About me

I'm Rehan, a Software Engineering student at the University of Management and Technology (UMT) in Lahore. I've recently completed my fourth semester and I'm currently on summer break.

I'm interested in building software and understanding how the pieces behind an application actually fit together. Right now, I'm particularly focused on PHP and Laravel, while continuing to build on the programming and development experience I've gained through previous projects.

I'm still learning, and that's something I want this portfolio to be honest about. Rather than presenting myself as an expert, I want this site to show what I've built, what I'm learning, and how my skills are developing over time.

My journey so far

I started with programming fundamentals through C++, object-oriented programming, data structures and algorithms. From there I worked with SQL and databases, which gave me a better understanding of how applications store and work with data.

One of my first larger practical projects was an inventory management application for a family business. I built it with Flutter and Dart, using Firebase and Firestore for the backend. The application handles inventory, categories, low-stock items, receipts and other day-to-day operations.

I also connected the inventory system with Google Sheets using Google Apps Script, allowing data to be synchronized between Firestore and a spreadsheet. That was one of my first experiences working with multiple systems and connecting them together.

I then moved more seriously into web development. I learned HTML, CSS and Tailwind CSS before moving into PHP, MySQL and PDO. Building smaller applications such as a Task Manager and a Student Management System helped me understand backend development and relational databases in more practical ways.

While building the Student Management System, I also started learning how to structure PHP applications properly using OOP, Composer, namespaces, PSR-4 autoloading, interfaces and the repository pattern. This gave me a foundation for understanding the ideas that Laravel builds on.

I've since completed the learning material of a Laracasts Laravel course. I'm now focusing on applying that knowledge through my own Laravel projects rather than only following tutorials.

How I like to learn

I learn best by building things. Once I understand the fundamentals of something, I prefer to use it in a project and run into the problems that come with actually building an application.

I also like understanding what is happening underneath the tools I use. Learning PHP before Laravel, for example, helped me understand why many of Laravel's conventions exist instead of treating the framework as a collection of things to memorize.

Not everything I build starts as a large project. Sometimes it starts as a small experiment or an idea that I want to try. Some of those experiments eventually turn into something more useful.

What I'm focused on now

My current focus is Laravel, PHP, MySQL and Tailwind CSS. I'm particularly interested in building complete applications and improving my understanding of application architecture, databases, authentication, authorization and CRUD systems.

I'm also learning more about how different parts of a modern web application fit together — from the frontend and backend to deployment and hosting.

The next step for me is to keep building larger, more realistic projects and gradually move from learning concepts to using them in applications that feel closer to production.