Learning Two Languages at Once: English & JavaScript

Three decades later, and "access," the great promise of the World Wide Web is still a long way from reality. 

Although access has increased globally since the turn of the century, language still remains a significant barrier to entry. Today, ten languages make up 75% of the content online, none of which are native African dialects.  

Language doesn't only impact who can use the internet; it greatly impacts who can build on its infrastructure. As a result, many software developers must learn English to begin their programming journey. 

One-third of programming languages were developed in English speaking countries, and all of the top 10 most popular programming languages are written in English. Even the ones developed in non-English speaking countries like PHP (Denmark), Ruby (Japan), and Python (The Netherlands).

Moreover, English is already the world's global trading language, but more recently, it has also slowly become the language for global computing. It's the unspoken requirement to become internationally competitive and gain access to high-paying software development jobs. 

As a result, African techies who don't speak English but wish to contribute to the global marketplace and one day affirm themselves as a "world-class developer" must undergo the process of learning two languages at once, English & whatever programming language they choose.

I spoke with Ilias Haddad, a Freelance Developer based in Kenitra, Morocco, about his journey to software development, the role English plays in computer programming, working as a Shopify developer, and his tips for staying informed/up to date on the industry. 

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How did your journey lead you to software development? 

As a child, I was very interested in anything related to technology or electronics. When I was 17 years old, I started a tech blog. I wanted to customize the website, and that’s where my programming journey began.

I still remember opening up the editor to the code for the first time. I didn’t know what was on the screen. I started copying and pasting from Google. That didn’t work most of the time, so I began to learn the basics of HTML, CSS, and Javascript.

I found that I can learn programming on my own from a tech Moroccan Youtuber (Amin Raghib)

After high school, I went to university. Unfortunately, with my high school degree, I didn’t have a choice to study computer science, so I’m currently studying at university for a bachelor’s degree in economics and learned programming on my own. 

I found a French Udemy programming course to learn the basics. In the process of learning programming, I realized that if I wanted to have access to better resources, I would have to learn English.

So my first obstacle to teaching myself how to code was learning English. The Udemy course gave me the basics, so I knew what to search for. After that, I learned some basic English phrases and vocabulary to understand what the instructor was saying. 

The first day was difficult; I didn’t understand much. I could only comprehend some of the technical words, but over time my vocabulary improved.

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How do you translate your client’s requirements into code?

When I receive the project details, which is usually a short description of the project, I connect with the client to discuss and ask questions to get more details. 

Then, I do some brainstorming. For example, if the project is an integration of a new feature or some custom development, I would brainstorm possible solutions that would solve the client’s problem.

After that, I set up another call with the client and give a live demo to show my potential solutions. Whatever solution they decide Is what I’ll implement. The final step is a closing discussion to ensure the solution meets the requirements and solve their problem.

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What led you to the Shopify developer space? 

I used Shopify as a business owner first before I started working as a Shopify developer. I built and eventually sold a print on demand clothing brand called CodeParel, where I sold t-shirts with programming related designs.

I loved the experience of managing an online store using Shopify. It was the best experience I had with an e-commerce platform. While running my store, I wanted to customize some components, so I had to learn Shopify. 

Moreover, I developed my skills building my own store, and since then, I’ve worked on custom web applications, static websites, custom Shopify applications, and Shopify integrations to add new features.