Wow! I did it. After so much anticipation and some touch of uncertainty, I finally hosted MY FIRST REAL PROJECT for Astromatic Nig. Ltd. And not just that, I am also publishing my first ever personal post on Dev.to on my Birthday Day.
I am a 'Web Developer Convert' who had spent lot of time learning languages like java, and c++, done projects using visual basic 6 during my National Diploma(ND) programme, and have spent some more time doing computer repair, maintenance and upgrade while running my Higher National Diploma(HND) programme. I was hope to go straight to software development without touching web development at all. But all that changed with time, and right now web development is quite unavoidable as the internet and web browsers has taken over from desktop native app, and is still on the rise.
I have always wanted to experiment with something real after my HND project which in a way was the starting point in my career path and very pivotal in my becoming a full stack web developer. Then I started learning HTML/CSS, JavaScript, PHP and MySQL, and it took my about 3months to kick-start the project work. The project was a replicate of a cloud storage platform where users can upload, download and delete their files, and also manage their profiles. The test running and defense of the project I and my team members actually did by hosting the app locally using WAMP and a wireless router which enabled us to test run the app on other devices. Ever since, I have always wanted to continue with the project and have already started by hosting it on 000webhost.com and having the files uploaded on GitHub. You can check it out here: Cloud-Here.com.
After my HND programme, I started playing more with codes and increasing my programming skills and also applying for a junior developer role where I could learn more from experienced developers and understand better the act of software engineering. Sadly am still on the search. Though, along the line came this wonderful opportunity via a friend, and it was about building their company's website.
I was asked to meet with their then BDM who enquired if I had worked on any project before. I made it clear to him that I was a starter, and the only project I had to show was my online profile page. I showed it to him. It was my first and only project as at then that was hosted on a free hosting space courtesy my application for an internship programme at Bincom in which I was asked to develop a single page online profile with my CV content without using any framework. I wasn't called up for the programme, so I took time to work on the profile page to make it better, and I have been using it ever since as my profile page. You can check it out here.
When the BDM saw it, he was pleased and promised to convince the owner of the company. I was convinced within me that I could actually handle the project given how well I have practiced, and when the owner of the company agreed to my proposal I kicked off immediately even without them committing financially, to show them my willingness. I wasn't driven by the money I will make from it, I was majorly hungry for exposure and experience with a real project.
The initial stage of the project was quite stressful and challenging beyond what I had expected from the onset, because after numerous research on how a real project is being done, I was expecting a meeting where I will get to meet the relevant stakeholders to decide what the site should look like, what the contents should be, the design pattern they will prefer, and stuffs like that, but this never happened. I became content developer, front-end developer, back-end developer, SEO engineer, even graphics designer in just one project.
Awesome right?!!! Yeah, it was indeed a great experience and was fun, because it made me researched a lot more than expected. Though, it took me more time to get the project to a hostable state, but it was finally and surely accomplished. You can check the project out here.
Please kindly review it, as your feedbacks and criticisms will be highly welcomed and appreiated.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The project which I call a web app given the dynamic nature of some part of its contents is a company website for Astromatic Nigeria Limited that tells about the company, what they sell and what they do. It also has a products section/page where their goods are showcased and it's backend for the staffs who will be uploading their products to the e-commerce platform.
I chose not to use any framework or library other than jQuery, and bootstrap (whose usage is very minimal) so as to increase my understanding of how things work together internally and to have a broader knowledge of the actual codes. Even the e-commerce section and it's backend, I had to hard-code in vanilla PHP to build my experience and understanding of the language, and it really paid off.
In the course of the project my HTML/CSS, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL and graphics design skills were brushed up and boosted, also I got to put my software development and project management theoretical knowledge into practice. Working with the Agile methodology, am still adding more features to the project as the need arises.
In all these, the experience gotten has been incredibly great, and I really can't wait to take on more projects. Though, I still wish and desire to work under more experienced developers/engineers who will mentor me and guide my growth, and also get to work more within a team to boost my collaboration skills.
I am highly open to working with any company that has a growth mindset not just for the company alone, but also for its workers. Though, right now I'm freelancing and ready to take on any web project.
Thanks to Dev.to for this wonderful platform to exercise my writing skills, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME \O/!!!.
Top comments (1)
This is great write up and also an eye-opener for me as a newbie to programming. I need you as a mentor