Hi there.
We made it.
Exactly 50 editions ago, I sat with an overload of thoughts and a blank Sketchbook canvas, doodling a little “Loading…” screen, a lightbulb, and a tiny pink brain. I didn’t know what this newsletter would become. I didn’t even know if I’d keep going.
But something changed when I pressed “Post.”
Something clicked.
The digitally drawn logo
And now here we are: Edition Fifty.
A number that looks simple but carries seven months of growth, chaos, rebuilding, tiny victories, and big shifts.
The Beginning: A Girl, a Brain, and a Lot of Confusion
When I launched Edition 1 (A Beginning Amidst the Chaos), I wrote because I felt directionless. Everyone around me looked like they were fitting in, joining clubs, participating, thriving.
Meanwhile, I was:
- trying to learn Python, C, Java
- rediscovering digital art
- feeling lost
- and craving a place to put all the thoughts that wouldn’t fit inside me anymore
So I made one.
A small weekly corner where:
- tech made sense
- soft skills felt human
- news didn’t feel overwhelming
- and girlhood had a voice
Somewhere between Edition 1 and Edition 50, I went from:
trying to fit in → to building my own space.
The Arc No One Warns You About
Between April and now, I learned something I wasn’t expecting:
You don’t fit in by gossiping.
You don’t fit in by shrinking.
You fit in by being EXACTLY the nerd you are.
And that’s been the voice of Notes From a B. Tech Brain:
- curious
- observant
- emotional
- a little chaotic
- always honest
This newsletter didn’t just become a routine.
It became a place where I grew — as a student, as a woman, as a developer, as a writer.
The Projects Built Alongside the Pages
These 50 editions weren’t written alone.
Along the way, I built a life around them:
🧠 MERN Blog — Notes From a B. Tech Brain Website
A full-stack home for my writing. (although still in the making)
💝 SibsLove
My digital hug app — my most personal project ever.
🍉 Suika Lite
A physics game born from chaos and curiosity.
📊 Naive Bayes Sentiment Analysis
My first real ML pipeline.
🌐 HTML/CSS Blog Prototype
The earliest version of everything I’d build later.
These weren’t “extra achievements.”
They were footprints on the road to 50.
The LinkedIn Page: A New Home
This is the big reveal:
As of today…
Notes From a B. Tech Brain has its own
LinkedIn Page.
A separate space.
A real identity.
A publication beyond “Zainab’s posts.”
It means:
- new readers
- better discoverability
- a clean archive
- a brand of its own
- the beginning of Volume II
I didn’t rush it. I didn’t fake it.
I built toward it — post by post, thought by thought, edition by edition.
What 50 Taught Me
These aren’t lessons. These are realizations:
- Consistency isn’t discipline. It’s love.
- Nerdiness is not something to hide — it’s something to lead with.
- Writing is thinking.
- Coding is storytelling.
- Growth looks quiet, not glamorous.
- You can rebuild yourself in public without breaking.
- Your 19–20-year-old brain deserves to be remembered.
And most importantly:
Sometimes, you don’t find your place.
You create it.
What’s Next? (Volume II)
We step into:
- better storytelling
- deeper tech breakdowns
- honest girlhood essays
- finance clarity
- student life realism
- project diaries
- emotional intelligence
- and more digital art + doodle visuals
The next 50 won’t be about proving that I can show up.
They’ll be about proving what I can build.
Thank You
For reading me.
For showing up.
For letting me grow in public.
For letting a little handmade thumbnail become a publication.
And yes — for letting me become ME on the internet.
I carry that lightly, but I carry it with pride.
Here’s to Edition 50.
Here’s to Volume II.
Here’s to the next chapter.
🧠✨