Balancing Coding With School

I started coding at age 12 to 13, long before I understood what it really meant to be a developer. I was just curious, experimenting, and teaching myself little things whenever I could. That early start made coding feel natural, almost like a personal routine rather than something I had to force.

Even though I was passionate about coding, my school didn’t teach programming. I completed my studies at CYO Technical Vocational Institute in June 2025, where I focused on Computer Hardware Technology. The program helped me understand how computers work on the inside, but when it came to software, I had to learn everything on my own.

Balancing school with coding wasn’t simple. I had to find time outside of classes, early mornings, evenings, and weekends. Sometimes it felt like I was juggling two different worlds, but my interest in coding pushed me to stay consistent even when I was tired or busy.

Learning on my own taught me how to be disciplined. I didn’t have a teacher or classroom for coding, so I relied on online resources, tutorials, and lots of trial and error. Every small project helped me grow, and every mistake taught me something new.

By the time I turned 17, coding had become more than a hobby, and it was something I knew I wanted to pursue seriously. The mix of school, hardware knowledge, and self-taught coding shaped the way I think and solve problems today.

Looking back, even without school support, the journey made me more independent and motivated. It showed me that you don’t always need the perfect environment to grow, you just need curiosity and the drive to keep going.