I Avoided Web Development Until It Changed Everything

I’m a Computer Science student at NYIT and the founder of TawakalStudio, a small web development and branding company. I also built a dev tool called DeltaReview, an AI code review platform that analyzes code changes across 23+ programming languages and helps developers identify bugs, security risks, and performance issues before deployment. Right now, I’m focused on improving this project, getting early users, and gaining real-world experience in building and distributing software products.

I started out following the traditional path in Computer Science—studying, applying for internships, and aiming for a standard big tech route through platforms like Handshake. Early on, I didn’t have strong projects or a clear direction, and I mostly focused on coursework. That changed when I came across a web development application that required building and submitting a website. I decided to try it, built a simple site, and for the first time saw my code become something interactive and real outside the terminal. That experience pushed me to explore web development more seriously, which eventually led me to start building my own projects, launching TawakalStudio, and later creating DeltaReview as I continued learning through building.

From the outside, it might look like I have things figured out or a clear direction. In reality, most of what I’ve built so far has come from experimenting, adjusting, and learning in real time over the past few months.

What caught me off guard was how fast things moved from applying for internships to building real products and starting a company. I initially just wanted summer experience, but once I started building, the direction changed completely.

I’m most proud of going from applying for internships with no clear direction to building and launching my own projects, including TawakalStudio and DeltaReview, and continuing to iterate even without a roadmap.

I’d say don’t rely only on motivation or random exploration—have a direction and start building early. You don’t need a perfect plan, but without some focus it’s easy to drift. Most of my progress came from building, but the biggest improvement happened when I started building with more intention.

I’m still early, and I don’t think that part changes quickly—but I’ve learned I work best when I’m building first and figuring things out through real use rather than theory. I’m continuing to do that with DeltaReview.