Let’s Build a Project with a Canvas Feature!
Toward the end of Stage One, I already had a rough idea of what I wanted to build for my personal project. Still, I never tried to start early—each stage had its own unique experiences I wanted to savor, so like most classmates, I officially began in Stage Three.
When planning my project theme, I considered my personal interests and technical strengths. I carefully weighed the tech complexity and defined clear boundaries to ensure the project could be completed within the limited timeframe. The top priority was creating a ‘complete’ product—and thankfully, I managed to pull it off.
The Sleepless Project Begins!
Before we officially began, everyone had to get familiar with the new dev environment and conduct basic tests for their project. About a week in, I hit a major technical wall (ugh, it really hurt!). Huge thanks to mentors Feng-Lin and Cheng-Yi, who rescued me just in time and even shared real-world dev experiences from their jobs. I didn’t get stuck in that tech swamp for too long. By the second week, I was finally at peace with all those scary red error messages—and began to appreciate why they exist.
Once the dev environment was ready, I had to face the challenges of system architecture and style design. There were no carefully crafted specs or style guides in this stage, so everything took tons of trial and error. Only a small result might come after long attempts—but over time, I kept optimizing.
After quickly sketching a prototype and slicing the layout, I dove headfirst into nonstop feature development. One function completed meant ten more lined up behind it. There wasn’t much room for joy—I was constantly racing against the clock, tracking overall progress, and making firm decisions to cut anything I couldn’t finish in time.
I’m Willing to Take a Few More Steps into the Unknown
A personal project is exactly that—personal and one of a kind. Only you know what really happened, and only you can steer its direction. For me, the rule was: ‘Keep building and go deep.’
Honestly, I never expected to use so many advanced technologies. A lot of it came from casual comments during chats with mentors or classmates. Because I was willing to step into the unknown, the final outcome far exceeded what I originally imagined.
Sometimes, seeing test users leave cute drawings on the canvas really made my day. I’m thankful for all the classmates and mentors who helped test the site, and especially mentors Cheng-Yi and Ah-Jay for their valuable feedback and suggestions after reviewing my project.
React Online Study Group
For the Stage Three study group, I rebuilt our internal tracking system and added some new features. I thought we’d have more time for activities—but it turned out most people were pouring all their energy into their personal projects.
Aside from completing the minimum required reading, we only held two meetings and three internal project presentation rehearsals. Though less active than previous study groups, this was the right pace for our team at the time. It helped ease the pressure, and I’m happy we made it to the end together.
Pengpeng: “Helping Everyone Live a Better Life”
During Stage Three, every checkpoint report felt like a major milestone. Whether you graduated or not was heavily tied to how well you did. Yet just two days before our final presentation, a huge group of us traveled from all over to gather in person for a special event. Why?
I think it’s because we all want a better life, and WeHelp is that spark for change. We seized the opportunity, overcame obstacles, and walked this journey all the way to the final stage. We’re grateful to WeHelp for bringing us together—and for changing our lives. And those who’ve gone before us—they’re always willing to lift us up. That feeling of mutual support may be the true spirit of WeHelp.
Facing the Great Unknown, We Are All Brave
Looking back, this journey feels almost unreal. I truly believe every encounter was a beautiful chance and every decision was the right one. Over the past six months in WeHelp, no one forced you to do anything—it was all up to you, with support from each other. In that freedom, I gave it everything I had. I achieved all the goals I set, and I’m proud to be part of WeHelp. I wish everyone the best of luck on your own career change journey!