The latest articles on DEV Community by towaaurel30@gmail.com (@towaaurel30gmailcom_730). https://dev.to/towaaurel30gmailcom_730 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fthepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fi%2F99mvlsfu5tfj9m7ku25d.png https://dev.to/towaaurel30gmailcom_730 en towaaurel30@gmail.com Sun, 15 Nov 2026 09:50:47 +0000 https://dev.to/towaaurel30gmailcom_730/my-first-steps-into-software-engineering-a-freshmans-journey-33fd https://dev.to/towaaurel30gmailcom_730/my-first-steps-into-software-engineering-a-freshmans-journey-33fd <p>description: "Documenting my early experiences, technical discoveries and challenges as a freshman Software Engineering student at YIBS/ISEST."</p> <p>My First Steps into Software Engineering 🚀</p> <p>Hello, DEV Community!</p> <p>I am a freshman Software Engineering student at YIBS/ISEST, and I have decided to start documenting my learning journey.</p> <p>I believe that learning in public is a great way to stay motivated, connect with other developers and track personal progress.</p> <p>What I am learning</p> <p>My academic journey is introducing me to several areas of computing:</p> <ul> <li>Computer architecture</li> <li>Operating systems</li> <li>Programming and algorithms</li> <li>Mathematics for computing</li> <li>Digital graphics</li> <li>Web development</li> </ul> <p>I am discovering that software engineering is much more than writing code. It involves understanding problems, designing solutions, testing systems and improving applications.</p> <p>Exploring development tools</p> <p>I am also becoming familiar with tools that developers use in their daily work.</p> <p>Visual Studio Code: My environment for writing and managing code.</p> <p>Git: A version control system that helps track changes.</p> <p>GitHub: A platform for hosting repositories and collaborating on projects.</p> <p>HTML and CSS: Technologies that help me understand how websites are structured and styled.</p> <p>What has challenged me?</p> <p>One of my biggest learning experiences is understanding that errors are part of programming.</p> <p>A program does not always work on the first attempt. Sometimes, the solution requires reading error messages, reviewing the logic and testing different approaches.</p> <p>I am also learning to manage my time between lectures, assignments and independent practice.</p> <p>Projects I want to build</p> <p>I plan to practise my skills through projects such as:</p> <ol> <li>A personal portfolio website.</li> <li>A student management system.</li> <li>A music player application.</li> <li>A simple e-commerce website.</li> </ol> <p>These projects will help me transform theoretical knowledge into practical experience.</p> <p>My learning philosophy</p> <p>I want to focus on understanding concepts rather than memorising solutions.</p> <p>I also want to use AI responsibly, practise regularly and become comfortable asking questions.</p> <p>I know I have a long way to go, but every small improvement matters.</p> <p>Let's connect!</p> <p>I am sharing this article as the beginning of my learning-in-public journey.</p> <p>For experienced developers: What advice would you give someone starting Software Engineering today?</p> <p>I would appreciate your thoughts and recommendations.</p> <p>Happy coding! 💻</p> <p>— Towa Aurel<br> <a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Ffs2btwxwrdywbep6f459.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Ffs2btwxwrdywbep6f459.png" alt=" " width="800" height="533"></a></p> beginners softwareengineering programming education