Documenting My Journey From Waitress to Full Stack Web Developer
Tags: webdev, devjournal, codenewbie
Published: 2021-07-15 09:41:38

**Hello World!** (sick of seeing that one yet?)
I have always shown interest in coding, and creating things online, but since my college semester started this year I dove in head first. 

**TL;DR** I'm taking *C#, Python, SQL*, creating websites with *CSS, HTML*, and *JavaScript*. I was testing Coding Editors, ended up with so many of them, can't work them all. Everyone said *Python* is SUpeR eAsY. I DON'T LIKE IT, I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. I CAN DO IT, AND CREATE SCRIPTS. I JUST DON'TTTTTT GET IT. I can't figure out which text editor I want to use, I'm all over the place, frustrated, angry at the world. Need dev and webdev friends, or just acquaintances. **HELPPPPP

1. What *text editor* do **you** use? Which would you recommend and why?
* Are you a Website Developer? What projects would you recommend for a new portfolio from scratch? 
*If you were freelancing for clients, would you use code or would you use a website builder to create it? 
* Want a new friend? I need new friends with similar interests in **Tech** in general. 
* You will NOT learn anything by just *reading* information on programming. You have to **DO** projects to grasp it. So why are there not more **FREE** walkthroughs for projects?
* *Python* is **NOT** the easiest language, I picked up intermediate C# well before I knew how to write a beginner Python code on my own. Don't listen to the people that say *Python* is the easiest coding language. They are lying. 

So I'd like to start out by saying, journaling, documenting, and recording has always been a way for me to destress, and process things. Normally I would create a bullet journal entry from scratch, but since I spend 18 out of 24 hours this seemed to be a more realistic approach. 

I started tinkering with coding 2 years ago. I would create a customized page, automation, or random calculator here and there. I would be fascinated by creating a website, designing a website, data analytics, python, c#, and before you know it I had over **50+ abandoned** repositories on my *github.* I would start with full intention of self-teaching **ONE** thing then end up so overwhelmed with so many chrome tabs open they were no longer all in my viewport. *Does this happen to anyone else?* (Any suggestions on a way to organize my chaotic tabs)

I made the decision I was fed up working in the Food/Beverage - Customer Service industry and wanted to do something I really enjoyed. I figured a lot of it out on my own, taught myself some really cool things, but wanted to go back to school to earn a degree. So I did just that. I started out as a *Business Management* major, but ended up settling in *Computer Programming, Coding Technology, Data Analytics, and minoring and Business Management*. 

I just finished up my last lab in my *Responsive Web Design* class and decided I needed to write to destress. That is what led me here. This post is probably more scatter brained than I am. I wanted to pursue a job working as a Virtual Assistant. When I was researching the process I realized really quickly that 90% of the information online is someone posting on their blog, trying to sell you their course, teaching you the same thing that the next person is selling. It is a beat around the bush type structure and it really doesn't prepare you to work in the VA field AT ALL. Around the same time I started my certification for my Responsive Web Design class I'm required to take for school. I was really happy about that, because **I had already taught myself HTML, CSS,* and knew some JavaScript so it was an easy credit for me. Taking that course really reminded me how much I loved WebDev. 

I was looking online at UpWork and other freelance pages, and the things people are selling in the WebDev, Content Creation, Design categories are all things I taught myself to do years ago. So that made me think *MARI what the heck are you doing???* *You could be doing that, why aren't you?* Well, I don't have a portfolio. So okay, make a portfolio then? Well I have so many different projects I think would be cool to put, I can't start on one. I start designing one, end up making another, then another, then another and before you know it, I'm online posting to dev.to instead of creating a portfolio. 

Honestly I'm not sure why I posted this, but I really wanted to keep the documentation for myself, as well as if anyone happens upon it, decides to read and wants to offer advice, a laugh, or whatever then amazing. I would love that.