Hey everyone! Today, I wanted to share a bit about what I've been up to for the past seven months and take you on a journey through how I got into programming in the first place. This isn’t going to be a deep dive into the tech stuff—just a story that I hope anyone can enjoy.

So, for the last seven months, my team and I have been working on a startup called Fides. It’s this cool platform that connects users with companies through loyalty programs. Imagine your favorite restaurant offering a membership where you get special deals, discounts, and can easily check out what’s on the menu today. That’s what Fides does. Restaurants can sign up, create memberships, and decide what kind of offers they want to give out. On the flip side, users download the app, join these memberships, and start racking up savings. It’s a win-win: businesses boost customer loyalty and manage their marketing more effectively, while users save money and stay in the loop.

Now, let me tell you—this project has been the biggest I’ve ever tackled. I’ve built three websites, two apps, and one server. That’s a lot of code, a lot of late nights, and a lot of learning. I had some experience with Next.js and Tailwind CSS before, but after building three major websites with them, I feel like I’ve leveled up big time. I also dipped my toes into Celery and AWS SQS for the first time, and I’m pretty sure those two are going to be staples in my future projects.

So, how did I end up building mobile apps, websites, servers, and more without a technical background? Well, as some of you know, I’m studying at Hanken School of Economics—not exactly a breeding ground for programmers. I didn’t go to a tech university, and I’ve only taken one basic web development course in high school. Everything else I’ve picked up on my own through YouTube tutorials and hands-on projects.

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by innovation and technology. When I was 13, I started making video game highlight reels—Call of Duty montages, to be exact. I wanted them to look good, so I hit up YouTube for editing tutorials. After a ton of trial and error, I got pretty decent at it. I even learned Photoshop to create eye-catching thumbnails. That was my first real taste of how much you can learn online if you’re willing to put in the work.

Fast forward to high school, and I took a computer course on building websites. I loved it and started experimenting on my own whenever I had free time. My first big project came when I was 16. Two friends approached me with an idea for a platform to connect people with unwanted items to drivers who could dispose of them. I had no clue how to build it, but I confidently said I could. Reality hit hard when I got home and realized how little I knew. But instead of throwing in the towel, I dived into learning server management, backend development, and database design. It was intense—countless late nights, endless tutorials, and a lot of trial and error. After a month of grinding, I managed to get a working site up and running. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but it worked, and that experience set me on the path to where I am today.

Even though that first company idea didn’t pan out, it sparked something in me. I started coding more and more. By the time I was 17, I was developing apps, and now I’ve got eight apps in the App Store, with over 50 others that never made it past the project stage. I’ve built websites, servers, AIs, games, RPAs, and so much more—all thanks to the endless resources on YouTube and Google.

So, that’s my journey so far. It’s been a wild ride, and I’m excited to see where it goes next. Thanks for reading, and if you’re on a similar path, just keep pushing yourself—there’s always something new to learn!