Starting! Advice and help appreciated

1

Hi! My name is Stacie and I have had to start my life over and start from scratch. I need a job where I can work anywhere and make enough money to support myself. I need a career. I am just starting the process today. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!!

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First, a note on the time needed. If you need money soon, programming should not be your first plan, learning takes time, aquiring skills take time, getting a job or freelance commissions take time.

If you have a way to support yourself in the meanwhile, then it can work, but you need to be stable for months if not years.

Then, one common pitfalls is restarting from the beginning again and again. Instead choose one roadmap, it can be freeCodeCamp curriculum or anything else, but instead of restarting when you find an harder part and you get stuck, work on that, find other sources, ask for help, don’t go back to easier parts (unless you notice you really need to check on those again for you did not understand them fully).

And then, keep making progress toward the end of that roadmap. If on the road you find yourself doing your own projects, that’s great, that’s practice, that’s the way to apply the skills you learn to real projects.

Also, start networking, join online or in person communities where you can meet other people that are already working in the field. Offer value, be known, it’s possible you will find opportunities through these connections.

3

Don’t compare yourself to others–especially youtube videos or articles that have headlines like “Former Janitor now Head Google Developer in 6 months.” This stuff is unrealistic and only happens to a very small percentage of people.

Find a path and stick with it, but if you find your learning path going somewhere else (like let’s say you’re in the middle of finishing Javascript but then you found yourself wanting to do React) then go for it! You don’t need to finish certifications at all to get a job. I love the way FCC made their route because to me it makes the most sense. So, I suggest starting with FCC’s full stack track.