Hello everyone, I'm Hasnain. Since 2022 is almost over, I'd like to reflect on my journey as a developer with #DevRetro2022.

2022 has been a turning point in my life, from having no development experience to being a Full-Stack developer, I have come a long way. but I believe, it's just the beginning. so let me tell you how it began.

A little Background

When I was in class 12th I had computer science as a subject. I was introduced to C++ and computer networks but never understood what they were teaching so I never paid attention to them. C++ was literally taught on a blackboard and I had never seen an IDE in my life so I had to mug up that code to pass the exams.

By the end of 2021, I was in my 2nd year of graduation and I had nothing to do. I wanted to explore something new so I thought of learning programming. Since I had a terrible experience with c++ in the past, I didn't want to learn C++ again. I came across a playlist called "Code With Harry's" java course and for the first time I started to understand programming.

December 2021 and My Resolution for 2022

By December 2021, I learned the basics of Java and this was the time when I started enjoying it. I never knew programming was this fun. all thanks to Harry. my favorite topics were loops and if else statements. I solved a lot of quizzes on them. I kept on learning and solving problems till I reached "Object-oriented programming".

I came to know that java can be used to create mobile apps and the same guy has made a course so I thought it would be interesting to try so I installed android studio on my laptop and started learning. 2021 was about to end and I made many resolutions. one of them was to have 2 mobile apps designed and coded by me.

If I had known what 2022 had to offer, I would've had an instant heart attack there😁😂

My Android Development Journey 2022

Android development was really hard for me. I realized it was different than the programming problems I used to solve. Many times I used to get errors that would take me hours and hours to debug before I cried myself to sleep. I learned 2 things at that point

1. How to search solutions on Stackoverflow

2. If you don't know how your code works, don't ask why? just move on and say goodbye to that project😂

After almost a month of trial and error, I made my first application. A music player🥳. I named it "Root", don't know why.

Github link

I was very happy. The fact that I turned a piece of code into a music app was magical for me. nothing big, I know but it was my first app 😁.

Next, I tried to make more small-level applications, but I failed in almost every app I tried honestly. The errors kept getting harder and harder to solve. Once I remember completing an entire app. everything going fine I thought I should change my icon for the app because the default one that android studio provides looks boring. so I tried to just replace an image file and forgot to rename and delete previous files so the entire project was destroyed because of that. I don't remember the details of it but I had to dump that project and move on after a week of banging my head around those files. I learned the importance of reading documentation

Later on, I made my second project a Note taking app. This project had a cool splash screen animation, Space themed UI, a database with CRUD operations and a lot more. The time and energy invested in this project were worth it.

Here is the link if you wanna check it out! : Github Link

I kept on learning because I had so much fun doing it. Even though I faced many difficulties, the process itself was beautiful❤️

Next up, I learned about a Real-Time Database called "Firebase", learned about Api's and much more. I made some more projects here and there and I got a nice Idea for a project called "Upskillforfree".

Since I got to learn so many things for free, I had a hard time finding the right resource for whatever I wanted to learn. so to solve this problem, I started working on an app that will help everyone learn anything for free, by providing them with free resources. Programming languages, skills like Data science, Dsa, Android development, Web dev, blockchain dev, Ml, AI, Dev-OPS and much more for free. This project is yet not completed but it would be a dream come true if I finish this in 2023. Android app + a MERN stack website. if you want to contribute to this project of mine you can go to its GitHub link. I would highly encourage you to contribute to this project.

Internship hunt

To be honest, I am not good with degrees and diplomas. I was always interested in practical knowledge and application and with development, you learn the same. I wanted to take my learnings to the next level so I thought of getting an Internship. I loved the startup culture and everything about it so I wanted to apply to a startup as well. I would not just work on a Real-World project there, but would also learn about entrepreneurship. so I started applying to startup companies.

I visited various career portals and applied to more than 50 companies. I didn't get a response from the first 20 companies I applied to. I thought something was wrong with my resume so I learned how to make a nice resume, a cover letter and how to present myself well. then I applied again and I started getting calls from the companies.

