When I first started learning to code, I didn’t even know what a “terminal” was. I thought JavaScript had something to do with coffee, and HTML sounded like something medical.
I had no tech degree, no prior experience, and not a single friend in the industry. What I did have was a sense that my job wasn’t going anywhere and a quiet, growing frustration with how stuck I felt.
Today, I’m building websites, contributing to open-source
projects, and even freelancing on the side. But the road here? Not smooth. Not
fast. And definitely not what I expected.
If you're wondering whether someone without a tech
background can learn to code—let me walk you through what it really looked like
for me, one line at a time.
The Decision to Start
It wasn’t some lightning-bolt moment. More like a slow burn.
I’d been working in customer service for years—answering
calls, managing complaints, juggling spreadsheets. It was honest work, but it
drained me. Every performance review ended with the same promise: “There’s room
to grow,” but the raise never came.
One day I came across a tweet:
“Learn to code. It changed my life.”
I didn’t even know what “coding” really entailed. I imagined
math, black screens, and tech bros in hoodies. None of that sounded like me.
But the idea stuck.
Later that week, I Googled, “How to learn to code for
beginners.” The results were overwhelming, but they all said the same thing:
start with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
So I did.
Overcoming the First Wall (aka Impostor Syndrome)
The first time I wrote <h1>Hello, World!</h1>, I
felt weirdly proud. Then I opened JavaScript and tried to write a function.
Nothing worked. I got frustrated. Closed my laptop. Told myself maybe this
wasn’t for me.
But something kept pulling me back.
What helped the most? Hearing other beginner stories.
Watching videos from people who looked and talked like regular folks—people who
didn’t grow up coding or take computer science classes.
Eventually, I realized: feeling like an impostor isn’t proof
that you’re unqualified. It’s proof that you’re doing something new.
The Tools That Helped Me Learn
I didn’t pay thousands for a bootcamp. At least, not in the
beginning.
Instead, I used what I had:
- FreeCodeCamp:
The best place I found for hands-on practice. Their curriculum was
structured, interactive, and didn’t assume I had a tech background.
- YouTube:
So many tutorials. I followed beginner-friendly creators who broke things
down clearly—people like Web Dev Simplified and Programming with Mosh.
- VS
Code: My first code editor. Intimidating at first, but once I learned
a few keyboard shortcuts, it started to feel like home.
- Discord
and Reddit: I joined beginner coding servers and subreddits like
r/learnprogramming. Sometimes just lurking gave me motivation to keep
going.
Most nights, I’d study for an hour or two after work. I
wasn’t always consistent. Life happened. But I kept coming back.
Project-Based Learning Changed Everything
Reading code didn’t stick for me. Watching videos was
helpful, but passive. What really helped me level up was building
things.
My first project was a to-do list. Then a weather app using
a free API. Then a landing page for my friend’s bakery.
They weren’t perfect. Some looked like they were built in
2005. But they worked. And with every project, I got better.
Building something from scratch taught me how to think like
a developer. Instead of memorizing syntax, I started understanding how to solve
problems. And that’s the real magic of coding—it teaches you how to break down
chaos into logic.
Hitting the Wall (Again and Again)
It wasn’t all forward momentum.
There were days where nothing worked. When bugs haunted me
for hours. When I copied code from Stack Overflow and still didn’t know why it
worked.
Once, I lost an entire project because I didn’t understand
how version control worked. Another time, I spent an entire weekend trying to
center a div. (I laugh now, but I nearly quit that weekend.)
I had to learn to live with frustration. To accept that
sometimes, it’s not you—it’s just hard.
That mindset shift made a huge difference:
“I’m stuck, therefore I’m learning.”
I started seeing every error as a teacher. Not a verdict.
Investing in Myself
After about six months of consistent learning, I hit a
plateau. I knew how to build things, but my code felt messy. I didn’t really
understand how things fit together.
That’s when I invested in my first paid course. It wasn’t
cheap, but it was structured, project-based, and went deeper into real-world
workflows—things like Git, APIs, and working with frameworks like React.
It filled in the gaps I didn’t even know I had.
I also started taking online freelance gigs. At first, I
helped people fix broken websites or add small features. Eventually, I was
building complete sites from scratch.
The money wasn’t huge at first, but it gave me
confidence—and it felt surreal to get paid for something I had taught myself.
The Emotional Side No One Talks About
Learning to code changed more than just my career options.
It changed me.
It taught me patience. Grit. Problem-solving.
It showed me that it’s okay to not know everything, as long
as you’re willing to figure things out.
But it also brought loneliness sometimes. There were days
where I wanted someone to sit next to me and say, “Yes, that’s normal. Keep
going.”
That’s why I always tell people: find a coding buddy or a
community. Even just one other person going through the same struggle makes
it less isolating.
Looking Back—and Forward
I’m not a “rockstar developer” or some coding genius.
I’m just someone who stuck with it.
Today, I freelance part-time while working a new full-time
job that’s completely tech-based—something I never thought possible when I was
sitting at my old desk wondering how to escape.
I still have moments where I feel behind. I still Google
things every day. But I’ve learned that being a good developer isn’t about
knowing everything—it’s about knowing how to find answers, how to keep
learning, and how to stay curious.
If You’re Just Starting Out…
Here’s what I’d say to you, wherever you are in the journey:
- You
don’t need a tech background. You need consistency.
- You
don’t have to be a math wizard. You just have to be willing.
- You
don’t need to understand everything right away. No one does.
Start small. Stay curious. Build messy projects. Google
shamelessly. Ask questions. Celebrate the little wins.
Learning to code is less about brilliance and more about
resilience. If you keep showing up—even when you feel dumb, even when you mess
up—you’ll make it through.
You’ll look back one day and realize you built something out
of nothing.
And there’s nothing more empowering than that.
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