# Coding and Life – Turning 30 and the Tech Dreams of a Golang Indie Hacker ## Ten Years of a Curious Kid Now at 30, I look back at the younger me — that wide-eyed boy who played games, fished in rivers, and spent hours in smoky internet. Ten years of growing up, wearing the white uniform of a student, then the olive green of the army. And through all that, I kept asking myself: > *Who am I? And what will I do with my life?* Then one day, around 2015, I stumbled into programming through **Blogger**. The internet opened up an entirely new world for someone hungry for dreams and creation. From **HTML**, **CSS**, and **JavaScript** to **Golang**, I taught myself everything — no formal school, no fancy titles — just passion, curiosity, and perseverance. ## A Decade of Ups and Downs I’ve been a soldier, a university student (twice), a startup founder, and at times, a struggling developer wondering what comes next. But those experiences taught me one timeless truth: > *Coding isn’t just about writing code — it’s about solving problems, creating value, and breathing life into each line you write.* I started from zero, sketching rough system diagrams on A0 sheets while working in Đà Nẵng. I used to say: > “One day, I want a big room — big enough to spread paper all over the floor, to lie down, sit down, and draw every idea that comes to mind.” It sounds like something out of a war strategy movie, but for me, it was simply the image of peace — a quiet room where I could dream. From small **modules** to **components**, and eventually a **web framework**, I built not to follow trends but to understand how things truly work — to create something strong, independent, and mine. ## Ten Years of Youth – Life Lessons in Code There’s a saying: > “The ten years between age 10 and 20 are just ten years, > but between 20 and 30 — that’s an entire lifetime.” Your 20s are a collection of dreams, mistakes, and lessons. Another truth I’ve learned: > *The greatest gift in life is experience.* No one is born perfect. Some look up and feel small, while others look down and feel grateful. Recently, I climbed a small hill near my wife’s hometown — a place called **Vọng Cảnh** (“View of Scenery”). Standing there, I remembered a word I once read at age 20: **“Vọng tâm”** — *the restless heart.* > In the heart lies the path, and in the path lies the heart. > > A path with heart is a true path. > A heart with path is a true heart. > A path without heart is lost. > A heart without path is illusion. Those lines stayed with me. But life is more than philosophy — it’s about living, trying, and feeling. Ten years have passed, and I’m still walking this winding path — like melodies in a song that keeps evolving. ## My Indie Hacker Journey – Golang and the Dream of Creation I once built **Samdy** (the early version of **Kitbuy**) — a small project that somehow made it to the **Top 100 e-commerce websites in Vietnam (2022)** purely through SEO. All of it ran on a single **1-core VPS**, alongside 20+ other sites. Recently, I wrote **KITURL**, a URL shortener system in **Golang**, along with several other APIs. But I don’t just code — I connect it with **Affiliate Marketing**, **SEO**, and **UX Design**, because I believe: > **Programming is science.** > **Design is art.** > **Writing is the way to feed your soul.** I’m not a great poet. My code isn’t perfect either. But I know what I love — and I’m determined to follow it to the end. ## The Next 10 Years – The Dream of “Technological Independence” Looking back, I realize this is not the destination. It’s still the beginning. In the next decade, I want to: - Build a **social network** - Create an **e-commerce platform** - Develop a **chat application** - And most importantly, realize my dream of **technological independence** I’ve always dreamed that: > “Every Vietnamese person should not only have an email address, > but also a website — their own digital home.” I’ve spent years building systems that manage multiple websites at once, much like how Facebook manages Fanpages. From a **front-end developer**, I’ve had to learn **Design**, **UX**, **Marketing**, **Advertising**, and more. I didn’t choose this path — life pushed me toward it. But that pressure shaped who I am today: > Not the best at any one thing, but capable of building an entire project from A to Z with a unique mindset. ## Youth – The Backpack of Failures They say: > “The most beautiful thing you can carry in your youth is failure.” When we’re young, we fall — and we rise again. But after turning 30, fear grows: fear of failing, fear of being judged, fear of not living up to expectations. As the old saying goes: > “The heart may stay steady, the mind may stay calm, > but an empty stomach never lies.” I don’t know what the future holds. But if one day I’m not as strong or as bright as I am today — please, don’t expect too much. A hot cup of tea on a cold winter day — Is it really warmer than an ice cream in your freezer? When I was young, I wrote stories to draw my world. Now I write **code** to build my life. I don’t know how to write the word *“Vọng”* (Hope, Expectation), but I do know this — please don’t expect too much from me. > **“Coding and Life”** — that’s how I continue my journey. If you love **programming**, **startups**, or simply want to hear stories from a dreamer — then walk with me a little while. The journey is long, and I’m still dreaming. 🌙 ### **NOTES** - Article posted in 2024 and reposted - AI-powered translation - Read the original Vietnamese version here: [https://hnq.vn/blog/coding-and-life-tuoi-30-va-nhung-hoai-bao-cong-nghe-cua-mot-golang-indie-hacker](https://huynhnhanquoc.com/blog/coding-and-life-tuoi-30-va-nhung-hoai-bao-cong-nghe-cua-mot-golang-indie-hacker) ### **More About Me** - **Blog:** [huynhnhanquoc.com](https://huynhnhanquoc.com) - **GitHub:** [github.com/huynhnhanquoc](https://github.com/huynhnhanquoc) - **Open Source:** [github.com/kitmodule](https://github.com/kitmodule) - **Buy Me a Coffee:** [buymeacoffee.com/huynhnhanquoc](https://buymeacoffee.com/huynhnhanquoc) - **Keep Me Dreaming:** [ko-fi.com/huynhnhanquoc](https://ko-fi.com/huynhnhanquoc) Thanks for reading Huỳnh Nhân Quốc’s article! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.