Spoiler: Google is your best friend. And worst enemy. At the same time.
Dear Baby Dev Mo,
You’re standing in your first programming class; wide-eyed, lowkey terrified, and wondering if coding is something only hoodie-wearing tech bros in Silicon Valley understand. Let me tell you now: it’s not. And yes, it’ll feel like you’re decoding alien languages for a while. But you’ll make it. Not just survive, but thrive.
So here’s everything I wish I could whisper to your first-year self. (And to every first-year techie out there wondering if they belong in this world.)
1. You Don’t Have to Be a Genius to Be a Developer
Let’s kill this myth upfront. Being good at coding doesn’t mean solving a Rubik’s Cube in under 10 seconds or building a full-stack app overnight. It means being patient enough to debug a semicolon for three hours. It’s about resilience, curiosity, and Googling like a boss.
As Angela Yu (a top instructor on Udemy) puts it:
“Learning to code is like learning to cook. You start with ingredients and instructions. Over time, you learn to experiment, mix flavors, and eventually create your own recipes.”
2. Your Value Is Not Tied to How “Technical” You Sound
Forget trying to sound smart. Focus on being clear. Don’t say “utilize” when “use” will do. Don’t write a for-loop when .ForEach() makes sense. Your ability to communicate, collaborate, and keep it human? That’s your real power.
Real devs don’t gatekeep. They simplify.
3. You Can Be a Developer and Still Be… You
You don’t have to give up your personality, your hobbies, or your fluffy socks to be taken seriously in tech.
You’ll paint portraits, write blog posts, laugh during stand-ups, and yes, battle panic attacks on some days. And you’ll still build beautiful things.
You can cry on Monday, compile on Tuesday, and commit on Wednesday. The industry isn’t just for people who look or act a certain way. It’s for the you who’s figuring it all out, one breakpoint at a time.
4. Impostor Syndrome Will Show Up. Let It.
You’ll sit in rooms where you feel like the odd one out, like everyone’s speaking fluent JavaScript while you’re stuck in broken English. You’ll think you’re behind.
You’re not.
Even Neil Gaiman once said: “The problems of failure are hard. The problems of success can be harder, because nobody warns you about them.”
Success doesn’t come with a “You’ve made it” email. It comes in tiny wins; solving a bug, explaining a concept to someone else, or getting through the day without crying in the bathroom (it happens).
5. Give Yourself Grace
You’re juggling studies, work, anxiety, and the occasional quarter-life crisis. That’s not just coding. That’s surviving.
Some nights, you’ll cry into your laptop. Some days, you’ll deploy code like a rockstar. Either way, you’re doing more than enough.
Final Words to Baby Mo (and Baby Devs Everywhere)
You won’t become the kind of developer you dreamed of overnight. But you’ll become one who surprises yourself more and more every day. Keep building. Keep breaking. Keep being you.
Love,
Your future self (writing this with a hoodie and a beanie on and way too many empty cans of energy drink)
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Days in the Life of Mo 
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