Hello, world!
Here I come again after a few months since I posted last time which is when I promised I will post in a few days… Well, what can I say? Sorry! Life has been super duper busy for me. But let’s leave that for some other post.
So, last night I was chilling on YouTube after a long hard working day and I saw some people in the comment sections complaining, or well, saying that learning programming is not as easy as before and I was like “WTF!?”. It is easier than ever before! You have so many resources available now with documentation being bigger than ever as well! So I’ve looked around online and I’ve realized that even those people who learn to code after a few years find it hard to find a job. So here I am writing about my personal recommendation for all those newcomers. I hope I will be able to answer some vital questions and manage to help you guys and I hope you will stay in the IT world. It sucks, but you will love it!
Which Languages Should I Start With?
Definitely, the most frequently asked question I’ve heard from beginners. If you are a complete beginner I would definitely recommend you start with web languages. Start with HTML, proceed to CSS and then get some time to properly get yourself familiar with JavaScript (JS). Once you get a grasp of that, choosing the framework that you like is easy (React, Vue, Angular) and finding a job is even easier with that experience. You will hear this from every experienced coder when you ask him where and how to start. Sounds boring right? I couldn’t agree more with you! But don’t run away yet! I’ve got something for you. Some people like to learn from books, some from videos, it’s really a personal preference but when it comes to programming you will have to read a lot either way.
I had a friend once who was acting like a douche over me pretending to be all smart and all laughing at me to mistaking the author of a book I’ve never heard telling me “dude you never read, it runs in your family” which felt like an insult at that moment but he will never be aware of how many books and references you need to read in order to maintain your coding skills so the joke is on him.
Anyways, let me introduce you to Free Code Camp. It’s amazing and in my opinion the best learning platform when it comes to development. Period. Many will recommend a skillshare or udemy(the best course on Udemy is definitely this), treehouse, etc… But nothing comes close to Free Code Camp. You start from zero, learning slowly through all the development steps while continuously developing real-world projects that you can use for your portfolio later. You also link your GitHub account in order to have your code there and learn about algorithms and job interviews. It’s amazing, I never heard anyone coming all the way till the end of the learning course and not finding a job. Most of the people there find a job after a few months only, so don’t wait, go make a profile and start coding!
How can I Earn More?
Another very interesting question. This depends on your preference when it comes to working. After you learn some languages and create a stunning portfolio you have a few options. You either start your own business, start freelancing or simply go and find a job in an IT company. Each of these options has some cons and pros. Let’s start from the beginning.
Starting your own business today is not that hard. You can use your previous knowledge to create something you will enjoy maintaining or bring your crazy ideas to life finally. I would suggest you start small. Maybe make a blog, YouTube, blog, learning website, or simply your website like I made this one. Read about SEO, marketing, Social Influencing, etc… Follow the brands, be a pioneer, and embrace new technology. It’s very good timing to get yourself into crypto development and include your business in it as well. Many people are doing it, but this might not be the case in 10 years or so. The main point is to start something small and see how everything works before going big. Make sure you have enough support to succeed but don’t be afraid to fail. I am talking about moral support from your loved ones. I had issues, people around me, and my girlfriend especially couldn’t stand me coding day and night, it was hard balancing normal life habits but we managed in the end. Also, make sure you are financially stable. Maybe do some freelancing to survive while working on your business. Don’t go and do a daily job, because that way you will never learn well enough. It’s possible but it will take you longer than it should. You gotta be a hustler, don’t be afraid to move to your parents. Remember, this might create a bright future for you and your loved ones if you do it right. And as I said, if you fail, don’t be depressed. Failure is a success if we learn from it. Remember that.
Freelancing can be sweet at first. You can work from anywhere, travel, and live your dreams while working on something you enjoy working on. It’s perfect, isn’t it? Well, it’s not! When you are freelancing you are your lawyer, banker, broker, boss, etc… You gotta take care of everything, and I mean everything! Also, you will be dealing with ignorant clients who will have the freedom to tease you and make an idiot of you just because they have the power to give you a negative rating if you are not in the mood. I would avoid this if I were you. Also, all those platforms where you go to find a job will take you around 20% of your hard-earned money. Then you pay taxes as well and some fees for transactions and you end up having 50% of your earned money left right? Not to mention competing with third-world countries where people code for as low as a few cents per hour. You can get a website for 5$ nowadays. Not a good one thou but still… There are also many bots on those websites who are spamming fake jobs to make them look full and active. Very tiresome process, so try to avoid it. Also, you can end up being overbooked due to revision rules on those job platforms.
