My TIIDELab Experience 1.0 (First Month)
My name is Ayodele Samuel Adebayo a Self reliant Junior Frontend Developer, I turn UI designs into web codes.
TIIDELab taught me that profiling, Let’s not go there, straight to how I became a self reliant Junior Frontend Developer in one month?
TIIDELab is the key!!!
Short story about my journey before TIIDELab.
Few months ago I was just an ordinary self taught; I don’t even know my stack developer.
I started learning how to code on Java phone back in 2015 during my secondary school days, after been conscious that computers communicates and works even without human interference.
My first programming language was 1 and 0, that was the result I got from the Google search “What language do computer understand?”, I was so confused looking through those google search image results and seeing binaries on my mini phone was an headache.
That Google search got me my first laptop from my cousin, December 2015, after noticing how serious I was about this computer of a thing.
Honestly I was like a horse without a rider before TIIDELab
Fast forward to 2017 and 2018, I already know the components of a computer and very good in control flow, python has already become my good friend, MySQL is my neighbor but we rarely greet, while HTML and CSS was a long train I don’t want to enter, how will I compile it like python IDLE?.
really confusing right? I was too.
My believe was that programmers don’t use HTML and CSS, Poor me, I was more into Python and Django.
The difficult part was not having a mate that knows how to code in your small town, nobody to discuss coding ideas and bugs with.
learning how to code all alone was yam pepper scatter scatter
but one thing keeps me moving “PROGRAMMER”, I want to become that, I love been called that, but no clue on how to attain that.
How I Know TIIDELab
First TIME of knowing about TIIDELab was through a link sent to an html and css WhatsApp group, I check the link, realized the registration was closing in 2 days time, and only resident of Abuja and Lagos are eligible.
I ignored the question marks and registered, took the test, got 66.6667%, which I FAILED. The pass mark was 70%, and i’m calling myself a programmer?. I feel so bad that I couldn’t eat throughout the day.
Finally got a mail on the 23rd of July inviting me for an interview in Abuja on the 28th of July, the happiness made me skipped my lunch again.
I traveled all the way from Kwara state to Abuja for the interview, I realized if I got selected I won’t be able to return back and prepare for the program, was only left with few cloths I came with, so I stayed.
As a TIIDELab Fellow
Been a Fellow at TIIDELab has really been a challenge for me as an INTROVERT, engaging with other fellows as a team who are highly EXTROVERTED, still I got the chance to mingle with a lot of creative minds, though I was so nervous at first, I gained confidence in being able to be independent.
I learned to be more comfortable in walking up to strangers and striking up a conversation. Being open to new things and meet a variety of new people really boosted my knowledge and reasoning.
TIIDELab opened my eye to what I could become and how I can achieve it, they taught me how to believe in myself first and to put in the work of investing practicing time to improve myself.
What I have achieved a month at TIIDELab
- Learn’t how to use Advanced HTML, CSS and JavaScript
2. I know my way around Big O, algorithms and data structures
3. I developed my portfolio using knowledge from 1 and hosted it on netlify
4. Contributed to over 5 open source projects which got merged on Github with version control knowledge from TIIDELab
5. Finally getting my hands dirty with JavaScript and already have a project on it.
6. My communication Skill and Problem solving Skill has really improved
7. Becoming a really good team player
My experience at the TIIDELab Bootcamp happened to be one of my most mentally required and loving moment in recent times. The schedule has been designed in such a way as to maintain a healthy balance between rigorous learning and fun which has been helpful in the significant improvement of my coding skills and growth mindset.
Currently I am the Team Lead of developers working on an Employee Timesheet Software at TIIDELab.
I learnt one thing from all of this , you have to be prepared for the unexpected, face challenges squarely and also give everything your best shot regardless of the outcome and deadline.
Luck is for the prepared mind
If you attend this bootcamp and you still remain the same even after the first month, then you are really missing something. I am optimistic and taking my chances, TIIDELab is a place for me and I will work hard to get through no matter the challenges I face during the way.
Thank you TIIDELab , Mr. Kadir Salami (TIIDELab Daddy), Pishikeni Tukura (TIIDELab Principal), Mr. Shams (TIIDELab Big Brother), Mr. Solomon Chokor and every other Mentors and instructors for this great opportunity.
Thank You for reading to the end!!!
