Starting Over

About a decade ago, a long-time acquaintance told me about a "coding bootcamp." It was a three-month immersive that almost guaranteed employment. This was before the "learn to code" boom, and the program was selective, transparent about outcomes, and willing to cut students who couldn't keep up.

At the time, I was comfortable in my career, but I had the itch to create something on my own. I wanted to learn a practical skill that could lead to building things, not just collecting more years and experience at my job. Even if it meant starting over, I felt it would be worth it.

I hesitated for over a year before taking the plunge. It was intense: energy drinks, sleepless nights, and the excitement of finally doing something that clicked.

Two weeks before the end, everything changed. After a few hours of sleep, I woke up with a splitting headache and later found myself in a hospital bed. A ruptured blood vessel had caused a stroke. I had to relearn everything: my name, how to walk, how to count.

Recovery was long, but I'm grateful for how far I've come. Coding was no longer an option then. Life moved on. I focused on other things, most importantly caring for my kid. I would sometimes see my bootcamp peers on LinkedIn landing developer jobs, but I had accepted my new path.

Recently, our toddler started preschool a few days a week, freeing up a few quiet hours. Around the same time, AI tools like Claude Code and Codex were becoming accessible. Instead of scrolling social media or binge watching a show, I decided to see what AI could really do and whether it could help me build again.

It has been almost ten years since I last wrote code. The tools, languages, and workflows are unrecognizable. I still had Atom installed on my MacBook. But with AI as an amplifier, I've been able to make surprising progress in short bursts of time.

This journal is my way of documenting that process: what I'm learning, what I'm building, and what it feels like to start over. If anyone else finds something useful here, all the better.