🗓️ Day 54–67 Progress – Switching Gears (Again), and Here's Why...

Hey folks 👋

It's been a couple of weeks since my last update, and a lot has changed — again! 😅

🧭 What I’ve Been Up To

For a few days, I was back to exploring the DevOps/cloud path — brushing up on:

• Terraform basics

• Kubernetes concepts

• Some essential Linux command-line operations

But then something nudged me back toward Android development. I also revisited Kotlin Multiplatform concepts out of curiosity. After giving it some serious thought, I’ve made a decision...

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🎯 Why I’m Sticking With Android (for Now)

Yes, I know I previously shifted from my Node.js backend to focus on DevOps, saying I wasn’t enjoying the feel anymore.

But that’s not the case with Android/Kotlin. There’s something exciting about it — maybe it’s the newness, or the creative control over UI and UX. It just clicks.

Also, after a few interviews for DevOps/cloud roles, I’ve realized those positions generally expect 2–3 years of solid experience. While I might grow into them eventually, I feel that focusing on Android right now makes the most sense at this point in my career. Of course, I’ll still keep exploring DevOps and the cloud.

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📱 Android Progress So Far

I’ve decided to start fresh — putting aside my past Android knowledge and treating this as a clean slate.

Here’s what I’ve covered so far:

• ✅ Kotlin Basics – Syntax, data types, functions, control flow

• ✅ Jetpack Compose – Started right here instead of XML layouts (I know some might suggest XML first, but Compose feels modern and intuitive)

• ✅ MVVM Architecture – Similar to MVC, but tailored to Android’s lifecycle and data-binding

• ✅ Retrofit + REST API Integration – Built a mini app using the MealDB API to display food categories with LazyColumn for performance

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🔜 What’s Next?

Here’s what I’ll be diving into next:

• 📦 RoomDB + DAO

• 🔥 Firebase Integration

• 🌐 WebSockets (I’m especially excited for real-time functionality!)

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🎯 TL;DR:

I’ve switched gears to Android (again), but this time it feels right. I’ll continue DevOps/cloud exploration on the side — but Android will be my main focus going forward.

If you're also getting back into Android or learning Jetpack Compose, feel free to connect! 🚀