From Childhood Curiosity to Web Development: My Journey into the World of Websites

As a child, I remember watching my brother download games onto my mom's phone from websites, especially using Opera. I was fascinated by how this was possible. I would scroll through the options and watch ads while waiting for the downloads to finish, which took a long time due to the slow internet. I didn't know what a website was back then. I even asked if Opera (the famous writer and journalist) owned the Opera browser or if it was named after her. My brother said she wasn't, and I didn't search.

Later on in my life, our ICT teacher gave us an assignment to build a webpage using simple HTML code, just a name and picture. I stayed up overnight working on the assignment, but I couldn’t get it right. I was so frustrated that I promised myself I would not engage with computers ever again. Why even try? That's a man's job. (If the trend "women in a man's field" had existed then, I might have posted about it.) However, in class, my friend explained to me that my mistake was because my folder wasn't set up correctly. That was my first step in learning about websites.

Through my childhood experiences, I found out that a website is where I can find different kinds of games, information, videos, etc. I learned that a website for games has only games or related stuff, and of course, some ads that, when clicked, direct you to another website. In high school, I learned that it's something developers create for customers to promote products or information and related stuff. I now know that it can be created even by me. Of course, Google and some digging cleared the air for me by explaining it further, which I will share later.

Recently, my friend got her own website to promote her clothing store. It features her contact information, images of the clothes, customer testimonials, and more. The interactive page seamlessly guides visitors from one section to another, which inspired me to learn and create websites. By the way, why is Opera named Opera if it's not after the famous person? Is it named after the music? I'm curious. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Reflecting on my journey from childhood curiosity to web development, it's clear that my early experiences with websites and technology laid the foundation for my current passion. From the frustration of my first HTML assignment to the realization that websites are powerful tools for communication and commerce, I've come a long way. The inspiration from my friend's successful online store has further fueled my desire to learn and create. As I continue this journey, I am excited about the endless possibilities that web development offers and look forward to building innovative and interactive websites that can make a difference.

‘a set of related web pages located under a single domain name, typically produced by a single person or organization.’-oxford dictionary