How I Learned to Code in 4 Months & Got a Job! (No CS Degree, No Bootcamp)
I found all the jobs that fit my parameters on sites like weworkremotely.com and remoteok.io. Instead of just applying to these jobs, I found the contact
information of the hiring managers and developers who worked at the company and messaged them to introduce myself. I explained what I had learned and what
I was looking for, and even included the link to my GitHub so they could see the products I had built. Most importantly, I offered to work for free.
I understand that not everyone can afford to work for free, but I had estimated that it would take me around four months to find a job anyways, and I had another
month of time that I could dedicate to learning. I knew that all I had to do was get my foot into a company, and I could learn and prove my worth over time to
leverage that into a real job.
Overall, I found around 22 jobs that fit my parameters. I received around six responses, and from those responses, I got four interviews. Out of the four
interviews, I ended up getting three legitimate job offers. Even though I had offered to work for free, the employers thought that I had enough skills at that point
to be worth hiring for a full-time job.
I ended up choosing the company with the best opportunity to learn and the best compensation package. My first salary was $50,000 per year, and after my
probationary period, I was making $65,000 per year. My benefits, like health and dental, also kicked in. But the biggest perk for me was that I got to work
remotely the entire time, as long as I worked in the U.S. time zone.
I'm not saying that you'll become an expert developer if you follow this plan. I'm just sharing what I did to learn just enough to land a job. Most of my progress
as a developer came on the job, through focused effort and persistence.
Now, I've been working in tech for over a decade, and let me be the first to tell you that nobody cares about your credentials. Learning how to code mainly
involves learning how to solve problems and persisting until you find the answer you're looking for.
I found all the jobs that fit my parameters on sites like weworkremotely.com and remoteok.io. Instead of just applying to these jobs, I found the contact
information of the hiring managers and developers who worked at the company and messaged them to introduce myself. I explained what I had learned and what
I was looking for, and even included the link to my GitHub so they could see the products I had built. Most importantly, I offered to work for free.
I understand that not everyone can afford to work for free, but I had estimated that it would take me around four months to find a job anyways, and I had another
month of time that I could dedicate to learning. I knew that all I had to do was get my foot into a company, and I could learn and prove my worth over time to
leverage that into a real job.
Overall, I found around 22 jobs that fit my parameters. I received around six responses, and from those responses, I got four interviews. Out of the four
interviews, I ended up getting three legitimate job offers. Even though I had offered to work for free, the employers thought that I had enough skills at that point
to be worth hiring for a full-time job.
I ended up choosing the company with the best opportunity to learn and the best compensation package. My first salary was $50,000 per year, and after my
probationary period, I was making $65,000 per year. My benefits, like health and dental, also kicked in. But the biggest perk for me was that I got to work
remotely the entire time, as long as I worked in the U.S. time zone.
I'm not saying that you'll become an expert developer if you follow this plan. I'm just sharing what I did to learn just enough to land a job. Most of my progress
as a developer came on the job, through focused effort and persistence.
Now, I've been working in tech for over a decade, and let me be the first to tell you that nobody cares about your credentials. Learning how to code mainly
involves learning how to solve problems and persisting until you find the answer you're looking for.
