When I first started learning Backend Development, I knew for sure that my journey through the course won't always be smooth. I was bound to face certain difficulties along the way. During my University's Industrial Training Program, as a Computer Engineering Student, I enrolled into an Institute; Deebug Institute (https://deebug.org) where I was privileged to study Backend Development from professionals and masters in the field. I was able to avoid most of the road-blocks and was always set on the right track whenever I was caught derailing. I started my Backend Development journey with Node.js and Express, building small projects to solidify my understanding of RESTful APIs and database interactions.
CHALLENGES
My first 'big project' after graduating; Building a Seamless E-commerce application. Upon finishing my program. I was met with the challenge of integrating a payment platform to allow users make payment and merchants could manage their orders with ease. This seemed like a daunting task at the time.
I chose to integrate Paystack as my payment platform initially as it was recommended by my tutor. But that didn’t stop me from making my own personal research and being that I had no experience with any, before, I decided to stick with Paystack, due to its popularity and extensive documentation in the Nigerian development community. However, navigating the API endpoints, handling errors, and implementing secure payment form handling proved to be a challenge. I spent hours debugging, streaming through YouTube, making research and going through the API’s documentation.
I encountered issues with;
-Understanding Paystack’s documentation and API endpoints.
-Handling errors and exceptions during payment processing.
-Implementing secure payment and handling.
-Basically, getting the code to run.
After several tries and compatibility issues that arose from my system, I was able to remedy the issues after carefully going though the documentation over and over until I could grasp the application and error handling, helping me to test and debug my codes. I also joined online communities and forums to learn from other developers who were experienced. I realised that integrating an API wasn’t just about writing code; it was about understanding the entire system. The documentations and support resources were invaluable in helping me overcome the challenges I encountered.
A NEW CHAPTER: HNG INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
As I continue to build my skills and gain experience in backend development, I realised there was still much to learn. Longing to take my skills to the next level and gain industry experience. And so, I am excited to share that I’ve enrolled in the HNG Internship Program.
HNG Internship Program is a remote internship program aimed at helping aspiring developers, designers, and tech enthusiasts gain practical experience and improve their skills and by participating in this program, interns can work on real projects, receive mentorship and connect with the tech community, all while working remotely.
I was introduced to this program by my cousin who also is in the industry. I am excited to be part of this year’s cohort. I guess here’s my chance at getting all the experience and collaborative skills that is needed.
Learn more about the internship here:
https://hng.tech/internship
Learn about their rich talent pool here:
https://hng.tech/hire
CONCLUSION
I’ve learned valuable lessons about problem-solving, perseverance and the important of community and as I continue on my development journey, I’m excited to explore new technologies and concepts. If you are a fellow developer facing similar challenges, I hope my story inspires you to keep pushing forward. Note that every obstacle is an opportunity to learn and grow.
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