My Story
So, here's the thing — I didn't put much thought into choosing Computer Science as my major. It just seemed like the right choice at the time. And honestly? I thought I'd never be able to code unless I worked really hard. Classic freshman mindset, right? 😅
Then, just a few weeks into my freshman year, something wild happened. My professor gave a free lecture and started this arm wrestling challenge — beat him, and you get no assignments for the entire semester. Obviously, we all tried. And then we started arm wrestling each other. It became this whole thing in class.
But here's where it gets interesting (and slightly painful): during one of those arm wrestling battles, I was in this weird position with my arm and elbow at a strange angle, and... I broke my humerus bone. Yeah, that happened. 💀
So there I was, stuck at home for 3 months straight without my dominant hand working. I couldn't write anything, couldn't go anywhere. I was basically a one-handed human for a quarter of a year. That's when I had this realization: "Well, I can still type..."
And that's how I discovered CS50 — Harvard's intro to computer science course. That course was a life-changing moment for me. I used to sit in front of my laptop for 14-15 hours a day, coding and watching lectures. Sometimes I'd rewatch the same lecture three times, or spend 2-3 days solving a single problem until I understood it entirely — without any help. No shortcuts, no cheating. Just pure, stubborn determination.
CS50 gave me the foundation and the nudge I needed to start. It got me really interested in coding, and after that, I've been self-propelling and kept learning new technologies on my own. What started as a way to pass time while my arm healed turned into a passion that defines who I am today.
Sometimes the best things in life come from the most unexpected situations. A broken arm led me to discover my love for coding. Talk about a silver lining!