I've been wrestling with what to write in my second blog post as an update on my progress. The past few months have been a mixed bag of fear, self-doubt, and anxiety. Undoubtedly, between publishing my first blog post and now, I've made significant progress. I've built several challenging projects using technologies I've been self-learning.

A Graphic Company Website: Putting Bootstrap to the Test

As a challenge to solidify my understanding of Bootstrap, I built a website for a graphic company. This project involved ensuring complete responsiveness across all screen sizes. I utilized Bootstrap's container, row, and col classes at different screen widths (xl, lg, md, sm), along with other utility classes, form classes, input group classes, and button classes, to create a visually appealing website that adapts seamlessly to smaller and larger screens. Explore this project here.

Screenshot 1

A screenshot of the hero and nav bar section

Screenshot 2

A screenshot of the website on a mobile device

• To better understand this project check it out on my GitHub: Owl-Vector

JavaScript: A New Frontier

I delved into JavaScript, grasping its basics, which include data types, variable declaration and initialization, mathematical and logical operators, Boolean values, functions, parameters, string methods, arrays, array methods, indexing, type conversion, and conditional statements. So far, these concepts have been relatively easy for me to grasp, possibly due to my foundational learning in the Harvard CS50 course which, I didn't complete. CS50 was my first brush with the world of programming. I began with Scratch, an interactive visual language, where I created a Space Invaders clone with music, varied enemies, a scoring system, and a final boss. Check that out here.

Screenshot

A screenshot of the game

After my subtle introduction with Scratch, I was thrown into the deep end with C. I persisted as long as I could, managing to navigate through problem set 0 to problem set 3 before I decided to halt because the pace of the course proved too fast for me as a novice. I will stop here for now because the story of my first foray into programming with the CS50 course is one for another day.

YouTube and Twitter Clones: Tackling Layouts and Responsive Design

I finally conquered the YouTube and Twitter clones I challenged myself to build in my previous blog post. These projects instilled in me a deeper understanding of layouts and the distinctions between using the sticky and fixed position properties. Creating a fixed but scrollable navbar on the left and right sides of the Twitter clone layout proved to be the most challenging aspect. Ensuring responsiveness across different browser window sizes was another hurdle, which I overcame by creating multiple media queries at distinct breakpoints.

-Twitter Clone Check it out here. A screenshot of the project

• To better understand this project check it out on my GitHub: Twitter Clone

• YouTube Clone Check it out here. A screenshot of the project
• To better understand this project check it out on my GitHub: YouTube Clone

Foodkart: A Responsive Restaurant Website with Pure CSS.

Utilizing only pure CSS, I crafted a fully responsive restaurant website named Foodkart. This project allowed me to explore CSS animations, including fancy hover effects on food cards, custom CSS properties, and a CSS Grid for the menu section. I further enhanced the website's visual appeal by employing a combination of backdrop filter, background filter, and overflow properties to create an elegant scrollable carousel.Check this out here.

Screenshot

A screenshot of the shop page

Screenshot

A screenshot on a mobile device

• To better understand this project check it out on my GitHub: FoodKart

Overcoming Challenges and Maintaining Motivation

Despite the progress I've made in the past two months, I've also faced the lingering fear of inadequacy and the possibility of insurmountable challenges. The tech layoffs and the rise of AI have further fueled my anxieties, making me question the viability of my tech aspirations. The past two weeks have been particularly challenging, as I've struggled to maintain motivation for work and learning. However, I remain hopeful that things will improve.

I'm determined not to give up on my tech aspirations, as I've witnessed the impact a career in tech can have on an individual's quality of life. I'm committed to the long haul, with the ultimate goal of transitioning into the tech industry and becoming the best version of myself.

My next blog post will likely delve into a technical topic, possibly exploring a core topic in CSS. I'm eager to venture into the realm of tech writing and challenge myself with this new endeavor.

To those who have read this far, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your time and patience. Until we meet again, stay positive and keep coding, as consistency is key. Remember, consistency is not just about showing up on your good days but also about persisting through your worst moments. It is this unwavering commitment that builds character.

Photo credit: Web illustrations by Storyset