Starting a new career in unfamiliar territory can feel overwhelming.
You constantly worry about catching up. Imposter syndrome creeps in, especially in tech, where new terminologies seem to fly around every day. You put on a brave face, but by the end of the day, you exhale and wonder if you'll ever measure up. Others have spent years in the industry, and you're just trying to find your footing. At first, your biggest concern isn't even adding value—it's simply surviving.
I know that feeling because I've lived it.
My Journey into QA Engineering
I started my career as a QA engineer in 2017. My first project involved API testing, and I came straight from a business development background with no prior technical experience.
YouTube quickly became my best friend.
I'm a visual learner with a photographic memory, so I knew reading textbooks wasn't going to be the most effective way for me to learn. I watched countless tutorials. Some were confusing, some skipped important details, and others assumed knowledge I simply didn't have.
Eventually, I found a handful of resources that were clear, practical, and easy to follow. They broke down concepts in a way that removed my fear and helped me build confidence.
Those resources changed everything for me.
When the Student Becomes the Teacher
Fast forward a few years, and I became a Team Lead.
My Engineering Manager entrusted me with leading QA, serving as the Automation Engineer, and scaling the QA team by training entry-level engineers—many of whom had never worked as QA Engineers before and had little or no knowledge of software testing.
That's when something interesting happened.
The tutorials, notes, and learning materials I had carefully archived over the years became my greatest asset.
Those resources helped me teach everything from setting up development environments to understanding testing fundamentals. I also shared automation scripts and practical examples that accelerated their learning.
In less than a month, many of my entry-level engineers were confidently managing their own projects with minimal supervision.
That experience taught me something I'll never forget:
The right learning resource can dramatically shorten someone's learning curve.
A New Beginning: Backend Engineering
Today, I've transitioned into Backend Engineering.
Although some of the concepts and terminologies are familiar, I'm now exploring them from a completely different perspective. Instead of simply interacting with systems, I'm learning how they're designed and why they work the way they do.
Architecture, scalability, caching, messaging, databases—these are topics I now need to understand much more deeply.
And honestly?
The experience reminds me of what it felt like starting QA all over again.
Why I'm Writing This Series
This time, I've decided to document my learning journey publicly.
Whenever I find a resource that explains a concept exceptionally well, I'll share it here. My goal is to simplify complex IT concepts and demystify the jargon that often intimidates beginners.
I'm not writing because I know everything.
I'm writing because I remember what it felt like to know nothing.
I also hope this becomes a collaborative journey. If you've been down this path before, I'd love for you to share the resources that helped you. Someone else could be one tutorial away from finally understanding a concept they've struggled with for weeks.
Together, we can make learning a little less intimidating.
Today's Resource: Understanding Redis
Today's topic is Redis.
If you've ever struggled to understand caching or wondered what Redis actually does, this is one of the clearest beginner-friendly explanations I've found.
Even an elementary school student could follow the way the instructor explains the concept.
Channel: Tech Is Easy Actually
Video: Cache Aside Pattern Explained | Redis Caching System Design for Beginners
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwwCiGFyU9w
If this resource helps you—or if you know an even better one—drop it in the comments. Let's build a collection of beginner-friendly resources that make backend engineering easier for everyone.
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