My service journey working with Coding for Good has been an amazing learning experience. From the start of the service during February of 2018, until now, I had learned countless skills at programming and web development that I have been able to use in a beneficial manner. From the start, I had no experience or background in web development, but because of the service, I was motivated to self-teach myself web development, learning languages and tools from scratch such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MongoDB, ExpressJS, all with the common goal of being able to use them effectively to better support the service and better contribute towards the mission of the service.

The journey hasn’t been easy. It took many hours to be able to use these technologies effectively and to actually be able to use them in a practical manner. The service allowed me to practice and use my skills in a very practical manner, such as with projects including helping produce the actual website for the service or even helping the UWC Foundation with the production of a Financial Aid Calculator.

Through this journey, apart from the skills in web development and programming I have developed and practiced, I feel that I have developed as an individual through the development of these skills. As a result of working with clients and being able to work effectively as a team in projects, I feel I have developed into a much more effective collaborator and communicator. I also feel that programming has given me an advantage in becoming more analytical and critical in my thinking process, and I am clearer about the process and path that I should take when approaching an issue.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the journey and experiences of my service involvement, and I plan to remain working with Coding for Good and to continue to use my skills in programming and web development in a charitable fashion for both the greater good and for personal development.