Rookie Mistake?

So I took a risk...
Since I started learning front-end web development, I have been stalking other noob developers to see their journey and also their portfolio, and one of the things I have seen is that almost every "noob" front-end developer have the same projects on their portfolio. It's always a weather app, a bill splitting calculator or some kind of food recipe app — I don't think there is anything wrong with this, but I'd like to be a little different. so, since last night I have been thinking of a way to make my portfolio a bit different from the norm.

It finally hit me this morning. I had an idea for a platform, nothing too serious. I had done the UI/UX and I thought it would be wise to develop the platform so I reached out to a friend who is an experienced full-stack developer to assist me with the backend while reviewing my codes.

The issue I have with this decision is that almost every video and blog post I have seen on starting as a developer, they are usually against taking on full projects, it's always to start with the little things and slowly progress. I don't see anything wrong with this but I'd really like to challenge myself to do the impossible. I cannot give full details on the platform yet, but I'll try to share my progress as I go, and hopefully learn enough / have something a little unique on my portfolio to help me land my first job as a front-end developer.

Thanks for coming and please, stay tuned!

Comments

[Alex Lohr]

I think the worst rookie mistakes are:

• not asking for help when you need it (most of us had help ourselves and like to pay it forward)
• be ashamed of ugly code (you need to write a lot of ugly code before it becomes elegant and you can always refactor it later)
• shying away from a challenge (you learn most when you're out of your depth)

I think you got the last one covered, which is a good start. Good luck!

[Clarence🐼]

Thank you very much Alex, I really appreciate this.
I sincerely get scared when it comes time to ask for help but I'll make sure to break that barrier as I work on this project.

[Alex Lohr]

Let me tell you a secret, Clarence: even senior developers with 20+ years of experience like me use Google to look stuff up and ask for help now and then. Don't be scared or ashamed.

[Michael Tharrington]

I think it sounds like a cool idea to choose something interesting like this that you're invested in to practice on instead of picking the usual suspects.

Best of luck on your project!

[Clarence🐼]

Thank you very much Michael.

[Christian Engel]

I must admit it appears a bit strange to me how some people approach their learning process when it comes to development. Or some advices on how one should approach it. But maybe I am just really different here.

I like to think one should do a "lego bricks approach". When you discover a bunch of Lego bricks, you look at them and your mind begins to wander. You think you could build a house out of them. Or an airplane. Or whatever!

Nobody would tell you: hey you are just new to Lego bricks, you should build this set of standard things first. Dont get too wild! That advice just doesnt make sense.

Those lego bricks are your skills. Play with them! You will get a feeling where bricks are missing or other bricks just fit better over time. But never try and constrain yourself from the very beginning. Its okay to make mistakes, too.

There needs to be fun in learning how to develop things. There needs to be adventure and exploration. You will get SO MUCH better that way.

[Clarence🐼]

Thank you very much Nate.
I'll make sure to share my progress as I go.

[Clarence🐼]

I'm really looking forward to the finished project.
I really appreciate your response, I'll make sure to post more on the project as I go.