A Holiday Chat: My Tech Journey and a Nudge for Young Innovators

Hi LinkedIn Community,

As the festive spirit of Christmas weekend fills the air, I hope you're all set with your holiday preparations, especially the gifts for your loved ones. It's a great opportunity to include some educational items in those gifts, ones that can spark learning and curiosity throughout the upcoming year.

So, this week, I'm switching gears. Let’s sit back, relax a bit, and chat about something close to my heart. We'll jump back into our regular tech and business insights next week, promise!

? Navigating Through Rough Waters

Let me take you on a little flashback to when CircuitMess was just a ‘crazy idea’ in my head.?

My journey to creating CircuitMess wasn’t a straight path. It was filled with moments of doubt and frustration, especially during the creation of my first video game console, the "MakerBuino".?

There were days (and nights!) of coding, debugging, and just staring at a screen that wouldn’t light up. Talk about feeling bummed out and questioning if I had it in me.

This journey actually began when I was just 11 years old, diving into the world of electronics and robotics through technical culture communities in Croatia. It was here that I discovered my passion for tinkering and building. Fast forward three years, and what started strictly as a hobby began to take shape into something much bigger. I was already laying the groundwork for what would eventually evolve into a really cool educational device.

While my comfort zone was building PCs, my experience with a soldering iron was quite basic – it was limited to a few teenage hours assembling a Christmas present from Radio Shack. So, the journey of creating these early prototypes was nothing short of amazing.

I used to make PCBs (printed circuit boards) at home by printing a stencil on a sheet of paper. This stencil was then transferred to a copper board using a household iron. Submerging the board in a mixture of acid and peroxide would etch the correct areas onto it. After that, it involved carefully plugging in components and connecting them with wires using a soldering iron.

The real inspiration to elevate this project came in 2014, with the release of the Gamebuino via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. Aurélien Rodot’s GameBoy-style console, powered by Arduino, was designed to encourage coding and game creation. However, the console shipped fully assembled. I wanted to take this concept further to not only get kids coding but also excited about building their own handheld console, thereby exposing them to a broader spectrum of STEM disciplines.

In 2016, at the Maker Faire in Rome – an event sponsored by tech giants like Intel and Google – I was chosen as the official representative of Croatia. There, the MAKERBuino started receiving glowing regional press. It was a turning point, a moment where a hobby started transforming into a viable, exciting product that combined gaming with educational value.

?? Turning Failures into Stepping Stones

However, I learned that each failure was a hidden lesson, each challenge an opportunity to grow.?

The disappointment I felt only made my eventual successes even more exhilarating. When that console finally worked, it wasn’t just a ‘Eureka!’ moment; it felt like I had won a gold medal in the tech Olympics.

?? To the Young Dreamers Out There (and the Grown-Ups too!)

I’m sharing all this because I see a bit of my past self in the young tech enthusiasts out there, and maybe in some of you grown-ups too.?

Starting out in tech can be like navigating a maze, but remember, every wrong turn is a chance to learn and grow. And hey, we at CircuitMess are here to help guide you through. Our kits aren’t just about building stuff; they’re about building confidence, skills, and dreams. Curious? Explore our STEM subscriptions and start learning electronics - the cool way.

?? Your Role in Their Journey

Your support, encouragement, and belief in your children are crucial. You’re not just helping them put together a robot or a gadget; you’re helping them build resilience, creativity, and a love for learning that lasts a lifetime.

Looking Forward: Embracing Challenges with Open Arms

As we step into 2024, let’s gear up to tackle challenges head-on and turn them into awesome opportunities. We’re in this together – nurturing the next wave of creators and thinkers.

And with that, I wish you all a fantastic, STEM-filled Christmas! Enjoy the holidays, have fun, and let's keep making and learning. ??

-Albert