Doubts and Debugging: The Reality Check

April 2018. That’s when it all began, or rather, when a new kind of 'it' began. My SSC exams were over, and a vast expanse of vacation time stretched before me – a canvas of possibilities. But amidst that freedom, a nagging uncertainty about my career path lingered. I’ve always believed in self-improvement, so I decided to dip my toes into the world of coding. Why not, right? Free resources were abundant online, and 'freecodecamp' became my first digital dojo.

HTML felt like a gentle introduction, and CSS followed suit. It’s funny how quickly those initial wins came. Within 15-20 days, I was navigating these languages with a confidence that surprised even me. That early thrill sparked a thought – maybe computer engineering was my calling. Then came a JavaScript course. The instructor made the basics seem almost too simple, and for a moment, I thought, 'This is it! I’ve found my thing.'

But the coding world has its gatekeepers, and for me, one of them was the C programming language. Recommendations led me to it, and initially, it was approachable. Then came arrays, pointers, dynamic memory allocation… The smooth sailing turned into choppy waters. Grasping these concepts felt like trying to catch smoke. Doubt, that unwelcome guest, started to creep in. Was I cut out for this? Yet, through that haze of confusion and frustration, a deeper truth began to emerge. The journey wasn't just about the easy victories; it was about weathering the storms. That initial turbulence, as it turned out, was just laying the groundwork for a more profound connection with coding. The odyssey had truly begun.

Embracing the College Coding Adventure

The vacation sun eventually set, and Mithibai College became the next arena for my computer science exploration. Opting for it as my vocational course, C++ was on the curriculum. Having already wrestled with C, C++ felt familiar, like meeting an old friend with a few new quirks. Pointers, my old nemeses, were still there, challenging my understanding. But this time, something clicked. The fog around arrays and dynamic memory allocation that had plagued me during my C studies started to lift. Those early struggles were transforming into stepping stones.

Practical sessions were where the magic truly happened. Crafting star patterns, weaving intricate diamonds on the screen – these weren't just assignments; they were the exercises that sharpened my understanding of loops and conditional logic. My programming logic, once a hesitant flicker, ignited. The second year deepened this dive into C++, introducing object-oriented programming and file I/O. Then came microprocessors, specifically the 8085. Assembly language felt like deciphering an ancient script at first, but with perseverance and practice, it became a language I could speak.

Those two years at Mithibai were transformative. Every challenge, every line of code, every small triumph sculpted my understanding and refined my logic. Little did I know, as I walked those college corridors, that each step was leading me closer to even more thrilling chapters in this coding odyssey.

Embracing the Unexpected Turns

As 2020 dawned and my time at Mithibai concluded, I was gearing up for HSC exams and MHT-CET, the gateway to engineering. Then, the world turned upside down. The COVID-19 pandemic threw everything into disarray. Exams were postponed, and lockdown boredom set in. With an uncertain future for exams, I decided to dive back into programming, a constant in a world of variables.

The internet became my roadmap: Learn a Language, Master Data Structures and Algorithms, Build Projects, Create a Resume, Apply for Jobs. With a C++ foundation, I tackled DSA. Finding good resources was a struggle until I stumbled upon Jenny's CS/IT YouTube channel. Her DSA playlist was a game-changer; complex data structures and algorithms started making sense.

My first projects were simple console applications, but each one was a step forward. With exam dates still up in the air, I decided to broaden my linguistic horizons. Python, with its rising demand, was next. Telusko's YouTube channel became my guide, and his Python playlist was phenomenal. The dynamically typed nature and pointer-less syntax were a refreshing change from C++. In about 10-12 days, I’d devoured the entire playlist. Java followed, and thanks to my C/C++ background, it felt surprisingly intuitive. Within a month, I had added two new languages to my toolkit.

Exams were finally scheduled for October 2020. Preparations were intense, and though they didn't go as perfectly as I'd hoped, the relief of completion was immense. Again, free time beckoned. My curiosity led me to databases and SQL. Freecodecamp, yet again, provided a fantastic 4-hour video that demystified SQL. This unexpected journey, full of twists and turns, was shaping into a narrative of resilience, adaptability, and an unyielding thirst for knowledge. The coding odyssey continued, richer and more complex than I could have ever imagined.