Suyesh Bhandari

I started my coding journey back in 2008. I ran a high traffic blog where I reviewed Android apps and posted tutorials. I used WordPress to create my site. I became interested in learning how to modify and tweak my website, so I decided to dabble in HTML/CSS and PHP. I was actively looking online for resources and tutorials, and received so much conflicting advice. Some people said, “Hey learn JAVA!!! You’ll get hired!” Others said, “NO!!! Learn C++!!!” Someone said, “You might as well learn how to slay a Dragon…” I loved learning, without even caring about making money or getting a job, but I didn’t know where to direct my focus.

Self learning can be really hard, because you are your own guide, and if you don’t know what you’re looking for you can get lost in this vast dungeon of “I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE HECK I AM TRYING TO DO!” You have to be self-motivated, because there are so many languages and coding paths you can take.

When I found PYTHON I thought I found the language I was looking for. I began to consume every bit of information I could get my hands on. Still, I wasn’t quite satisfied. I still felt a bit lost in the labyrinth of information. Then one day, while browsing tutorials, I saw a thumbnail of Ruby. I was intrigued.

The video got me really interested. I downloaded Ruby, went through tutorials, and all I could say was, “Wow!!!” This was like my Eureka moment. I had found the language I would use to slay the Dragon and escape the dungeon.

I learned Ruby and then Rails. I went to two boot-camps in NYC (whatever people say, NO!! you cannot be a developer in 3 months, period). In 2013 I took on my first freelance project. It was a failure, but remember: IF YOU DO NOT FAIL YOU WILL NOT LEARN. I took a few other projects and had some success. My experience and confidence grew, until most recently I held the position of Software Application Architect at a startup called Petrohub. I built a portal for their Petroleum business. I built it, learning as I progressed, by running into completely new concepts head on and trying to figure it all out myself. I was studying while coding the app. I challenged myself to try something that I had never tried before. I was coding at work, home, during my commute, and anywhere else I could fire up my laptop. Opening my laptop is the best feeling for me, because I know I will be learning something new, and no other feelings can beat that.

This is how you will learn. No one will spoon feed you knowledge, you have to work hard and take in everything you can. To be a programmer you will need to CODE. Never stop learning. I am nowhere near becoming a Ninja and I never want to. Why? Because my passion is learning, and Ninjas don’t learn. Learning should never stop. This is why i decided to share my expertise and experience so we can learn and code and grow together.