My journey into Web3

They say that the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Having taken a couple hundred steps, I have to stop and reflect on how this journey all began.

Hello, Dear Reader. My name is SolomonDavid Akesobia and I am just your average guy. I was raised in an average Ijaw household in average Rivers State. I attended an average secondary school, had average hobbies and led an average life.

Despite being an average Joe, I had an above average love for technology. Inspired by videogames, and being curious of how software were built, I have dabbled in various fields: Android development, game development, desktop applications, you name it, but my heart and destiny drew me to one field in particular — web development.

As at 2023, I had already decided on my preferred tech stack. I had self-taught my way into becoming a fullstack developer using MongoDB, Express, VueJS, and NodeJS. I had worked on several projects and gained my footing and I knew the ropes. But I knew it wasn't enough. The world was evolving and with emerging technologies and I needed to evolve as well. Amongst the balablu hullabaloo, I could hear a particular name being chanted by the crowd, like a champion taking the stage: WEB3! WEB3!! WEB3!!!

Web3? After a brief research, I realized this “Web3” was a total game changer! A modern web technology that leverages the Blockchain to become decentralized, immutable, and give users control over their data? Sweet!!! That was the missing piece in my life! The final piece of my fullstack puzzle. I was ready to learn it and upgrade myself. I was ready to dive in and swim in the ocean of this new technology. The more I read about it, the more I wanted to know about it. There was, however, one problem. How was I going to learn this? Who was I going meet? Where would I get the information and orientation I needed to be a confident Web3 developer?

In my thousand-mile journey, I have had to cross many borders to answer such questions but this time was different. Because the answer to my questions was B<>rderless . I came to learn about their Web2 to Web3 transition program, Metis Cipher Session, and I grabbed the opportunity with both hands, one leg and my teeth. And so my journey into Web3 development began, using the Metis Blockchain. I have been introduced to various concepts like Merkle trees, cryptography, contracts, ether denominations, gas, etc., and dealt with a barrage of projects and sessions. Overwhelming? Some days. Regretted it? No day. Extraordinary? Everyday!

That is where you met me, Dear Reader. As at the time of writing this, I am working on my final project: A Blockchain crowdfunding platform. An innovation in the way crowdfunding platforms work, leveraging the power of the Metis blockchain to facilitate currency agnostic, non-repudiative, and secure crowdfunding. Utilizing ReactJS and Solidity, this powerful application aims to revolutionize the way we donate to crowdfunded projects and I was given the opportunity to work on it!

That, Dear Reader, is how I came to be what I am today, thanks to the B<>rderless group, the Metis foundations, and of course, you all. It was nice having someone to share my story with, but it’s time for me to wrap up my project like the developer I am. Curious to see what I built? No spoilers for you, compadre. You’ll have to join us on the demo day, Friday, 2nd May, 2025, at 4PM WAT, to find out. Until then, GM GM!