From a difficult start to professional independence
I’m Huzaifa Muhammad Ishaq, 33, based in Pakistan. My formal education is intermediate, and my practical education is the web itself. My journey started in 2017 with a tough lesson: I commissioned a website and lost money to a dishonest freelancer. It was frustrating—but it sparked a decision to learn everything I needed to build reliable products myself.
During the early pandemic, I enrolled in serious web-development courses focused on PHP, WordPress/WooCommerce, and MySQL. A dedicated mentor drilled the fundamentals of data modeling, performance and clean architecture. I wasn’t studying for a certificate; I was studying to build working systems. Soon after, I shipped my own store, Kitab Farosh (Online Book Store), on WordPress—cataloging, payments, and order management all configured by me.
As the store grew, I interviewed multiple so-called developers. Many couldn’t pass a practical test. One even made my site worse. This pushed me deeper into engineering: Divi for design systems, React and React Native for UIs, and then custom plugin development for workflows the off-the-shelf stack couldn’t handle.
The turning point was a large WordPress plugin for a publishing workflow: managing paper issues, title printing, binding, and stock updates—end-to-end. I implemented custom post types, state machines, role-based access, logs, and PDF slips. Accuracy went up, approvals became traceable, and the team gained a clear operational picture. By 2025, I formed Softerize Online with a simple principle: ship fast, keep it honest, and write code that stays healthy long after delivery.
Today I’m a hands-on engineer specializing in WordPress/WooCommerce, custom PHP/MySQL, and React/React Native. My focus is durability: Core Web Vitals-first performance, clean APIs, and maintainable architectures that reflect real business rules. I’ve seen what breaks; I build what lasts.
