My Journey: From Liberal Arts to Software Engineer
I didn’t start out in tech.
I studied liberal arts. I worked in marketing. My brain was wired to ask, “Why does this matter?”—not “What’s the time complexity of this loop?”
When I finally tried to learn to code, it didn’t click. Not right away.
I spent thousands of dollars jumping between courses, platforms, and bootcamps. I tried tutorials. I tried self-study. I joined online communities.
But the learning experience was always the same:
Dry. Uninspired. Lacking feedback.
Too fast for beginners, too shallow for job readiness.
Expensive. Way more expensive than it had any right to be.
Eventually, I got it. But not because the system worked—I got through in spite of it.
That experience changed me. It planted a seed I couldn’t ignore.
Inside the Bootcamp Business Model
After I became a developer, I started teaching at coding bootcamps. I hoped to be the kind of mentor I never had.
And while I loved working with students, I started seeing patterns I couldn’t unsee:
- Curriculums cobbled together by people who had never taught.
- Students rushed through complex topics with barely time to breathe.
- Instructors hired last-minute, left to figure things out alone.
- Tuition ranging from $10,000 to $20,000+, for what? Access to Google Slides and copy-pasted code.
Bootcamps were marketed as transformation engines. In reality, many just delivered shortcuts. The cracks are showing—and students are starting to notice.
And the worst part? These programs often prey on people who are desperate for change.
People switching careers, supporting families, looking for stability.
We can do better.
We have to do better.
Why I’m Building This Product
So this is my line in the sand.
I’m building a gamified coding course that challenges students while keeping them engaged—because the current models are unsustainable, unethical, and ineffective.
I want to make learning to code feel playful, not painful.
I want to help students feel powerful, not behind.
I want to make high-quality learning affordable, not exploitative.
This project is me taking everything I’ve learned—the failures, the breakthroughs, the late nights, the student tears—and channeling it into something better.
What I’m Building
At a high level, this product is a gamified, story-driven, challenge-based course for learning JavaScript.
But it’s also more than that. It’s a philosophy.
🧩 Modular, Challenge-First Content
Each concept is introduced with a focused, interactive challenge.
Think of it like a mini-boss—you solve real problems, with instant feedback.
No more passive lectures. No more skipping to the solution video.
🎮 Storytelling That Pulls You In
You’re not just dropped into a UI. You start inside a narrative.
You’re a Code Warden, tasked with restoring order to a world corrupted by bugs and chaos.
It’s a small twist—but one that makes learning feel like a mission, not a chore.
💥 Visuals, Sound, and Progression
Like your favorite RPG, you’ll level up, earn XP, unlock new “worlds,” and face increasingly complex challenges.
This isn’t gamification for the sake of it—it’s a design choice to improve retention, motivation, and joy.
💰 Affordable by Design
My goal is simple:
Make this course accessible to anyone with a dream and a part-time job.
No bloated tuition. No debt. Just honest, high-quality learning.
What Comes Next
This is just the beginning. Right now, I’m focused on:
- 🧱 Building World 1, covering JavaScript fundamentals
- 🎮 Designing XP and progression mechanics
- 🧪 Testing reward loops, UI clarity, and animation polish
- 🚀 Preparing for an early-access beta later this year
If you want to follow along—or be one of the first to try it— let me know!
A Final Word: For Anyone Who’s Been Burned by Tech Education
If you’ve tried to learn to code and felt like a failure, I want you to know:
You’re not the problem.
The truth is, much of tech education is built to be sellable, not teachable.
But there’s a better path—one where:
- You actually enjoy the process
- You feel supported, not overwhelmed
- You gain the confidence to build something real
That’s what I’m building.
That’s who I’m building it for.
And I hope you’ll join me.
🚀 Be the First to Try It
Want early access? Want to help shape the future of how we learn to code?
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