AltSchool Journey Post: “How Structured Learning Changed Everything”
I’m a software developer and technical writer focused on building and securing web applications. I work across the full stack (MERN) while developing a strong interest in application and API security.
My background in technical writing and API documentation shaped how I think about systems, clarity, structure, and correctness matter as much in code as they do in documentation. I’ve worked with tools like Postman, Swagger, and Figma, and I enjoy translating complex technical ideas into clear, usable knowledge.
These days, I’m learning and writing about web fundamentals, backend systems, and application security, documenting what I build, what I break, and what I’m learning along the way, with an eye toward secure, scalable software and future research.
The Turning Point: Realizing I Could Build… but Not Secure
After completing the SAIL Software Development Programme, I immediately began building the MVP for my escrow idea. It felt empowering for the first time, I could build both web and mobile applications from scratch.
But halfway into development, a heavy realization hit me:
I could build software…
but I couldn’t secure it.
I couldn’t identify vulnerabilities.
I didn’t understand the risks that come with APIs.
I had little knowledge of compliance, data protection, or security expectations in the real world.
For someone building a platform centered around trust, that gap was too big to ignore.
That was the moment I decided:
“I need to go down the security rabbit hole.”
Joining Altschool: Learning What I Didn’t Know I Needed
I had known about Altschool a year before, but I couldn’t enroll due to financial constraints.
When I finally joined in August 2025, it became one of the most important phases of my learning journey.
I was exposed to a wide range of concepts, but a few completely reshaped my thinking:
Risk Management
Risk Identification Techniques
Risk Management Frameworks
Key Legislation & Regulations
Identity & Access Management (IAM)
Access Control Models
RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)
For the first time, I saw how these topics connected directly to real systems, including the one I was building.
This was also where I learned about Okta and immediately knew I wanted to use it to manage admin access on my dashboard.
IAM finally made sense, and RBAC felt natural because of my backend background.
But the truth is this:
Even as a software developer, I might not have learned IAM until much later.
I probably would have tried to manually handle admin authentication on my own and done it in a much less secure way.
Altschool saved me from making that mistake.
The API Security Realization That Changed Everything
Around the same time, I came across a post on X where someone had earned an API Security certification. It immediately caught my attention, so I checked it out.
I registered, went through all the videos, and noticed they introduced OWASP API Security (most likely the 2022 version).
But two statements from the instructor changed how I viewed backend development forever:
“Just because your API is behind your UI doesn’t mean it is secure.”
“Even your feature is a bug.”
Those two lines hit me deeply.
As a frontend developer, I used to assume that if an API was only called inside frontend code, it was somehow “protected.”
As a backend developer, I knew how data moved but I never considered how exposed it truly was.
Those statements shattered that mindset.
How It All Came Together
Everything I learned from Altschool and APISec began to shape the way I thought about development.
I stopped seeing APIs as “endpoints that return data”
and started seeing them as attack surfaces.
I stopped thinking like a builder
and started thinking like a defender.
Security became something I placed at the forefront each time I approached a new idea or feature.
Still Learning, Still Growing
I’ll be honest right now, I still can’t identify every web vulnerability.
I’m still learning.
I’m still practicing.
I’m still connecting pieces.
But I know I’m on the right path.
And I’m confident that as I continue building, breaking, testing, and improving, I’ll reach my goal:
To build secure applications not just functional ones.
This phase of my journey has changed everything.
And it’s only the beginning.