My Interview Experience for the Internship

I remember in my first Interview I was so scared that I forgot even the most basic programming concepts. One of the interviewers said, " you know nothing, I don't want you(as a dev) in my team even if you work for free". That one hit hard actually😂. I called my dad to share about it and he was happy for some reason. I don't know why but I guess he wanted me to experience these small rejections and learn from them.

So I kept giving interviews and got rejected in most of them.

“Rejection is a part of any man's life. If you can't accept and move past rejection, or at least use it as writing material - you're not a real man. -Master Jiraiya”

Finally, I got selected. I joined as an Android Developer Intern for a startup in April 2022

My Internship Experience

I had an amazing experience working there. I realized I'm not the only one who knows how to make mobile apps. Many developers were more skilled and experienced than me. The project was different. The tools and technologies were different as well. Not only I became a better developer, I learned how a startup works as well. I am so grateful for this experience. I made some money and received a certificate and a letter of recommendation as well.

My Freelancing Experience

I was doing a lot of things at once like working on projects and applying for internships and at the same time, I learned about freelancing as well. I registered myself on Fiverr and started working on my gig in my free time. It took me a month to get my first client on Fiverr. It was to test an android app. It was pretty simple so I did it and made some money. I would definitely elaborate on my freelancing experience sometime later since there's a lot that goes into getting your first client. That's a story for another blog

My Web Development Journey - 1

During my internship, we had two teams. Android developers and web developers. I thought web development would be Interesting so I wanted to give it a try. To explore web development. I searched various tools and technologies used to develop web applications and I wanted to learn the MERN stack(MongoDB, Express, ReactJS, NodeJS).

I first explored HTML and CSS. I made my first project. A Flipkart Clone made with only HTML and CSS.

It's cringe and nowhere near the real Flipkart😂. If any Frontend dev is reading this I'm so sorry and please don't report this blog😂

Then I learned bootstrap and made one more of such disasters. Here is the link. don't bother checking It out honestly😅

GitHub: github.com/Hasnain666/TechRiot

Then I came across an amazing teacher "Jonas" https://codingheroes.io/

This guy made me love javascript with his amazing teaching style, project-based learning and detailed explanation. I made some nice HTML, CSS & JavaScript Projects

One of them was a nice little game. Link

Why I joined Twitter and Linkedin

By the end of that course, I made some great progress in learning JavaScript. It was the end of my 2nd year and 3rd year started. I had no hopes of getting placement through my university so I wanted to network with developers and reach out to hiring managers to get an off-campus placement. So this is how I started building an online profile on Linkedin and Twitter. More than getting placed I was curious to know about the Web developer community on Twitter. I reached out to so many folks and they were very helpful and kind. I started a challenge called "100DaysOfCode" which I'm still following and It helped me in getting consistent.

My Web Development Journey - 2

After getting better at JavaScript making a few projects here and there, I thought of learning Backend development (NodeJS, Express, MongoDB & Mongoose to be specific). I made my first NodeJS Express app and learned the basics.

GitHub Link

I am still learning BackEnd and I hope to complete my final project from the course by January 2023. I took a break from that project to revisit HTML, CSS, JS and also learned the fundamentals of ReactJs. Built a project as well.

A great way to end 2022 with this ReactJs and Supabase project. Link

When I finish my NodeJs, Express, MongoDB & Mongoose project I want to come back to Front-End, learn ReactJS properly and be good at it, explore NextJs, Tailwind CSS and make MERN stack projects.

Blogging on Hashnode

I've been into writing articles, creating content and editing youtube videos for quite some time. never took it seriously though. But I learned a lot when I explored content creation. A lot of my Twitter friends started writing blogs here on hashnode so I thought why not?

This one would be my third article and I want to write more. Not only It would help others but It would help me as well!

"To teach is to learn twice." - Joseph Joubert

The End

I am grateful for 2022 but I believe that I have only scratched the surface of this ever-changing field called "Software Development". Unlimited things to learn, to improve and so much work to be done. 2022 has been a great start. I'll be graduating this year, looking forward to that. I have no clue what's gonna happen in 2023 I guess time will tell. But I'll keep learning and keep growing no matter what!

Thanks for reading so far. I appreciate the time. I'll see you in 2023. Happy New Year Folks!🥳🍾🎂🎈🥂