Chapter 3: Breaking the Loop

Chapter 3: Breaking the Loop
Intro:

The world of tech was opening to Ethan—but with opportunity came pressure, setbacks, and a new kind of fear: the fear of not being enough.

Story:

The internship was both a dream and a test. The office in central Manchester buzzed with energy and intellect. Ethan, the youngest intern by years, was assigned to the UX team. While others discussed APIs and agile development, Ethan focused on user empathy—designing interfaces that felt human.

The senior developers were impressed. One even called him a “natural problem-solver.” Yet, deep inside, Ethan wrestled with imposter syndrome. He didn’t have a CS degree or elite school background. Sometimes, he hesitated to ask questions, fearing they’d reveal what he didn’t know.

Then came a pivotal moment. The team’s lead project—an accessibility upgrade for a major client—was stuck. Ethan spent three nights at home researching assistive technology. He came back with a fresh proposal: redesign the interface using voice navigation, larger contrast options, and predictive text input. They tested his idea. It worked. The client loved it.

That win gave him a renewed sense of purpose. He began planning his next big goal—university. He applied to the University of Edinburgh’s computer science program, backed by recommendation letters from his internship mentors and school head.

The acceptance email arrived on a chilly morning. He read it three times before shouting, “Mum! I’m in!”

A few months later, as he packed his things, he took a moment to open the old laptop. It was scratched and outdated, but it had started everything. He typed one last message on it:

Thank you for showing me the code of dreams.

Outro:

Years later, Ethan Bell became a leading advocate for inclusive tech, creating platforms used by millions. But he never forgot the boy in Manchester who built his future one line of code at a time.