My Journey to become a Front-End and Back-End Web Developer.

 



"All great changes are preceded by chaos" - Deepak Chopra.

Introduction.

In my quest to find my "feet" in Tech, I first looked at what I was good at (My strengths and weaknesses). With a strong background in a Physical Science discipline (Physics), and with experience in handling, analyzing, and drawing insights from data, I looked at Data Analysis and Data Science as an entry point. I am privileged to be a self-taught Python Expert, Tableau, Power BI, Excel (I used this to analyze data for my MPhil thesis), and other programming languages. I have also been part of a few training programs (Bootcamp) to enhance my skills in those tech stacks. YouTube is also my go-to learning platform should I feel the need to understand a concept. I have used YouTube to learn HTML, CSS, C++, and JavaScript, and still in the process of learning. StackOverflow, W3Schools, and other platforms also come in handy.

With the changing Tech market, learning a single tech stack might get you the job until you read a job requirement when you are required to know and have experience in using about 5-7 programming languages and also, have projects that can be a selling point for your entry into Tech.

On my tech journey, I have the opportunity to be part of a group that empowers the youth in Africa through training in programs such as Data Analysis, Front-end and Back-end Web Development, Digital Marketing, and many other programs in Tech. 

Check their website https://digital-africa.co/en/programmes/talent-4-startups/

I am a student pursuing both Front-end and Back-end Web development and this blog will be dedicated to telling each and everyone who visits, my journey so far and what task I have been able to accomplish.

Tasks I - Setting up my web development environment.

As a web developer or programmer, you need to work within a required environment using appropriate IDEs (Integrated Development Environment). I remember I used to practice HTML using Notepad. IDEs are sometimes referred to as "Code editors". This makes it possible for your operating system to interact with your code to generate the preferred outcome. There are a whole lot of IDEs for various Tech stacks, such as Sublime Text (I have experience in this), Atom, Eclipse, etc. In this task, it was my duty to download VScode (Virtual Studio code), Node.js, and Linux to set up my Windows PC to begin the journey as a Front-End and Back-End Web Developer.

These are the steps I undertook to install the environment;

VS Code Editor.

1. The web browser "Google Chrome" was used to search for the Visual Studio Code Installation package. The first option within the search results was opened. Link:https://code.visualstudio.com/download 

2. With my operating system using a functioning Windows 10 operating system, I downloaded the version for Windows and followed the prompts for the installation procedures.

3. Since I will be working with HTML and other programming languages, I need to show my websites on a browser, I downloaded an extension known as "live saver".



Node.js

1. With the same process as observed under the first point of downloading the vs code software, I downloaded Node.js from its official website. Link: https://nodejs.org/en.

 


Linux

Most programmers work in this environment. Web developers, Software Engineers, Cloud experts, and so many Tech engineers work within this environment. Linux is an operating system just like IOS, MacOS, and Windows. Setting up a Linx environment on a Windows PC is essential for your web development process. You do not need to install Linux on your MacOS since it comes preinstalled. As there are versions of other operating systems, Linux also has other versions as well.

Steps to install.

1. I opened Powershell on my PC and ran it as an administrator.

This is where it gets interesting.

WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) aids you in installing a distribution of the Linux package.

2. On my command line, I typed "wsl --install" and I had an error message after a long list of "help" commands. The error message was "No version of Linux has been installed"

So I proceeded to type "wsl --install -d Ubuntu". This command installed the version of Linux on my PC and I proceeded to set it up with a username and a password.


Below is a link to follow the instructions if you want to install Linux on your Windows machine. You can also search using "Google" and "YouTube" if you want further understanding.

Link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/linux/install


Honorable Mentions.

1. Git and Github. 

GitHub is an online repository  (Cloud System) that stores every project you will undertake as a programmer. This link can be sent to recruiters and potential employers about your knowledge of programming and also how you were able to handle certain challenges. This link gives an insight into how to use Git and GitHub. As a developer, you might be working in silos, or within a group. To pull your work from GitHub, make changes to your code, and this is where Git comes into play. Git is an open-source version control tool.

Link: https://product.hubspot.com/blog/git-and-github-tutorial-for-beginners

2. Windows Terminal. 

Windows Terminal functions just as Power Shell and the command prompt. It is a modern host for the command lines including Ubuntu.



Thanks for Reading. 

"We are on this journey together."







Daniel Kwasi Kpeglo.

Physicist| SQL| Python| HTML| CSS| JavaScript| Looker| LookML| BigQuery| Power BI| Tableau| GCCP

GitHub Link: https://github.com/Daniel-Kwasi-Kpeglo

MPhil thesis Link: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-Relationship-Between-Incoming-Solar-Radiation-Kpeglo/665373178d99dffcb8aef75899ae1f43e680c40b

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

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