Finding work in IT is a good option since all you have to care about is coding. IT companies are usually very well equipped and tend to find the most creative ways to inspire coders that work for them. You will have things like free transport/company car/fuel, free meals, PlayStations/Xbox consoles to chill with colleagues, libraries, gyms, and many more… This sounds cool, I know but it is a big huge TRAP. How come you might ask yourself? Well, spending a few million for big companies to make coders feel like staying longer at work is abnormally profitable in the long run, and companies know this. There is also another big cons when it comes to working for someone else. Yes, you will have an awesome job, at the best location in the city with a huge salary and be amazed by your new rich life but don’t forget to ask yourself “Why did I start coding?”. If it was just because you can end up in companies like the ones described above then fine, congratulations, you’ve made it. The real coder’s nature is different though… you end up working on the same project or product using the same languages etc which means you stop progressing. You stop learning. Your self-development slows down. Many people hate to admit this. So even if you find a job in companies like those, make sure you leave after 3 – 5 years. Leave your comfort zone and keep learning! Remember why you are into programming!
Which Payment Provider Should I Use?
This is the question I get from freelancers mostly. Eh… This mostly depends on your location, to be honest… I would recommend you go with PayPal, Payoneer, and Crypto.
PayPal is used worldwide. It is very well implemented everywhere online and fees are not that high. The disadvantage comes when you earn more than a few thousand monthly. You will have to go with a business account and raise your limits. Also, your money is not your money until you see it in your bank account. You can work for someone, get paid a few thousand for a long project, and then that someone can dispute that transaction very easily and you can stay without money or even worse, a huge debt. I would recommend using PayPal only with a job-finding platform since that platform has some ways of preventing this from happening.
Payoneer used to be very good in the past. Reliable, stable and trusted. Now they are being hit by some regulations so it might be a pain to use their services sometimes. You get a free credit card with a Payoneer account thou which you can use everywhere in the world which is awesome! For all the clients who don’t have PayPal or anything similar, you can use Payoneer to send a simple payment request to their email and get paid easily. The client will just enter credit card info and pay you like he would buy anything in a normal shop. You will also have to go through the very tiresome identity verification but I think it might be worth your efforts.
Crypto is known for anonymity, security and speed. Therefore I would say this is the best choice. It becomes more and more known and used by all kinds of people in the world. Accepting payments in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum(ETH) and other currencies is easy. Just find and download the crypto wallet of your choice, make a wallet, and send the address to the client. I recommend using Edge. When someone pays you in crypto it takes only a few seconds, costs only a few cents and that’s all you have to care about. You can exchange your crypto into your desired currency online on Local Bitcoins or some other local exchanges in your country. Just google it I am sure you will find a way. Bitcoin is legal everywhere so you don’t risk anything. If you don’t find any way feel free to contact me I will be more than happy to help you or buy bitcoins from you.
Which Operating System Should I Use?
You know, at this point in my life and experience, I would say, use whichever you are comfortable with but you need to know that using Linux will teach you some other vital skills that you will find useful later in your life (i promise). Linux is widely used by big companies, especially online. I know it doesn’t look like that but is a very popular and established operating system. If you are not sure which edition of Linux you should start with, I would just recommend you go with Ubuntu as your first Linux. If you really can’t stand Linux, then just go with another Unix-based operating system (macOS). Also, MacBooks and iMacs have amazing workflows and are famous for good build quality, batteries, and displays. Everything just works on Mac as many would say it. I hate Apple’s politics but I use their products. For example, if you would want to work on and develop iOs apps, you will have to do it on macOS, there is no way around it. Windows has a solution for everything but it can be buggy and also, it supports games that can be distracting, especially if you love gaming as I do.
I think those are the few main questions being asked online when it comes to programming. There are of course thousands more but I don’t want to make this post THAT long. Altho I will be free to answer them so feel free to send a question through this website’s form or on any social networks. I prefer Twitter.
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