01
Who these guides are for
Mostly two kinds of people. The first is university and college students, especially first-years in IT and computer science, who feel lost and don't want to admit it in class. I started my degree with no coding experience at all, so I know exactly what that sitting-at-the-back feeling is like, and what helped me get past it.
The second is people running a small business in South Africa who know they should be online but aren't sure where to start. I design and build websites for businesses, so I hear the same questions often: do I need a website, how do people find me on Google, and what should the site actually say?
02
Study tips for university students
The study guides cover the things that decide how a semester goes: how to study for university exams without rereading notes all night, how to pass first-year programming when the code won't click, and whether to start with Python or Java. They're practical, specific and honest about which parts simply take consistent effort.
There's also my own story, from a Grade 12 Open Day with no coding background to graduating top of a class of 200+ in the IIE Higher Certificate in Mobile Application and Web Development, plus an independent, first-hand review of that certificate for anyone deciding whether it suits them. These guides are my own views, not official advice from any institution.
03
Website tips for small businesses
The business guides are written for owners, not developers. The first covers how to get your business on Google: a free Google Business Profile, Google Maps, Search Console, honest reviews and the website groundwork that helps people find you. Most of it you can do yourself, and none of it costs money.
If you're still deciding whether you need a website at all, start with do I need a website?. It gives a straight answer, including when that answer is "not yet". I'd rather you spend nothing than spend money on a site that won't help your business.
04
How I write them
Plainly, and from experience. I've tutored for 2+ years and guided 150+ students in programming, maths, IT and study skills. The study guides come from the questions those students actually ask, and from what worked for me. The website guides come from what I studied and how I build, including the site you're reading now.
No made-up statistics, no miracle methods and no promises I can't keep. Where something takes steady work, the guide says so. As I told IOL Education, "It's about being consistent, asking questions, using the support around you." That idea runs through most of what I write, for students and business owners alike.
05
When a guide isn't enough
A guide can point you the right way, but sometimes you need someone to sit with you and work through your own topics, your own code or a past paper, step by step. That's what one-on-one tutoring is for, online by video call anywhere in South Africa or in person in the Durban area.
And if you run a business and would rather have someone build the website properly, have a look at web design. The first conversation about a website is free. Either way, the first step is a message: I typically reply within 24 hours, and WhatsApp is usually fastest.
