I started coding when I was 15. Not because someone told me to, but because I wanted to build something. A game. An app. Anything that wasn't just an idea floating in my head.
Two years later, I've shipped more projects than I can count on my fingers. Some failed. Most failed, actually. But a few worked. And those few changed everything.
The beauty of starting early
When you're 18, you have something most people lose: time without consequences. I can build an app that nobody uses and nothing bad happens. I can try a new framework, mess up the architecture, and learn from it.
This freedom is insane. Most adults are too scared to fail. They have mortgages, responsibilities, expectations. I have none of that. Just a laptop and curiosity.
Ship fast. Learn faster.
My philosophy is simple: ship something every month. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to be groundbreaking. It just has to exist. Because real learning happens when real people use your stuff.
Reading documentation is fine. Watching tutorials is fine. But nothing teaches you like a user saying "this is broken" or "I don't understand this button."
What I've learned so far
- 1.Simple beats clever. Every time. Write code a tired version of you can understand.
- 2.Design matters. A lot. People judge your app in 3 seconds. Make those seconds count.
- 3.Ship before you're ready. Perfectionism is just fear wearing a nice outfit.
- 4.Build for yourself first. If you love using it, others probably will too.
What's next
Right now I'm building NeuroLab, building AI-powered mental health tools. It's the hardest thing I've ever worked on. It's also the most meaningful.
In 2026, I want to ship more. Write more. Learn more. And maybe, just maybe, build something that actually matters.
— Aine