The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now. - anonymous.
I spent several months away from coding, not writing or reading a single line of code. During this time, I also distanced myself from my favourite YouTube channels, blogs, and platforms related to coding.
A lot has changed since then. It's been incredibly challenging to gather myself and start again. Questions constantly plague me: Where do I start? How much have I lost? Is it still worth it? Can I secretly improve and make a grand comeback? My former colleagues are now earning significantly more. How will I feel when they realize I haven't progressed in over a year? These questions have kept me from opening VS Code and writing a single line.
These lines from James Clear answered all my questions. - "Nobody is rooting for you to fail. You may succeed. You may fail. But, for the most part, nobody cares one way or the other. This is good. The world is big and you are small, which means you can chase your dreams with little worry for what people think."
Right now, I am starting again, and I am not alone. Over the next few months, I will be learning and improving through the TIIDELab Fellowship Program - lol, I hope I pass the pre-fellowship first -.
With strict supervision and guidance from mentors like Ayodele Samuel Adebayo and others, I am confident in my growth.
During my hiatus, I gained a deeper understanding of myself and developed valuable soft skills. This time, my goals are clear. I will unveil them gradually throughout this series, and through other interactive means. Stay tuned.
"It's never the right time, but right now is usually the best time." - James Clear