How I Started Coding Seriously😲

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Yeah, 2020 was a hard year for almost everyone, some people lost their jobs, and some people left us. But yeah, I utilized that year very well, and thanks to COVID for giving me a break from everything!

How Everything Started!

I was less aware of YouTube, that it has a ton of excellent videos, so I started watching an NPTEL, an IIT course.

I loved the course throughout, and the slang of the tutor, Mr. Sudharshan Iyer, was pretty good and easy to follow. I was doing nothing, just watching the videos, and life was good!

The Second stage

Just like everyone else, I started checking out YouTube channels, and believe me, if you don't know what you are doing, you will just watch “How to code” videos for months, maybe a year.

You will see videos like this and feel like you can learn everything in 10 minutes. Respect for the creators, Our mindset is like this, we tend to choose the easiest path, and eventually, it is the worst path.

The recognition stage

I understand that watching these kinds of videos doesn't help you with anything. I understand that we should focus on a particular skill rather than learning pieces of stuff in general.

I started to focus on JavaScript and decided to look more into JavaScript. So I searched for “Learn JavaScript”!

Can you guess which one I chose? If you are right, I chose the Clever Programmers video, and it went well. I totally watched the video and thought of myself as a JavaScript developer. I was only a good listener and not a good doer.

I couldn't do anything alone, I always needed a tutorial by my side for a project. It was miserable, and I almost gave up!

Why I didn't give up

I know I have learned something, but I am confused about how I can make money with what I learned! I somehow heard about Upwork and started applying for jobs there. Somebody contacted me about creating an educational website, it was pretty simple.

That was the best thing that ever happened to me. I made money sitting in front of my computer. This time I was serious about coding. I referred to many articles, blogs, and videos to understand a clear-cut path and decided on web development as my career.

What did web development do to me?

When we search web development, the most popular term that appears is React JS.

And I was interested in React due to its hype. I watched tutorial after tutorial and made the same mistake. But this time, I realized right away that I was in "tutorial hell."

But I decided to work on various projects based on tutorials and made several clones of various websites, like Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. I made it, and now I am fully confident in doing projects.

Now it's time to make some money!

How I made money

I often posted my project screenshots on Whatsapp, and someone asked me to do a website for them, which I did.

I got around $100 for that, and I was feeling like I was already a millionaire. After that, I had many other opportunities, ranging from $100 to $750. I was super happy to make a good amount of money.

I got clients from referrals, Fiverr, and Upwork and collectively made around $3k in the last four months of 2021. After that, I saw people making money from social media as influencers or creators.

I tried to be a creator!

How has my Creator Journey helped me?

I began creating content on Instagram, but I was barely getting any interactions, so I soon stopped creating content on Instagram!

I then decided to go for YouTube and failed again!

I thought this creator journey would never go well for me, and I almost stopped being a creator. But Twitter opened me to a world of opportunities.

How I started on Twitter

Twitter was once my least favorite social media platform, and I barely ever used it. But now Twitter is what I use most of the time. I started from zero and built an audience of 2000 developers on Twitter; it was a massive door-breaking opportunity for me.

Believe me, having a social media presence really give you an edge over others. Twitter opened many ways to make income. I did paid promotions, and the top client was a $120 client. I got several technical writing opportunities, have so far written around 12+ paid articles, and made around $2000 within 3 months of that.

I do get a lot of freelancing opportunities, and what else.

All this is because I never quit and started working. I don't know everything, but I’m open to learning and have a mindset that knowledge gives you power.

Credit

So if you are a newbie starting out your coding career, here is something I wish someone told me when I was starting out:

1. It is difficult at the beginning but eventually, you will follow the pace.
2. Having a strong portfolio or an online presence can help you reach anywhere.
3. Don't be a Jack of all trades, master of none. In fact, follow this, Learning everything about something and something about everything.
4. Yes, you can make a good amount of money from tech only if you are willing to spend some to learn. First, you will learn then you remove the “L”

Wrapping it up!

Thanks for reaching this far, you are a fantastic reader!

To be straight, this is my life experience. So far, my first two years in technology have gone well. Don't be misled by people who say your age, race, sex, and height matter in tech. If you have the willingness to learn, you can absolutely do it.

Thanks again & happy learning!

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