Laravel as a Lifeline: The Artisan of the Day Is Dana Mirafzal.
For Dana Mirafzal, Laravel has been a steady companion through school, work, and big life changes. His journey began in Iran, in middle school, when he first picked up PHP around 2016. Just a few weeks later, he discovered Laravel 5.4. The framework felt magical, even if his early side projects were, in his words, “the most non-secure things ever.”
In Iran, web development options were limited. HTML, CSS, and maybe Bootstrap were the standard entry points, followed quickly by PHP since it was free and open source. For Dana, Laravel opened new doors, but he eventually had to pause coding to focus on a grueling university entrance exam, a national test that determined his academic future.
Laravel as a Bridge Between Study and Career
Fast forward to 2022: Dana moved to the Netherlands to study data science. Finances were tight, so he worked tough winter shifts delivering food. Then, one day on campus, he noticed a posting for a junior Laravel developer. That moment, he recalls, “was one of the best of my entire study.”
Dana landed the job, and Laravel was back in his life, this time in its modern, evolved form with Laravel 10. Features like authentication were worlds apart from what he remembered in 2016. Instead of feeling lost, he found himself more productive than ever.
The part-time role made it possible for Dana to stay afloat financially while balancing the heavy demands of university. “I don’t think I could have pulled this off without Laravel,” he says. The flexibility of remote work and the vibrant community carried him through his studies.
A few weeks ago, he graduated. And this September, Dana begins his first full-time role as a Laravel developer.
Gratitude to the Community
Dana credits the framework and its ecosystem for making this trajectory possible. A special shout-out goes to Jeffrey Way, whose Laracasts lessons made Laravel approachable and fun during those early years.
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