“Sitting in a Madrid café, coffee in hand, laptop humming as rain patters outside. Soon, I’ll walk into my first day as a front-end developer. Just 10 months ago, I was an English teacher in Granada, code illiterate. Now, this. How did it happen?”
These were my thoughts a few months back, buzzing with excitement on my first day in a new career. Let me share my journey with you – how I navigated a Career Change Coding to become a front-end developer.
Dispelling the Myth of the “Coding Gene” for a Career Change
When I first considered a career change coding, I devoured articles like this one, yet with a grain of doubt. I’d search for some hidden advantage in the author’s background, something that made them uniquely “cut out” for coding – something I lacked.
I’ve since learned this is a misconception. There’s no secret ingredient for becoming a developer. It’s not a walk in the park, but the requirements are accessible to everyone. What you truly need is a willingness to learn, consistent effort, and resilience. You need to push through moments of self-doubt, those whispers telling you you’re not good enough. That’s the real formula, and anyone can cultivate these qualities with practice.
I started this journey with no tech background, zero budget for expensive bootcamps, a full-time job consuming my days, and the looming milestone of middle age. Everyone’s circumstances are unique, but I discovered that with determination, a career change coding is within reach.
My Untraditional Background Before My Coding Career Change
On day one of my coding journey, I was a complete novice. My professional past was a patchwork: early years in the restaurant industry, a degree in Music Technology, and a decade teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Spain. I wasn’t even particularly tech-savvy, though I was always intrigued by new tech and saw programmers as modern-day problem-solvers.
The idea of becoming a developer myself? It never crossed my mind. Coding, in my view, was an exclusive club for the exceptionally gifted, those who graduated from elite universities. While those individuals exist, the vast majority of developers aren’t the Hollywood hacker stereotype. The world of development is far more inclusive than I ever imagined, making a career change coding a real possibility for many.
The Spark for a Coding Career Change: An Origin Story
My career change coding story began with an engaging conversation with my partner. She was researching the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields, particularly tech. Driven to be part of the solution and a role model, especially for younger girls in our family, she decided to learn to code herself. And just like that, her coding journey started.
Her enthusiasm was contagious. We soon realized the wealth of accessible learning resources. Coding wasn’t some arcane art but a learnable skill.
Spoiler alert: she successfully transitioned her career from HR and actually landed a developer job a month before I did!
One day, we stumbled upon a children’s coding book at a science museum. Back home, we opened Notepad, typed <h1>Hello World</h1>, opened it in a browser, and then, changed “World” to red using inline styles. We were ecstatic! It felt like magic!
I was instantly hooked. I wanted to build things with code, to command computers!
From Satisfied Teacher to Aspiring Developer: Why the Career Change?
At that point, I had eight fulfilling years as a teacher. This isn’t a tale of escaping a dreadful job. I genuinely loved teaching, enjoyed working with kids, and felt comfortable in my role. It was rewarding and fun.
Yet, even when you love something, you sometimes know it’s time for a change. I was entering a new phase of life with fresh perspectives and ambitions. Above all, I craved a new challenge, something to push me far beyond my comfort zone. This desire for growth fueled my career change coding.
Debunking the Myth of “One True Path” in a Coding Career Change
The idea of a single, guaranteed route to success in a career change coding is simply untrue. Three of us – my partner, a close friend, and myself – started learning to code around the same time with the goal of career transition. All three of us are now working as developers, and our learning paths were vastly different. Each of us gravitated towards methods and resources that resonated personally. If there’s a common thread, it’s unwavering persistence. We all dedicated significant effort and refused to quit.
So, instead of a mythical “one true path,” let me share my path. It’s not the only way, nor necessarily the best, but it’s what worked for me in my career change coding journey.
Getting Started with Coding: Initial Exploration
My initial steps in this career change coding were exploratory. I started by reading articles and watching YouTube videos about programming to get a lay of the land. Then, I dove into HTML and CSS, following tutorials and coding along to build basic web pages. This hands-on experience solidified my interest and showed me I genuinely wanted to pursue this path.
Setting Clear Objectives for My Coding Career Change
Seeking direction, I reached out to two friends working in development for advice. Their early encouragement and guidance were crucial in focusing my efforts and setting a clear, achievable goal for my career change coding.
It took time to sift through options and set realistic objectives that aligned with my circumstances. I needed a relatively quick career transition as I relied on my existing income. Maintaining my teaching job while learning was essential until I could make the switch.
I decided front-end development was the most accessible and in-demand specialization for my career change coding. I further narrowed my focus to the skills needed for a startup environment rather than freelance work.
Then, I set a firm deadline. I didn’t want this goal to become another item on a never-ending to-do list. It was spring 2017, and I resolved that the upcoming academic year would be my last as a teacher. By September 2018, just over a year later, I aimed to be employed in the tech industry, marking the success of my career change coding.
It would be disingenuous to say I had everything perfectly planned and felt completely confident. Doubt was a constant companion throughout this risky career change coding. Certainty isn’t a luxury you have during such a significant shift. However, persistence was my anchor. Once I committed, I was determined to see where this path led, regardless of the obstacles.
Immersive Learning: The Core of My Coding Career Change
I knew dedicated study was the only way to realize my career change coding. With full-time employment, waiting for “free time” was not an option. Learning had to happen alongside work, or not at all. I was fortunate that my partner was on a similar learning journey. We structured our days to maximize study time. Initially, we established “weekend bootcamps,” dedicating entire weekends to coding. A typical day looked like this:
8:00 am: Wake up, breakfast.
8:30 am: Start coding
12:30 pm: Gym break
1:30 pm: Lunch and rest
3:00/4:00 pm: Resume coding
8:00/11:00 pm: End for the day
Summer vacation arrived, and I intensified my efforts, transforming “weekend bootcamps” into “daily bootcamps.” I rigorously followed this schedule, resisting the summer temptations to relax.
September brought the return to work. I made a conscious choice to reduce my working hours, accepting a lower income for more study time. This was another step solidifying my commitment to my career change coding.
It’s hard to convey how challenging it was to be away from code. All I wanted was to be back at my computer, solving problems and refining layouts. But reality intervened. The start of a school year is always demanding for teachers, requiring significant preparation and organization, often spilling into personal time.
This period presented a potential derailment point for my mission. Despite my best intentions, coding time dwindled. Momentum waned. I tried to maintain consistency, but some days simply lacked the hours. Even with strong motivation, life can complicate even the most determined career change coding plans.
My GitHub activity dip in October, reflecting the challenge of balancing work and learning during my career change coding journey.
However, as my GitHub activity image shows, I persevered. I kept putting in time, even if just an hour, even if it was just reading articles. I did everything to avoid losing complete momentum. Prolonged breaks make restarting increasingly difficult.
As December approached, with the new year and my deadline looming, I refocused and reorganized. I pushed through, dedicating hours despite fatigue and time constraints. Sometimes I coded early mornings, sometimes late nights.
My life essentially narrowed to my income-generating job and studying. Little else. This rhythm continued until spring 2018, months before my deadline, when I began preparing to move to Madrid, marking a significant step in my career change coding.
Essential Tools and Resources for a Coding Career Change
Throughout the 10 months leading to my job offer, I immersed myself in all things code. The most frequent question I receive on Twitter is about my learning resources. I detailed this in another article, but here’s a concise list of key tools and resources for anyone considering a career change coding.
Key Learning Platforms and Courses
- freeCodeCamp.org: A comprehensive, free platform for learning web development.
- Udemy Courses by Cassidy Williams and Colt Steele: Affordable, in-depth courses covering various web development topics.
- Wes Bos’ JavaScript 30 and other courses: Practical, project-based learning, especially for JavaScript.
- YouTube Channels: Traversy Media, LevelUpTuts: Free video tutorials on a wide range of web development technologies.
- Christina Truong’s Lynda.com courses (now LinkedIn Learning): Structured learning paths covering various tech skills.
- Udacity Front-End Nanodegree: A paid, more structured program (I received a Google scholarship).
Courses are foundational, but I supplemented them with tools for continuous learning and job readiness for my career change coding.
- Twitter: A vital support network, particularly the #100DaysOfCode community.
- GitHub: Essential for version control, collaboration, and showcasing projects. Crucial for building a portfolio visible to potential employers.
- Portfolio: Building a personal portfolio website was the most effective way to solidify skills and demonstrate practical abilities for my career change coding.
You can also explore My Learning Tracker GitHub repository for a complete list of resources and learning paths I used during those initial ten months of my career change coding.
Landing a Job: The Culmination of My Career Change Coding
Surprisingly, the job search phase was not overly daunting. I didn’t mass-apply or spend endless hours job hunting. Instead, I focused on selective, targeted applications for my career change coding.
Ultimately, I went through five interview processes. I was rejected by one company and didn’t complete the take-home challenge for another. I completed three processes and received offers from all three. One offer was clearly unsuitable. The other two, arriving almost simultaneously, were both very appealing. One of these became my current role, marking the successful end of my career change coding.
I don’t want to sound casual about this; it was an intense period. I was still unsure if my skills were truly employable. I entered interviews uncertain if my limited experience would be a disadvantage. It was nerve-wracking, but also exhilarating and hopeful. Receiving two excellent job offers was incredibly validating and almost unbelievable after my career change coding journey.
I’ll always be grateful to those who made hiring decisions and gave me a chance.
The interview processes at the two companies differed significantly. One involved a series of video calls with various team members at a smaller, established company looking to build a new front-end team. After several weeks, they extended my first formal offer.
The other was with a rapidly growing startup. After a phone interview, I received a technical challenge involving building a component, making API calls, and displaying data. This was followed by a video call to discuss my code. Then, I was invited for an informal meeting with the tech team to assess team fit. Following this, I received an offer to join as a junior front-end developer, solidifying my career change coding success.
In the end, I had a choice – an incredible position to be in. I chose the startup, based primarily on their clear emphasis on mentorship and guidance for growth. This proved to be the right decision for my career change coding.
And so, on that rainy Madrid day, coffee finished, I walked into an office, introduced myself as the new front-end developer, and began my new career chapter, a testament to the power of a well-executed career change coding.
I hope you found my story inspiring. If you did, please consider sharing it so others contemplating a career change coding can see it’s possible. I plan to write more about this journey, so if you have specific aspects you’d like to know more about, let me know on Twitter @Syknapse.
Read my article detailing all the resources I used to land this job.
