The Number

Buckle up, this one is self-serving.

When I originally moved back to Brighton after university, I was dead broke. I was pretty happy to spend my small expendable income at the pub or on a takeaway.

But at the same time, my passion for web development was starting to develop. I was spending more and more time delving into this passion and decided to supplement this new found passion with a good old fashioned book. The irony of buying a book to learn a digital skill freely available on the internet is not lost on me.

Off I trotted to Waterstones and picked up a Coding for Dummies book, checking the price and seeing the then eye-watering price of £28.99. That’s Nando’s money. I decided at that point that pursuing a vocational skill was probably better for me in the long run than eating a half chicken and hating myself for 12 hours.

To justify the payment, I said that it would be worth it if my new skill bagged me £29 in the future. Recently, I completed my first ever freelance project. It was tough, there were hiccups and long hours on my weekends to complete it, but I made my £29. And the first thing I bought with the cash? ½ chicken, chips and spicy rice.