DEV Community: Kofi A.

How do you structure your css (media queries)?

Kofi A. — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 18:09:01 +0000

I've been building basic websites for a while. Mostly I've been using Ui frameworks, i.e bootstrap, and co. So all i did was change colors here and there. For a while now, I've been trying to find an efficient way to write my CSS with responsive websites in mind. So my goal is to write my CSS either mobile-first ( i usually start with big screens then trickle down) or Large screen first. Often, I find myself over-writing a lot of CSS as well as specificity problems. So How do you structure your CSS? And if possible code snippets are welcomed.

The Journey so far 5 months after I switched!

Kofi A. — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 18:10:44 +0000

A few months back, i wrote a blog post that got more attention than i thought it would. You can read more about it here.

So it's been close to 5 months since i left my old job. This blogpost to give an update on the previous one.

How do i feel?

The transition hasn't been that easy. Before i started this internship, i was improving my skills and acquiring more knowledge about what i foresaw as my dream career. My stack before i left my old job was HTML, CSS, PHP, and some WordPress knowledge. Before the interview, I was improving my laravel knowledge and getting into javascript. My goal is to become more versed in javascript (vue js) and laravel.

What about work?

The internship has been good. Every project brought up new challenges. The first 2 projects got me writing a lot of javascript ( vanilla & Jquery) as well as using bootstrap which i was familiar with. Then came along building landing pages and testing my responsive skills ( which needs a lot of improvement). Lately, I've been wondering how people structure their responsive styles? mobile-first? widescreen first? Would absolutely love some pointers on that. Anyways, i still have a lot to learn but so far so good, and can't wait to acquire more knowledge and experience in the coming months.

What's next?

I have a personal manifesto for 2020 that i hope to tick all the boxes by the end of the year. This manifesto includes learning vue js, getting deeper into laravel and improving my cms skills, as well as taking my side project edwuma.work to another level. I acquired a few courses to guide me through my map. I also want to start meditating to weed out distractions and improve my productivity.

So that's all the update for now. Stay safe and take care.

I Switched To Web Development

Kofi A. — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 13:57:13 +0000

I'm Kofi Ramos. An aspiring web developer based in Accra, Ghana. I'm writing this during the world's Covid-19 crises. The title is called I switched. I switched from being a culinary cook to pursuing my long time dream of becoming a web developer.

Let me take you back a few years. I've always been interested in tech, as a young boy I got to play video games, i.e Mario, donkey Kong, ninja turtles. That's where my interest peaked when it comes to computers. Had one myself, donated by my dad's boss who got a new computer and was looking for a way to get rid of his old one. In case you're wondering, my dad is a good cook. His job was to cook and organize parties for expats hence my access to computer at a young age.

Fast forward, after high school. I decided not to go to university. I wasn't naturally gifted when it comes to intelligence nor was I really good with my hands or legs, but I could kick football or what the Americans call soccer. Life became tough as I didn't want to go to college because I knew my parents couldn't afford the bills, and also I believed in this mantra that you didn't need a college degree to be in tech. My parents tried and sacrificed a lot for me, they always got me a pc to play around with despite us having just enough to make us comfortable. That's when I started learning how to code.

I started with html/css. This was the time when online coding websites started gaining the recognition, think of code academy and the rest. After basic html and css, I picked up php and started building websites for few friends, and friends of friends. That wasn't enough to get me a paying job in tech in Ghana because the tech scene was still young. Stayed home for about 2 years and decided to look for other alternative for income.

My uncle who was also a chef, gave me a few months of training which ended up getting me my first every paying gig. I was going to become a cook/cleaner for a family of 2, occasionally 3 on summer holidays. I was there from 2014 till 2020 before lockdown in Ghana. While there I continued learning and building website for a few people. I picked up basic laravel, WordPress and node. I was grateful for having an income but I still held to my dream of switching.

I switched!! I switched when the lockdown for covid 19 was about to be imposed in April 2020. My guts told me this is the right time to switch if I ever wanted to pursue my dream. I won't lie! Its been tough and I keep second guessing myself. I took a month to study with an accountability partner. The support of family and friends keep me going. It's been 2 months since I switched. I'm currently interning at an agency. Imposter syndrome still in the corner, I'm not super talented or super gifted. I still struggle with basic stuff and this few weeks as an intern has exposed that, but I'm determined to improve myself and become a better developer.

I've decided to start blogging to keep up with my growth. I'm always on the lookout for help when it comes to coding. My interests are in laravel and I really want to get started with Javascript and vue Js. Thanks for reading and I'm always available to bounce ideas. My latest project is found at www.edwuma.work and currently interning at www.TeamAlfy.com.