so I started with beginner-level blogs on the topic.
The challenges I faced starting a blog
I had to do a lot of research and learn new things in order to come up with interesting topics to write about. But with time, I started to get a better understanding of advanced Flutter concepts and gained confidence in my writing skills.
Initially, I was not getting views on the blogs that I was writing. So, I started to share my blogs on various social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Discord, Slack, Reddit, etc, which helped to increase my reach and visibility.
Over time, I gained a loyal following and my blogs started to get more views and engagement.
The success
Currently, I have over 200k+ views on my blogs, and 1.8k+ followers, and written 70+ articles on various topics related to Flutter.
I am happy that I took the first step in starting my blogging journey and am grateful for the support and feedback I have received from my readers.
Anybody Can Write
- In conclusion, starting a blog can be challenging, but with dedication, hard work, and a willingness to learn and improve, anyone can start their own blogging journey.
A Flashback Of 2022
In 2022, I was thrilled to start working as a full-time Flutter developer. I had been working with Flutter for a while and was excited to put my skills to the test professionally.
I quickly adapted to my new job and also started receiving freelance clients as well.
I enjoyed the challenge of working on different projects and learning from my co-developers.
My blog, which I had started as a hobby, was also gaining traction and I was receiving a lot of positive feedback from my readers.
In addition to my work, I made some great friends online and we would often chat and support each other in our respective fields.
Overall, it was a very fulfilling and productive year for me. I was able to grow professionally and personally, and I felt proud of the progress I had made.
What's the Plan for 2023?
As a developer, there are many things we can do to stay up-to-date and continue to improve our skills. There are number of things that I want to try in 2023. Here are some of them:
I want to try the latest developments and trends, such as new frameworks, and tools.
I want to attend conferences, meetups, and workshops related to Flutter or development in general.
I want to contribute to well-known open-source projects. Hope I will do this in 2023.
And of course last but not least I am hoping to achieve the milestone of reaching over 1 million views on my blog 🤞🏻 and also to have my blog featured on Hashnode 🥹.
Conclusion
My journey as a developer and blogger has been one of dedication, hard work, and continuous learning.
Starting as a complete beginner, I faced challenges but gained a lot of experience and confidence.
My Message to New Developers
Starting coding can be challenging, but it is also an incredibly exciting journey. As a beginner, it is important to be patient and not get discouraged.
It will take time to understand complex concepts and gain experience, but the effort will be worth it trust me.
Also, surround yourself with supportive and knowledgeable individuals who can help guide you on your path.
Take advantage of online resources and communities to learn and grow, and never stop pushing yourself to improve.
Good luck on your journey! YOU CAN DO IT!!!
