365 Days of Stories - Day 6: Relearning to Code – Starting from Scratch

365 Days of Stories - Day 6: Relearning to Code – Starting from Scratch

I had made up my mind— 🚫 No more hunting for a CTO. 🚫 No more hiring freshers. 🚫 No more job hunting. 👉 I would develop my product myself.

Assessing My Skills & What Was Needed -

I started listing down what I already knew: ✔ Java ✔ SQL ✔ Web & Application Servers

I had always worked on backend development and middleware infrastructure management. But now, I needed to build an entire product from scratch.

I broke down the tech stack required: 1️⃣ Backend – Java, Spring Framework, Hibernate (ORM), DB, REST API 2️⃣ Data Structures & Algorithms – Critical for my system as matching rides is all about algo and DS 3️⃣ Design – UML, ERD 4️⃣ Frontend – HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery

I realized—I had left coding in 2010, and in five years, technology had evolved massively. Even what I knew had changed.

I had to start fresh as a programmer.

The Fastest Way to Learn? Online Courses.

To learn fast, I turned to online courses.

That’s when I discovered Koushik Kothagal, founder of Javabrains. His free courses covered exactly what I needed—fundamentals of modern Java and backend development.

So, on August 12, 2015, I started relearning everything from scratch.

My top focus area was Data Structures & Algorithms, so I picked up “Introduction to Algorithms” (CLRS)—the bible of algorithms. I wanted to master: ✔ Core algorithms ✔ Advanced data structures (Graphs & Binary Trees) I also watched MIT OpenCourseWare lectures to strengthen my concepts.

6 Weeks of Grinding – Back to Coding -

For the next six weeks, I was fully immersed in coding.

By September 29, I had: ✅ Completed multiple courses ✅ Practiced core programming concepts ✅ Rebuilt confidence in writing production-grade code

I still remember struggling with my first “Hello World” program— I had written the function outside main() and spent hours debugging it! 😅

But I had one advantage— At NCST, we learned 10-12 programming languages in 12 months and built 10+ projects. I knew once I got into the flow, I could learn at rocket speed.

From Salary Worries to Pure Joy -

By the time three months had passed without a salary, something changed. 💡 My focus shifted from money to happiness—because now, I had all the skills to build my product myself.

This journey taught me— 🛠 Every skill we acquire will be useful someday—we just don’t know when.

I tracked my learning in my project management tool, helping me recall specific dates even 10 years later.

Next Up: My Approach to Product Development

Now that I had all the tools, how did I start building the actual product? That’s tomorrow’s story.

Have You Ever Had to Relearn Something You Left Long Ago?

Have you ever refreshed an old skill because of the need of the hour?

Would love to hear your experiences in the comments! 👇

🚀 Follow my 365-day journey—one story every day.

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