Some memories never fade—they’re reflections of where it all began.

For me, my journey as a developer wasn’t defined solely by career milestones or big wins. It started long before I had any titles, projects, or GitHub commits to show. It started with curiosity—a quiet spark that turned into a lifelong passion to explore, create, and grow.

The First Lines of Code

Like many aspiring developers, my first tool of choice was something incredibly simple: Notepad. It was the default editor on my computer, and with it, I wrote my very first HTML lines.

The joy of saving an .html file, refreshing the browser, and seeing text appear on screen was unmatched. There were no frameworks, no libraries—just pure trial and error.

Then came Dreamweaver, Adobe’s iconic visual web editor, which opened my eyes to design possibilities. Suddenly, websites weren’t just static pages; they were canvases waiting to be styled, animated, and brought to life.

My First Love: The <marquee> Tag

But the real magic moment? It wasn’t about a fancy IDE or complex feature.

It was the <marquee> tag.

The first time I saw text scrolling across my screen—just like the news tickers on TV—I was hooked. It felt like a superpower, a little glimpse into what code could do. That tiny discovery sent me down a wave of experimentation and learning.

Why These Tools Still Matter

We often celebrate big achievements: our first job, a promotion, or a major launch. But behind those milestones are the humble tools and early experiments that shaped us.

For me, Notepad, Dreamweaver, and <marquee> weren’t just software or syntax. They were stepping stones. They taught me the thrill of curiosity and the value of building something, no matter how small.

A Message to Creators

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: Don’t wait for perfect tools or the right time. Start with whatever you have. Experiment. Break things. Learn.

Every great journey starts with a simple step—or in my case, a scrolling line of text.

So, don’t think twice. Explore. Experiment. Expand.