From a Simple Blog to E-commerce Dreams: the “Scope Creep” Whirlpool…

I’m a few days deep into building my final project for the coding course; a *really* straightforward blog with some simple extra features. Or at least, that was the plan. But then, as soon as my fingers hit the keyboard the excitement builds; Dynamic pricing! What if the first 20 items of a product were free, and the next hundred increased in price? Could I automate that? And wouldn’t it be cool if...?

Fast forward to the end of the day, staring at my screen, knowing I hadn’t hit commit for way too long, cause nothing was working, there were bits that depended on other bits that were as yet undefined, and I started to feel like I was drowning in a tangle of “cool” features with a side of “mini-meltdown”. 

I was caught in the whirlpool of “scope creep,” a new term I learned that perfectly captures what happens when a project’s requirements expand beyond its original goals. It’s like ordering a small pizza and ending up with a three-course meal, a dessert platter, and a piano player in the corner. Fun, but overwhelming!

I had a chat with my cohort leader, who showed me some mind-blowing tricks I could integrate into my project. I don’t think he realized that I’m never short on ideas—I’m a walking brainstorm! His suggestions were incredible, and even though we talked about how he had to learn to reign his ideas in and really commit to the planning stage, and I agreed, but somehow his project inspired me to think bigger and really see how my simple site had all the hallmarks and potential of becoming an actual full-on e-commerce site, something I really didn’t envision when I started.

I’ve been pondering on a question he asked me; did I see myself as a creative person? I hesitated because I’ve never really identified as one. I’m no graphic designer, and genuinely rely on google to let me know what colours and contrasts work together. But lately, I’ve been thinking about how coding is helping me solve problems creatively. It’s not just about making things look pretty or adding fancy features; it’s more about thinking, “Can we automate that?” and finding solutions to make life easier for others, solving real world problems.

I’m starting to see that creativity and problem-solving are two sides of the same coin. Whether it’s a messy code base or a real-world issue, creativity helps us find new ways to tackle challenges. It’s about taking something that’s broken or complex and finding a way to make it work—sometimes even better than before.

You all know I’m on the rollercoaster, and I’ve had to really rein myself in, moving a lot of “cool ideas” to the “Future Features” list. (Yes, it’s a very long list!) I’m learning to balance ambition with realism, understanding that just because I can add a feature doesn’t mean I should—at least, not right now.

What’s most exciting, though, is that I’m realizing this coding journey is just the beginning. I’ve always loved helping people, and now I have a whole new skill set to do it in a different way. Whether it’s automating processes, building tools, or creating platforms, I’m finding new ways to make a positive impact.

I’m still figuring it all out, but I’m starting to see the big picture: coding is more than just a technical skill—it’s a way to turn creativity into reality and solve problems that matter. And that’s a pretty exciting place to be.