Half-year update - (re)Discovering Ruby

Since February 2025, I’ve been working through The Odin Project to solidify my programming knowledge and keep coding to ensure my programming muscles do not atrophy. Well, truth be told, I didn't feel ready for the job market, after completing ALX.

I recently got an insightful answer to the question: 'Should I start applying for jobs?' The answer was clear: "Send your resume out, and the market will tell you whether or not you're ready"

So I did, and wow, did I feel overwhelmed. Out of the many applications I sent, I got only three interviews, one of which went horribly wrong when I froze. I regained my composure midway and even gathered the courage to ask to be allowed to look up some forgotten syntax.

In the end, I didn't get the position, and the other two replied that I wasn't what they were looking for at that moment. A phrase I have read in plenty of other replies.

Since The Odin Project is self-paced, I've been taking it slow, with little to no pressure. However, since I dove into Ruby, I have had this burst of energy, and I hope to ride on this wave.

Maybe Ruby truly does exude programmer happiness or maybe that’s just confirmation bias talking.

Whatever it is, I will keep grinding, learning, and getting better.

My first Ruby encounter

The first time I encountered Ruby code was on 4th October 2023 (1 year 9 months 19 days ago, as of this post).

Back at ALX, we had some exercises on Regular Expressions under the System Engineering & DevOps – scripting section. In true ALX style, I woke up one morning to discover I had to pick up Ruby fast to complete the day's exercise. You can have a look at my submissions for the tasks here

I would later encounter Ruby on Rails in the debugging section of the course, and I remember installing gems being a real pain. I never gave Ruby, or Ruby on Rails much thought thereafter, as ALX was quite fast-paced and their main focus was on C, for foundations. Python and JavaScript appeared later in specializations.

Mid this year, I began encountering DHH's content, both on his blog, as suggested on daily.dev, and varying YouTube channel appearances.

Then came the pivotal moment when I had to choose a specialization track on The Odin Project. It was on 11th June 2025, that I made the decision to take the Fullstack Ruby on Rails path.

The other option is Fullstack Javascript, and since I felt I had a fair grasp of JS and wanted to explore new horizons, I chose the former.

What Next?

With 56% of 2025 already gone, I’m dedicating the remaining 44% to diving even deeper into Ruby and Rails. I will be making posts here on my progress, and various concepts learned.

I've largely been building in silence, but I hope to build a bit more in public, without veering off from the main goal, which is constant and steady improvement in my Software Engineering skills.