Software Development Adventure Begins in High School: The Story of Enes Celep

Yours Enes Celep We would like to introduce you to him, he is a sophomore in high school at the age of 15 and develops himself by taking path.dev trainings in software, and at the same time he leads the Technology Team at his school. We also wanted to hear the story of this young friend from him!

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Can you introduce yourself to us in your own words?

Hello everyone:) My name is Enes. I am 15 years old and this year I went to the second year of high school. I started taking a serious interest in the software world at the beginning of 2021. I am currently both the manager of the software club at my school and I am learning Node.js in the Back-End field.

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When did you become introduced to software as a high school student?

I can say that I started the software world in 6th grade with C++. The story of my acquaintance with the software is actually quite an interesting story. In middle school, I was the founder of one of the community servers for the game Counter Strike: Global Offensive. While playing on the server I saw plugins being written to this game with SourcePawn, a C++ like scripting language. When I browsed the web to add plugins to the server, there were usually paid add-ons. People who knew this language used to write plugins on a freelance basis and sell them to other people. The remaining free add-ons were often outdated and troublesome. Thinking about what should I do after seeing these, “Why don't I write these plugins? “I asked myself. After that day, I began to learn by following the codes of open source projects along with English resources. I was learning on my own and I was happy sharing it on the internet. But what the future of this game was unknown, I realized that I needed to turn to a more realistic language. As I said at the beginning, SourcePawn's writing style was very similar to C++. I started C++ with the knowledge I had.

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When did you cross paths with Path.dev? What lessons did you take here?

At the beginning of the year, when I was looking for resources to learn software, I noticed the trainings in Patika. At that time, the Trail was just established, and compared to the current Trail, there was still a long way to go. Right now, I can tell you that the trail is moving along nicely. I registered with Pathika to send applications for bootcamps. In the bootcamps I looked at, it said that HTML and GIT tutorials had to be completed beforehand. Since I'm already interested in web development, I needed to know both of them thoroughly. I got off to a good start with the trail. I finished Java 101 training in May-June. The assignments were very beautiful in terms of reinforcing what we had learned. Later, when we arrived in July To Backend Path with Node.js I started. Trainings are also progressing nicely for people who are starting from scratch.

While you were taking trail trainings and how was your journey in Trail Discord, what did you experience?

Before you start Node.js in Patika Back-End Web Development with Java I took part in Challenge #1. As we progressed down the path of Backend Web Development with Java, the mentors in the Discord group were very helpful. It's great to know that there are mentors waiting to help you when you're struggling with any training on the trail. They would help immediately when I had any errors in my code or when I indicated that I was struggling with something. I sent the application form 2 days after the announcement of the Pathway Discord server and joined immediately. When you have separate writing channels for each training module, you can send it there and get the answer. There's a nice helping environment. Let's come next Discord TrailTo my favorite aspect: Zoom events held every week. Obviously, while the purpose of these events as a mass is to guide people looking for work, I still try to participate as much as I can. Each event gives you a new perspective. I think everyone who has the time should participate in these live broadcasts that are held every week. Important information is given for soft skills and self-improvement. There is a Q&A at the end of each event, each of your questions trying to be answered. There is a friendly atmosphere:)

You are currently leading a tech team at your school, what are you doing and can you tell us about the team?

In my club, we try to participate in events organized online together with all the members. We have participated in the events of university clubs such as ITU IEEE in an organized way. I try to help my friends at the club as much as I can when they have a question. In January I opened up my club's Instagram page to open up to the whole school. I share informative content there. NEFL Software Club. Those who want can browse the posts and come back:) You can DM whenever you have any questions.

I would also like to tell you about my friend Duru in my club. He's just as curious as I am, he loves to learn. He discovered that he was interested in software at the age of 10 and started learning JavaScript at the age of 12. It is currently running with JavaScript. He noted that Patika benefits from their training, is suitable for all ages. Duru says that in the software world, this profession is not only exclusive to men, but anyone of any age can do it. I agree with Duru. This is a job that anyone can do. Just show perseverance:)

What would you recommend to our high school friends who want to learn software?

When I talk to people who are new to the software world, they usually say, “Should I learn the X language?” I get questions like. Obviously the answer to this question is entirely up to you. First you need to decide in what area you want to develop. I suggest you research software areas on the Internet. Web, Cloud, Embedded Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning... There are dozens of areas. As you see, there are a lot of fields that you get lost in, then you can turn to what we call Front-End with the triad of HTML, CSS, JavaScript. In this field, you can see the change that the codes you write will instantly make on the site. If you think I'm not interested in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, I recommend Python.

Other than that, it doesn't just happen by learning software alone. Try to write code with your friends, send each other errors and solve them. Participate in social events and communities. There are dozens of events in the field of software on such media as Linkedin, Instagram and YouTube. I recommend that you participate so that you research what is in your area of interest and get different points of view. But we shouldn't take it from here that “I'll attend this seminar, maybe I'll learn something.” Unfortunately, there is no such thing. If you want to develop in the field of software, you need to write code and struggle with errors:D Did you get an error in your code that you never knew about? It is not a problem at all, it happens to everyone.

“Everyone gets bored sometimes, and it's normal for you to go through this. Instead of comparing yourself to others, ask yourself, “How was I a month ago? What did I know last year, what do I know now?” ask questions like. If you can answer these questions, then you are going the right way. “

Finally, I would like to mention that if you have a specific question, you can write to me without any thought when you need help. I try to help as much as I can:)

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We, as the Patika.dev team, are very happy to take part in Enes' software journey, we wish you continued success, Enes! If you want to start one of the same paths and take your step into a software career from here You can access trainings.