Beginning of My Tech Stack

 Currently, I am working as a freelancer on Upwork. I have had a few gigs. I have 3+ years of experience in developing IoT systems. My tech stack includes C++, C, Esp32, Arduino, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MATLAB, and Python. I also know Circuit Designing & Testing, Hardware Architecture, Mechatronics, Networking, Competitive Programming, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. When I look back, I often wonder how it all began.

Very few people know this story. My 13th birthday was about to arrive; it was in 2015. I always remember those October evenings when I wondered what present I should demand this time. What could a 13-year-old boy want? We recently brought a TV. So all I wanted was a PlayStation. Fitting our budget, we decided to get PlayStation 2 in 2015, unknown to the world of GameTech.

My mother and I went out hunting for a PS2. We went to one showroom after another, one dealer after another, and all I found was disappointment. Apparently, PlayStation 2 were old tech, which Sony no longer manufactured. Successor versions, PlayStation 3 & PlayStation 4, were available for sale. Way out of our budget; what we could afford was no more manufactured, and what was manufactured we couldn't afford.

I went home sad that day. Far from giving up, I don't know how the idea popped into my mind. But I decided to build "My Own PlayStation". I started exploring the internet; how to make stuff. It was just the dawn of online teaching. Not much was available, but somehow I came across "Arduino". I visited the Arduino.cc website saw the potential to build almost anything I wished with it. I ordered parts online, like a breadboard, Arduino Uno, jumpers, ICs, etc. Yeah, that's what my 13th birthday present was, electronic parts. This new genre of toys was my regular plaything.

I downloaded Fritzing and spent hours and sleepless nights studying electrical components & circuit design. Also, my dad taught me much about using breadboards, resistors, IC, and basic electrical engineering. My pieces were yet to be delivered, and I started writing codes in my notebooks about small beginner projects link Blink and Servo.

Over the years, every year, I brought new electronic components on my birthday, and I learned programming in C. Build some good projects in the following years. What I value more than knowledge is experience. You will get much more knowledge on the internet nowadays than back in 2015, but spending time with these technologies over the years gave me a much better understanding than anything else. I am confident that I can master any new technology as per my requirement in no time.

Then in the recent 2-3 years, I learned C++, Data Structures & Algorithms, Networking, Competitive Programming, etc. I never really build a PlayStation to this date. I don't want a PlayStation anymore; I am thrilled that my life turned out this way. I got to learn so many things, and I developed many skills. Had I gotten a PS2 back then, I would have been just another cringe gamer on YouTube.