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Cecelia Braswell
Cecelia Braswell

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A Journey of a Million Small Steps

Five days ago, I turned thirty-five. By this age, I imagined I’d have a solid career, financial stability, and perhaps even a mortgage on a small, overpriced house in San Diego. But, here I am, writing this post, realizing I’ve accomplished none of that—yet. A few days ago, I watched a YouTube video by Fireship on how to land a $100k/year job in tech. The video emphasized key strategies like cultivating the right mindset, networking on LinkedIn, mastering Twitter, and sharing content on platforms like this one. I took notes in my black notebook of self-development, and I’m determined to take action in 2025 to finally land my dream job in tech. So, if you're reading this, welcome to Day 1 of my journey.

My path began in 2022 when I enrolled in a coding bootcamp. In hindsight, I wouldn’t recommend this for beginners. There are so many free resources available online, and I’ve found it’s more effective to learn at your own pace. Instead of cramming everything into a short time frame, taking the time to absorb the material deeply is far more beneficial.

To help me reach my goal, I’ve outlined the following steps:

  1. Commit to pushing code to GitHub at least five times a week.
  2. Share my journey on Twitter every day—whether it's something I’ve learned, built, or discovered.
  3. Publish a post here at least once a week.
  4. Post on LinkedIn at least once a week.
  5. Apply for an average of 1 job a day.
  6. Revamp my portfolio to make it more unique and reflective of my skills.
  7. Create one standout project for my portfolio, one that goes beyond simple YouTube tutorials.
  8. Attend at least one in-person meetup with fellow devs.

Alongside these actions, I’ll continue working on my personal growth—both mentally and physically. I’m also focusing on strengthening my foundational knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. To do this, I’m earning certifications through freeCodeCamp. After completing each section, I study the code, build it myself in Visual Studio Code, and then customize it. This hands-on approach has been instrumental in helping me understand the material.

Here’s to making 2025 the year everything falls into place.

My LinkedIn.
My Twitter.

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