My path into software wasn't a straight line. It was WordPress sites for real clients, Flutter experiments, digital marketing gigs, a chatbot internship, then Harvard's CS50x dragging me into proper computer science.
For a while I worried this made me unfocused. Now I see it as cross-training: each detour gave me something the 'pure' path wouldn't have.
What each detour gave me
WordPress taught me clients don't buy code, they buy outcomes — a faster site, more inquiries, less hassle. That lesson shapes every project I scope today.
Flutter taught me state, structure, and the discipline of shipping to a real device people hold in their hands.
Marketing taught me distribution. The best product with no users is a diary entry. I now think about who it's for before I write a line of code.
CS50x taught me humility and rigor — pointers, memory, algorithms. It slowed me down in the best way.
To anyone on a winding path
Depth matters, and I'm going deeper now — CS degree, AI focus, real systems. But breadth first gave me judgment about what deserves depth.
If your journey looks messy, keep the receipts: every project, every gig, every half-finished prototype. One day they connect, and the story makes sense.
Enjoyed this? Let's talk about it.
I write to think clearly. If this sparked an idea — a project, a disagreement, a collaboration — I want to hear it.
Get in touch