For a long time, I felt the need to change my career path. I even made a small detour to try life as a Front-End Developer. But life, as it turns out, doesn’t always go according to plan.
From the very beginning of my journey as a manual tester, I knew it wasn’t enough for me. I had plans — automation, front-end development, maybe even back-end — anything but manual testing. I was simply bored. And yet, for eight years, I only managed to change careers temporarily. I kept ending up in the same place, without understanding why. I enjoyed learning, loved doing something creative and technical at the same time… and still, I kept coming back to square one. Different job, same role: manual tester.
Looking back, my plan was… blurry. "I’ll do a course, and then I’ll do what I want." Course after course, training after training. I wanted to be perfect at what I do — or what I will do. I didn’t allow myself to write imperfect code. And so, I stayed stuck. Dissatisfied with where I was.
But in 2025, something shifted.
In just one month, I built my first portfolio. And what’s more — I published it. Imperfect. No jaw-dropping projects. But it was mine.
So what changed?
I became a mom.
And my baby taught me something big: perfection leads only to frustration. It doesn’t move me forward. In fact, it traps me in that old, familiar, safe space.
And my baby taught me something big: perfection leads only to frustration. It doesn’t move me forward. In fact, it traps me in that old, familiar, safe space.
Also — time doesn’t stop, and it certainly doesn’t multiply. I no longer have the luxury of doing ten courses at once. So what’s left? Dedicating at least five minutes a day to my personal growth. Without that, I’d lose my mind. I truly love learning and developing myself. And I love being a mom. But balance is essential. There will always be more time for my child than for late-night projects, but I need that little space to grow.
That’s when I discovered AI.
Not the kind that writes code or generates graphics for me — but the kind that became part mentor, part assistant. In just 30 minutes, together we created a five-year learning plan. Broken down into years, the first year into months, and the first three months into days.
I would never have done that on my own. I wouldn't have organized my existing resources to use them bit by bit. And yes — spoiler alert — you don’t have to finish a full course all at once. You can take it one step at a time.
The “one-month” plan took me two calendar months to complete.
Do I feel bad about it? Not really. I have the time I have.
One day I find 30 minutes, the next I’m too tired to lift the laptop lid. But I’m proud — because I have real, visible results. I see my portfolio. I shared it with friends. And that gave me extra motivation.
Once I got moving, everything started to fall into place. From having zero ideas for personal projects, suddenly I had a million.
And so, step by step, I’m walking toward a new career.
Do you need help with your project? Got something you need styled or coded? Reach out — I’d be happy to jump in!
Struggling to talk to AI? Let’s work together.