The Journey of a Thousand Miles
Tags: webdev, beginners, backend
Published: 2024-06-28 20:16:22

Have you ever met a challenge so tough and confusing you said to yourself "This path might just not be for me"? If your answer is Yes or some variation of it, then welcome to my world!

Hello there! I'm Ikenna and I'm a frontend developer currently learning about the backend and looking to grow into a proficient full-stack developer, and I've met my fair share of challenges that made me question myself. I want to tell you about one I faced recently.

I was building a full-stack project recently with React on the frontend and Nodejs on the backend. I won't get into the specifics of this project but what you need to know is that I had finished building both the frontend and backend of this project and had tested them both separately and as a unit(on localhost).

I moved on to the next phase which was deployment. It was all going well until I tried testing the API calls in production. The first shocker I got was a red console on the browser (annoying right?). It was a [CORS](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/CORS) related error. Naturally, I went to consult my friend (the internet) and I found that I needed to install a package called [cors](https://www.npmjs.com/package/cors) on my server to make the error go away. I did just that and after deploying the changes guess what happened next? My backend server crashed!


![My server crashed!](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/4kd9vd87872qk3ltrfc1.png)

I think that was one of the most frustrated I've felt in a while. I read the error message, but it was all seeming like gibberish to me. I consulted my developer friend, who told me what the error meant (it's nice to have smart friends). Apparently, the issue was that I was creating files on my server and the hosting platform I was using for my server could not handle that. Eventually, I solved the problem by moving my server to a different hosting platform. In the end, I was glad that everything worked out.

I recently applied and got into the HNG Internship program under the backend track. For those that don't know about it, HNG Internship is a fast-paced bootcamp where tech enthusiasts work together to improve on their technical and collaborative skills over a span of 6 to 8 weeks. You can learn more about it [HERE](https://hng.tech/internship). I had heard of it before in passing but I heard of it again on social media where people were talking about how difficult it was to go through the internship. I went through the thread on Twitter (I know it's called X now) and I was curious to find out more about this 'tough' program, so I went over to [their website](https://hng.tech/internship). The first thing I noticed was that it looked good at first glance; I can't exactly remember what went through my mind next but the next thing I remembered was getting an email that I had been accepted into the internship. Shocking right?

Looking back, I still don't know why I applied for the internship but I guess it was because of curiosity. I mean how hard could it be? (funny question coming from someone that was questioning his life choices at the sight of a crashed server). Looking forward however, I know I'll be challenged for the duration of this program and I'm up for it (I hope). I don't know what the HNG journey holds for me but as a popular proverb says - "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" and that's exactly how I'm going to take it - step by step!