Life of code to me was not always a moment of love and laughter; however, I was sure this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. In a world filled with many motivational speakers, I was not exposed to people with whom we could converse about coding and stuff. As campus students, there is a great discontinuity between the student and the future professionals they aspire to be. At a point in my life, I wanted to learn, and at this point, I met up with mostly family members who have been involved in their profession in IT; however, none of them was involved in the world of code. At this moment, I met up with one of the software developers in my home area. I can't explain how happy I was since at least I had met someone who we could have programming discussions with. This was during the Covid 19 pandemic, and much time was levied into our hands for leisure. At first, my main intention was only to have someone to talk to in a field I was interested in, but with time, our familiarity grew, and one day, he offered me an opportunity to accompany him to a job site he had just struck a deal.
The site involved a two-floor supermarket that had just started. We were responsible for installing their point-of-sale system to track their inventory stocks. I was very happy and pleased at the opportunity. I cannot explain how happy this made me. The moment was very life-changing seeing this man running through java net beans code and installing some databases and a fully functional system. My main role was to train the staff present on the operations of the newly installed system. I loved every bit of working with the such that by the end of the three months, the amount of experience I had learned and gained. At least from experience, I learned how the industry moved and understood the dynamic of the benefits offered by the occupation, including the amount of work and the pricing. It was not long before I started familiarising myself with NetBeans and tried to make a replica of the same system I had learned; however, my time to return to school had reached. Coding in school proved difficult since the amount of coursework we had been given to recover from the Covid period was a lot. It stopped coding; however, I opted to begin the journey to code immediately after my graduation since I would have ample time to do it full-time.
Getting back to code after a break
Getting back to code after a break is very difficult for me. I took almost a one-year break, and I am back to continue chasing what I like. I recommend some steps when returning to code after a long break.
Start with small tasks: When returning to coding after a long break, it's important not to overwhelm yourself with a big project. Start with small tasks, such as fixing bugs or updating dependencies.
Refresh your knowledge: Take some time to refresh your coding knowledge. This can be done through online courses, coding challenges, or reviewing old projects.
Set realistic goals: Set realistic goals for yourself, and don't try to do too much too soon. This will help you avoid burnout and keep you motivated.
Use version control: Use version control like Git to track your progress and code changes. This will help you track what you've done and allow you to revert changes if needed.
Collaborate with others: Collaborating with other developers can help you learn new skills and techniques and provide a support system if you encounter any roadblocks.
Take breaks: Take regular breaks to avoid burnout and maintain your productivity.
I practised such recommended steps and am slowly returning to my previous form.