I work with software for a living, and to be completely honest with you, I'm still figuring things out every single day. I'm based in Dallas, Texas right now. Most of my days are pretty ordinary. I sit at my desk, work on whatever I need to work on, try to understand something new, or maybe write a small blog post about something I just learned. That cycle of learning something, messing it up, fixing it, and doing it again? That's genuinely my favorite part of this whole thing.
How It All Started
My journey with computers started long before I even knew being a software engineer was possible. I grew up in a small town in 🇳🇵, and when I was around 10, my mom got me into this private school that had this little computer lab. It really wasn't much, just a few old computers in a small room, but to me back then, it felt like pure magic. I still remember sitting there, completely fascinated, wondering what these machines could do.
After finishing high school in Pokhara, I decided I wanted to go to the United States to study computer science. My parents believed in me and supported that decision, and I honestly don't think I'll ever be able to thank them enough for that. It was a huge step. In 2016, I landed in Chicago as a 19-year-old kid with big dreams but practically no idea what was waiting for me. I was excited, sure, but mostly I was just scared.
I finished my bachelor's degree in 2021 and my master's in 2025, both in Computer Science from the University of North Texas. School gave me the basics and taught me how to think, but my real education? That came from struggling alone at my computer, trying things, breaking things, spending hours stuck on errors, reading through Stack Overflow at weird hours, and very slowly piecing things together. One small step at a time.
My Path as a Developer
The first programming language I learned was C. Then I discovered Java and something just clicked for me. I fell in love with it, and I'm still really happy working with it.
Over the years I've gotten to work with:
- Java and Spring Boot
- Microservices and backend systems
- React (still learning this one)
- Some Machine Learning and AI
- DevOps, Cloud, and Containers
These days I mostly work with TypeScript, Spring Boot, PostgreSQL, Docker, Testcontainers, and Kubernetes. I'm still learning better ways to use all of these. It's a constant process.
Early on, one of my goals was to work at a bigger company and build something that real people would actually use. In 2021, I got that opportunity when American Express brought me on as a Software Engineer. It felt like a dream, honestly, like something I'd been hoping for finally happened. Some days I still feel lucky about it.
But what really keeps me going isn't the job title or the company name. It's simpler than that. It's finally understanding something that confused you yesterday. It's fixing something you broke and learning why it broke in the first place. Small stuff like that. I think it's similar to life in general. You don't always need the big wins. Sometimes just figuring out one small thing, taking one step forward, that's enough to keep you going.
Life Outside Tech
Outside of work, I try to keep things simple. I go for walks or run early in the morning when it's still quiet. Nothing fancy, just helps me clear my head before everything starts. Sometimes the best solutions come to me during those walks, when I'm not even trying to think about the problem.
What I Believe
I don't really have big philosophies or anything. Just a few simple things I try to stick to:
- Work hard, even when it's tough
- Be honest with yourself about what you know and what you still need to learn
- The rest? You figure it out as you go
I haven't really done anything special yet. But getting to where I am, leaving home, starting over in a new country, finding my way in this field, that's taken a lot of time, a lot of patience, and so much support from my family. I think many people understand that feeling of just trying to make a little progress each day, not always knowing if you're doing it right.
If you're reading this, I hope maybe it gives you something. Maybe just a reminder that someone else is out there learning too, making mistakes, trying to get better.
And if you ever feel like you're just figuring it all out as you go? Yeah, same here. I think most of us are. You're not alone in that.