DEV Community: Abdurrahman Adewusi

Starting Again: The Story of My Tech Journey So Far

Abdurrahman Adewusi — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:16:44 +0000

When people talk about their tech journeys, the stories often sound straightforward: they discovered programming, learned a few skills, built projects, and kept moving forward.

Mine hasn't been like that.

My journey has been filled with pauses, restarts, unexpected setbacks, and new beginnings. Looking back, I've realized that one thing has remained constant throughout it all: every time I stopped, I found my way back.

Phase One: My First Contact with Tech

My first contact with tech was in the summer of 2022.

At the time, it was a completely new world to me. I had never really been exposed to anything like it before. What attracted me initially wasn't even programming itself, it was the opportunity to use a laptop and spend time on the internet without feeling guilty about it. It felt like I had finally found a reason to justify my screen time.

I joined what was essentially a coaching class where I was introduced to frontend development. For about two months, I learned the basics of HTML and CSS and built a few small things along the way.

One of the things I enjoyed most was that I wasn't learning alone. There were other students on the same journey, and it was exciting to be part of a community of learners.

Unfortunately, that phase didn't last long.

School resumed, my schedule became tighter, and another challenge surfaced: I didn't own a laptop.

Throughout that period, I had been borrowing my mother's laptop. Eventually, it was time to return it, and without a device to practice on, my progress slowed to a stop.

That was the end of the first phase of my tech journey.

Phase Two: Rediscovering Tech

Fast forward to mid-2025.

I was rounding off my secondary school examinations when something unexpected happened.

My mum reconnected with someone I had known from childhood: Geekmaros, a frontend developer and tech mentor.

I had known him when I was much younger, long before I understood anything about tech. We eventually reconnected, and through our conversations, he reintroduced me to the world of technology.

Because I had admired him from a young age, it was easy for me to listen to his advice.

I told him about my brief experience with frontend development back in 2022, and through our discussions, I began to understand something I hadn't fully realized before: technology was growing rapidly, and opportunities within the field were everywhere.

The more I learned, the more interested I became.

Around the same time, I was making decisions about my university education. My initial plan was to study Computer Science. However, after several discussions, I realized that many of the skills I wanted from Computer Science could also be learned outside the classroom.

Eventually, I chose Electrical Engineering, a field broad enough to expose me to multiple areas of technology while allowing me to continue learning technical skills independently.

Toward the end of 2025, I finally got my first laptop.

For the first time, I had a device I could truly call my own.

I was excited.

I spoke with Geekmaros about my plans, and although he suggested that AI and Machine Learning were promising fields to explore in the future, he advised me to start with the fundamentals.

His advice was simple: begin with frontend development, understand the environment, build a solid foundation, and then expand into other areas later.

So I did exactly that.

I returned to HTML and CSS, practiced consistently, and even attempted a few challenges on Frontend Mentor.

Things were going well.

I was making progress, learning new concepts, and slowly rebuilding the momentum I had lost years earlier.

Then life interrupted again.

Phase Three: The Unexpected Pause

Early in 2026, my laptop developed a problem.

At first, I assumed it was something minor.

I took it to specialists hoping it could be repaired, but after several attempts, the final verdict came back: it was beyond repair.

Just like that, my learning came to an abrupt halt.

The timing couldn't have been worse.

I had finally found my rhythm, and suddenly the tool I depended on most was gone.

What followed was a break that lasted several months.

From the end of February through July, I was unable to continue coding in the way I wanted.

But something interesting happened during that period.

Even though I wasn't actively coding, my interest in tech didn't disappear.

I attended a few tech events.

I stayed connected to the community.

I continued following developments in the industry.

Most importantly, I never lost the desire to learn.

The laptop was gone, but the curiosity remained.

Starting Again

Today, I find myself standing at the beginning of another chapter.

I have a new laptop.

My exams are almost behind me.

And for the third time, I am preparing to continue my tech journey.

Some people might see the pauses in my story as setbacks.

I see them differently.

Each interruption taught me something.

The first taught me that interest alone isn't enough—you need access and consistency.

The second taught me the value of mentorship and guidance.

The third taught me that passion can survive even when circumstances prevent progress.

If there's one lesson I've learned from this journey, it's that progress isn't always linear.

Sometimes you move forward.

Sometimes life forces you to stop.

And sometimes the most important thing is simply having the courage to begin again.

I'm still a beginner.

I still have a lot to learn.

I haven't built anything groundbreaking yet.

But that's okay.

This article isn't the story of someone who has reached the finish line.

It's the story of someone who keeps returning to the race.

And as I begin this next phase, I'm excited to see where the journey leads.

Final Thoughts

I wanted to share my story because many aspiring developers face interruptions due to school, finances, device issues, or other responsibilities. Social media often highlights milestones and success stories, but sometimes the real challenge is simply staying committed through the setbacks.

If you've ever had to pause your tech journey, I'd love to hear about it.

Have you ever taken a break from coding or learning tech? What was it like when you came back?

what

Abdurrahman Adewusi — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 13:55:09 +0000

What is HTML and HTML semantic elements

Abdurrahman Adewusi — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 10:38:30 +0000

Not too long ago, I had no idea what HTML was. It was just one of those tech terms I’d heard people mention, but I couldn’t explain it if my life depended on it. Fast forward to now — I’ve learned a few things, and I’m still on the journey of figuring it all out. Along the way, I’ve discovered not just what HTML is, and some other things it entails.
Now, What exactly is HTML?
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It’s the standard language used to create and structure content on the web. The “HyperText” part means it can link to other documents or pages, and the “Markup” part means it uses special tags to tell the browser how to arrange and display the content. It is often assisted by web technologies such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and scripting languages such as JavaScript. The collaboration of these three frontend web technologies and some other technologies make up the builders of a web page.

Over the years since the early 90's, HTML has been evolving but the latest update/version of HTML; HTML 5 has come in with some features that makes developers' works more defined and descriptive. Those features are called The HTML Semantic Elements
What are HTML Semantic Elements?
Unlike the conventional method of using div tags to division contents on the web page, HTML semantic elements are tags that clearly describe their purpose and the type of content they hold — both to web browsers and to developers reading the code. They are of great benefits as they have improved accessibility, understandability of search engines and also readability by other web developers. For example, the nav tag tells the browser explicitly that 'this is where the navigations link live'. This latest version of HTML has saved developers from the use of using loads of classes and ids which make codes look bulky and confusing. Below are some of the most common HTML 5 semantic elements and their uses:

header- Represents the top section of a page or a section, usually containing a logo, heading, or navigation.
nav- Defines a section containing navigation links.
main- Represents the main content of the document (unique, not repeated on the page).
section- Groups related content into a thematic section.
article- Represents an independent, self-contained piece of content like a blog post or news article.
aside- Contains content that is tangentially related, like sidebars or callout boxes.
footer- Represents the bottom section of a page or section, often containing copyright or contact info.

HTML is the backbone of every webpage, and semantic elements are what give that backbone meaning. If a webpage is a body, HTML is the skeleton holding everything together. But without labels for each bone, things can get confusing. Semantic elements are like name tags for your HTML, telling both browsers and developers exactly what each part is. They make codes easier to read, more accessible to users, and better understood by search engines. Whether you’re just starting your web development journey or refining your skills, making semantic HTML a habit will set a strong foundation for everything you build next.