This is a submission for the Built with Google Gemini: Writing Challenge
What I Built with Google Gemini
Google Gemini didn’t help me ship one shiny submission for this challenge — it powered the understanding and development every single repository in my GitHub portfolio (github.com/WereElliot) and every major classwork assignment as a Computer Science student in University.
Hotel Booking Application
A production-grade, role-based full-stack web app.
- Frontend: ReactJS + Redux + Axios
- Backend: Spring Boot + Spring Security + JPA/Hibernate
- Database: MySQL
Admins can fully CRUD rooms and manage bookings (including cancellations). Regular users can browse available rooms, make reservations, and view their history. It’s exactly the kind of real-world CRUD system every aspiring full-stack developer needs on their resume.
I also used Gemini to build and polish my Spring Boot CRUD Bookstore Web App and a CLI automation tool — including refining CommandCraft, a Python tool that turns plain English into executable terminal commands.
The problem these solved: As a student in Kenya juggling lectures and modern stacks, I was constantly hitting walls. Gemini became my always-available senior dev who never sleeps.
Gemini’s exact role:
- Scaffolded Spring Boot projects from zero.
- Generated bulk realistic data (JSON arrays of hotel rooms, books, prices).
- Debugged tricky errors in real time.
- Fixed and optimized templates (React components, entity relationships).
- Explained concepts until I truly understood them.
Demo
- Full Portfolio: https://github.com/WereElliot
- Hotel Booking Application: View Repository
- CommandCraft CLI Tool: View Repository
Screenshots
(Bookstore-style Spring Boot CRUD interface)
Bookstore UI
"Home page with lists of books"
"A page to add and edit a book to the database"
"A snip of the terminal showing the running Spring application "it runs thanks to Gemini IYKYK""
(Natural-language CLI in action)
CommandCraft Demo
"Show me my memory usage"
"Show me my git history"
What I Learned
Technical Leaps
- Mastered the Spring Boot ecosystem (Security, JPA, REST best practices) faster than any lecture could teach.
- Learned proper Redux patterns and Axios interceptors.
- Discovered the power of structured prompting: "Act as a senior Spring Boot engineer. Give me only the corrected file with comments explaining the fix."
Soft Skills & Mindset Shifts
- Iteration over perfection: Gemini lets you fail fast and fix faster.
- Confidence: I now have the framework to tackle any new technology because I know how to learn with AI.
- Critical Review: The real skill isn't writing code—it’s knowing what to ask for and reviewing it critically.
Google Gemini Feedback
What worked amazingly well:
- Lightning-fast, context-aware help with Java/Spring Boot.
- Outstanding at generating realistic test data.
- Long-context memory: I could paste entire error logs and get precise fixes.
- The free tier was robust enough for heavy semester use.
Where I hit friction:
- Verbosity: I now add "be concise" to my prompts to avoid long explanations.
- Legacy Code: It occasionally suggested deprecated Spring Boot patterns; I learned to cross-verify with official docs.
- Execution: I'd love a native way to run Java snippets directly in the chat.
Overall Rating: 9.4/10
Looking Forward
This reflection isn’t the end — it’s the launchpad.
- Next 30 days: Deploy the Hotel Booking app live on Google Cloud Run.
- Open Source: Release my Bookstore CRUD with Gemini-generated documentation.
- The Vision: Build an AI study buddy for Kisii University students. I want to create accessible AI-powered learning tools for students across Africa.
Google Gemini didn’t just help me ship code. It helped me ship myself — from a nervous student to a confident full-stack builder.
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