About a month ago, web development sounded like flying a plane—complicated, intimidating, and something only brave or crazy people did for fun. But when I decided to create my own website, I fell in love with the process. There was just one problem: drag-and-drop website builders are expensive. As a college student, paying extra for basic features like hyperlinks or image galleries felt limiting and frustrating.
The answer? DIY—Do It Yourself. The challenge? I didn’t know how HTML, CSS, or JavaScript worked. The solution? LIY—Learn It Yourself. And here I am, on the last day of winter break, having coded the homepage of my website from scratch. The learning never stops, but the sense of accomplishment is incredible.
The Journey
My coding adventure began with learning HTML, the backbone of every website. I turned to free resources like The Odin Project, which guided me through the structure of a webpage. I learned how to create headings (<h1>), paragraphs (<p>), and links (<a>). Seeing my first <h1>—a big, bold “Welcome to Bruna’s Website!”—displayed on the screen was surreal. It felt like laying the very first brick of a house I was building from the ground up.
Once the structure was in place, it was time to add personality to my site with CSS. I learned how to change colors, pick fonts, and style layouts to match my creative vision. Choosing my own colors (like light pink and dark teal) and seeing them come alive on the screen was pure magic. It was no longer just a webpage—it was my webpage.
Challenges and Wins
When I started this project, I decided to use my current website as a template for what I wanted to create. I loved its design and layout, so it became my guide for learning how to structure and style my new site from scratch. The biggest challenge so far has been learning all the syntax and figuring out where everything goes. HTML and CSS felt overwhelming at first, and linking my CSS file to my HTML was like solving a riddle. I worried I’d break everything!
Every piece of code felt like putting together a puzzle—one piece at a time, the picture started forming. I might not have all the pieces yet, but I know the final picture will be beautiful.
Encouragement for Others
If you’ve ever thought about coding your own website, start small. You don’t need to know everything to begin—you’ll learn as you go. The first step is the hardest, but it’s also the most rewarding. And if I can do it, so can you.
What’s Next?
This is just the beginning. I’m excited to add new sections, experiment with JavaScript, and eventually share my website with the world. But for now, I’m taking a moment to celebrate this milestone—because I DID IT!
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