Hello, I'm Nelson Baguma. Today, I want to share a story—not just any story, but my story. It's a tale of challenges, solutions, and the relentless pursuit of a dream in the tech world. Born in Kampala, Uganda, to parents who fled the war from DR Congo in 2002, my journey is one marked by resilience, innovation, and an unwavering passion for technology.
I started my learning journey at the age of 5, full of excitement and big dreams. But life wasn’t easy. Financial struggles forced me to leave high school after just two years.
Still, when one door closed, another opened! I got a chance to explore the world of technology at the Sai Pali Institute of Technology. I earned certifications in CompTIA+ and MSCA, which felt amazing. Sadly, money problems hit again, and I had to stop. But one thing was clear: I had discovered my love for technology, and I wasn’t giving up.
Giving up? Not me! At 16, I made a big decision: I was going to teach myself how to code. For 9 months, I spent endless days and nights, teaching myself everything I could. It wasn’t easy, but I refused to quit.
And it worked! I landed my very first job as a frontend web developer at African Executive Leadership Solutions. Let me tell you, this job wasn’t just about coding; it was proof that hard work pays off. I felt like a tech superhero, turning my self-taught skills into real, working websites.
When I turned 17, my family and I packed our bags and moved to the United States. A whole new country meant a whole new set of challenges. The hardest part? Going back to high school to earn my diploma. I had big gaps in my education and felt nervous.
But I made it! I graduated high school, proud of how far I’d come. At the same time, I didn’t stop learning about technology. I attended Tri-C Community College and joined a coding bootcamp on Scrimba.com to level up my web development skills.
Today, my GitHub is full of projects that show my love for coding and learning. It’s like a diary of my progress—each line of code shows how much I’ve grown.