Chale, let me take you back to 2017/2018. There I was, a fresh Electrical/Electronics Engineering graduate from uni, teaching as an assistant at Sunyani Technical University. I was juggling courses in the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering departments, plus trying to run Traffic Light Breakfast on the side. But there was this itch, you know? This burning desire to learn something new, to pivot into software engineering.

Then came this pivotal moment at a Barcamp Accra networking event. I met Yaw Anku, and we had this mind-blowing conversation. Yaw, who'd studied Electrical and Computer Engineering at MIT, shed some wisdom on me. He said, "Why don't you focus on software engineering? You could create great things with just a laptop and good internet." He was building vimjobs.com then, and seeing his journey inspired me.

But Yaw wasn't the only one pushing me towards tech. Mr. Osei Appiah Marvin was one of the lecturers I assisted. This guy had done electrical engineering and telecommunication engineering, and he saw the potential in me. He told me, "Derrick, there's a huge demand for tech skills. You should go for it." And he didn't just talk the talk. He walked the walk, setting me up with my first Linux Mint distro and giving me courses on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Talk about a mentor!

August 2018 rolls around, and I'm diving headfirst into my first tech boot camp with Global Code UK. Engineers from Morgan Stanley introduced us to Terminal commands, Raspberry Pi, Python, and Flask—it was like someone had opened the door to a whole new universe, and I loved every second of it.

But then, reality hit. Post-Bootcamp, I was on my own, bouncing from one tech to another like a basketball: Python/Django, C# (epic fail 😅), JavaScript (I was terrible), and C++ (I was not too fond of it in school, and, still, I wouldn't say I like it). I was lost, questioning if this tech life was really for me.

Then I stumbled upon tweets about Ruby on Rails. People were raving about how great it was for starting MVPs, and that caught my attention. I've always dreamed of bringing my ideas to life. Do you feel me? So I dove in, learning from The Odin Project and Learn Enough (big shoutout to Michael Hartl for that scholarship 🙏🏾).

Here's the real talk: Ruby on Rails is why I didn't quit programming( being broke/sapa was also a great motivator😀). At one point, I was ready to throw in the towel, but Rails changed everything. Even though I work primarily as a UX Designer, I still contribute to our Rails codebase and build my projects with Rails. I am doing Computer Science now and hoping to play with more tech, but hey, I still love Rails.

Why do I love Rails so much? Let me break it down:

1. It's mature and battle-tested: At 20 years old, it was first released on 24th July 2004 and recognised to be released in August 2004. The reason you are reading this now, Rails has seen it all. The community has figured out the best practices for everything from authentication to deployment. It's like having a wise old uncle guiding you through the coding jungle.

2. Convention over configuration: This is a game-changer. It means I can jump into any Rails project and know exactly where to look for what. Every Rails app speaks the same language; once you learn it, you're fluent everywhere.

3. The "magic": Sometimes it can be frustrating when you don't know what's happening behind the scenes. But when you're trying to get an MVP off the ground? That magic is a lifesaver.

4. Active Record: This ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) is beautiful. It makes database operations feel like you're just playing with Ruby objects. Do you need to write SQL queries for basic operations? Sign me up!

5. The ecosystem: The Ruby community is incredible. There's a gem for almost everything. It's like having a massive toolbox where you can always find the right tool for the job.

6. It's great for rapid prototyping. When I have an idea, I can quickly build a working prototype. This is perfect for someone like me who's always itching to build something.

7. Community: There are many online communities to join, in-person meetups, though a few where I live, and people keep building stuff for the community. I joined Ruby Conf NG, got assistance from the Solidus Community, sent DMs to people on Twitter, and, importantly, my colleagues at work are eager to assist me.

8. Scalability: Rails can scale despite what some might say. Just look at companies like Shopify and GitHub. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me!

I've built so much with Ruby and Rails. My personal website (derrickamenuve.com), wearekauri.com, tailorsnote.com, and basstravelandlogistics.com use Middleman, a Ruby static site generator. Then there's modatongue.com and scamshield.online, full-on Rails products. And trust me, I've got more cooking! 🍳

Rails gave me hope that I could be a programmer and a builder. That is why I've taught over 200 young ladies in Kumasi and Tamale through the Rails Girls programme. I want them to feel that same spark, that same "I can do this" feeling that Rails gave me.

And let's not forget the big players. Airbnb, GitHub, Shopify, Twitch, Zendesk, Instacart, Dribbble, Kickstarter, Hulu, and Basecamp - all running on Rails. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us, right?

So here we are, 20 years of Rails. Happy anniversary 🎉, old friend. Thanks for keeping me in the game and showing me I could be a programmer. Here's to many more years of building, learning, and growing together.

To all you aspiring developers out there, don't let the challenges scare you off. Find your Rails; find that technology that clicks with you. Trust me, it's worth it. 

Excuse me, I've got beer🍺 and liveband music to enjoy this weekend. Have a great weekend too!