“I’m sitting in a café in the heart of Madrid, enjoying a coffee, tapping away on my laptop as the rain falls outside. Shortly, I’ll head to my first day as a front-end developer. Just 10 months ago, I was an English teacher in Granada, completely new to programming. Now, here I am. How did this transformation happen?”
These were the words I excitedly typed a few months ago, as I prepared for my first day in a new career. Join me as I recount my journey of transitioning into front-end development.
Debunking the “Special” Myth in Coding Careers
When I first considered Coding As A New Career path, I would read articles like this with a degree of skepticism. I would search for that hidden “special ingredient” in the writer’s background, something that made them uniquely suited for a tech job – something I felt I lacked.
I’ve since learned that this isn’t the reality. There are no “special” prerequisites to becoming a developer. I won’t sugarcoat it; it’s not effortless. However, the encouraging news is that the essential requirements are accessible to everyone. It boils down to hard work, consistent learning, and persistence. You need to be prepared to push through challenges and overcome moments of self-doubt. That’s truly the essence of it, and with dedication, anyone can cultivate these qualities.
My starting point was a blank slate in terms of relevant experience. I didn’t have funds for expensive coding bootcamps, my schedule was already packed with a full-time job, and I was approaching middle age. Everyone’s circumstances are unique, but my journey proves that with a focused mindset, a career change to coding is achievable.
My Background Before Coding: From Music to ESL
Before writing my first line of code, I had zero programming experience. My career began in the restaurant industry. Later, I earned a degree in Music Technology, followed by a decade teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Spain. I wasn’t even particularly tech-savvy, though I was always fascinated by new technological advancements and viewed programmers as modern-day problem solvers.
However, pursuing coding myself seemed out of reach. I believed it was an exclusive field, reserved for gifted individuals from elite universities. While such individuals exist, the majority of developers are not the stereotypical “Hollywood hacker” type. Software development is far more attainable than I initially imagined.
The Origin Story: Inspired by a Partner’s STEM Journey
My journey into coding started with an engaging conversation with my partner. She was researching the reasons behind the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields, particularly in technology. Driven to make a difference, she decided to learn programming herself, aiming to be a role model for younger girls in our family. And just like that, she embarked on her coding journey.
Her initiative sparked my own interest as we discovered the wealth of available learning resources. Coding wasn’t some arcane art; it was a skill we could learn and master.
Spoiler alert: she successfully transitioned from HR and secured a developer job a month before I did.
One day, in a science museum, we stumbled upon a children’s book about programming. Back home, we opened Notepad, typed <h1>Hello World</h1>, opened it in a browser, and then changed the color to red. We were amazed! It felt like magic!
I was hooked. I wanted to create with code, to command computers to perform actions!
My Previous Job: Loving Teaching but Seeking New Challenges
For eight years, I had been working with children. This isn’t a typical story of escaping a dreaded job. I genuinely enjoyed teaching, loved working with kids, and felt comfortable in my workplace. It was fulfilling and enjoyable.
However, sometimes even when you love something, you sense it’s time for a change. I was entering a new phase of life with a fresh perspective and new aspirations. Above all, I craved a new challenge, something that would push me far beyond my comfort zone and into a new career direction.
Dispelling the Myth of the “One True Path” to a Coding Career
There’s no single guaranteed route to success in coding. Three of us started learning to code around the same time with the goal of career change: my partner, a close friend, and myself. All three of us now work in the tech field, and our learning approaches were quite different. