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Sophie Nora
Sophie Nora

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From Old Letters to Frontend Dreams

My first touch with code was during my Bachelor’s degree when we had a course in digital humanities. We used Python to make very old letters machine-readable, and I was stunned. That experience was like magic to me, and I fell in love with coding right away. But it wasn’t until later that I realized this was something I wanted to pursue as a career.

After deciding to leave my old job behind, I started researching how to become a frontend developer. Should I do a bootcamp? Learn on my own? In the end, I decided to take the self-taught route, learning from platforms like Codecademy and CFG (Code First Girls). My approach has been simple: learning by doing.

I can't even put into words what I love so much about coding. It feels so creative, yet it challenges your patience and problem-solving skills—a mindset I’ve also developed through gaming.

Of course, the journey hasn’t been all smooth. I had my fair share of frustration with JavaScript, especially at the beginning, and GitHub felt like a maze at times. But every challenge I overcome feels like a milestone, and it’s all part of the learning process.

Now, I’m in the middle of my journey and have decided to share my experiences with the world. I want to connect with others, especially women in tech, and document not just the wins but also the struggles.

To my fellow beginners: Keep going! It’s okay to feel stuck or frustrated—it’s part of the process. Celebrate every little win, ask for help when you need it, and never stop believing in yourself. You’ve got this!

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