My Developer Journey Restart

Hi, my name is Ian Altosaar and this is the restart of my developer journey.

This post includes affiliate links to the Zero to Mastery Academy. If You sign up through the links – I will earn a commission.

Table of Contents

My background

I’ve been in IT for about 10 years. It started out more from necessity and grew into a passion (hard to stay doing something for that long if You don’t like it…)

I started out in customer support roles – as many do.

But even within those I had to step up my game in IT project management, workstation management, and even managing the IT team (after two of my supervisors left suddenly). You can check out my more detailed range of experience in my CV below.

Ian-Altosaar-Resume-1 Download

I got promoted in 2019 to an Application Manager role – this came with a lot more responsibility. Which I gladly took on. Things got even more interesting when I was offered to take on the world of Data (in addition to my other responsibilities in the role) and start implementing Power BI within the organization. One of the main focuses I currently have.

One thing You might realize is that I didn’t study IT at a University. I’m mostly self-taught, at least for now…

During my time off work, I also manage and own a portfolio of 5 niche websites/blogs.

Restarting my developer journey and overcoming confusion

*Sometimes You just need to write some HTML for clarity…*

I do like most things in tech – just an honest vulnerability moment. This has at times given me headaches about what to focus on.

To remedy that I enrolled in the Zero to Mastery Academy at the beginning of January 2023. And decided to start with the Web developer career path that will be a nice addition to my skills.

I’m also considering doing my Bachelors in Computer Science.

I’m currently working for a company and I believe a remote option would be best. Like this one for example. The advantage here is that I can keep working full-time and be a part-time student at the same time.

More updates on that will come in later posts.

Jumping into development fully – again…

I had already given it a go a couple of years ago – the timing didn’t match. And I believe I needed more organization, as well as structure.

I really like Zero To Mastery because they even have an accountability buddy system. Which basically means that You are partnered up with someone else during the whole duration of the course. And do check-ins with them about how You are progressing in the course.

It really adds another layer of support.

One of the reasons I started this blog – is to hold myself more accountable. And to start reiterating what I’m learning by teaching it to people online. One of the best ways to learn is to teach it at the same time.

First 30 days on the developer journey restart

*They give out badges in Zero to Mastery Academy – which is a nice touch.* *You can see mine here.*

It was really simple stuff for the first couple of days. How the internet works and more general information. I already knew most of what was there – this made the beginning of the restart easier.

Refreshing and adding to my HTML and CSS knowledge

What I truly enjoy about ZTM – it’s always hands-on and has a lot of practical exercises.

So I made this landing page for CodingItch.com for example here.

And we had to fix this robot and add to the functionality here. That was fun!

To finish the CSS and HTML section we created another landing page.

One of the things that really amazed me diving deeper into CSS and HTML once again – there’s a lot we can do with just HTML and CSS. No Javascript is even needed.

Enter Javascript

*This is how advanced Javascript looks sometimes. Just joking but it’s getting harder and harder…*

I must admit – this is where it started getting difficult for me. Not the beginner stuff but advanced Javascript.

Advanced functions and arrays – I’m still going through the sections and repeating them.

But I managed to complete one of the projects within the Javascript section. A custom background generator for websites.

When we add Javascript to things – this is where the true magic happens. And we can start solving real-world problems.

Which is my goal with software development!

What’s next in my developer journey restart?

*I’ve managed to keep my learning streak alive at Zero to Mastery Academy for 33 days straight!*

I’m 41% done with the Complete Web Developer course and continuing. But the further I get – the harder the topics. My initial fast-paced start has now been replaced with a slower and more determined grind. All to understand and practice Javascript.

*Not even 50% done and I’ve learned a lot. The first real hurdle is advanced Javascript.*

In addition, I started the Complete SQL + Databases Bootcamp. Mainly because of two reasons:

I need it for my current work right now.
It will complement the Web Developer journey in the future nicely.

And the third not-so-important reason – I’m a nerd and I like databases…

*ZTM is full of intriguing courses like these – I have to stop myself from starting new ones. One new skill at a time – or two…*

I have my hands full but that’s how I like it.

More updates soon!

Ian Altosaar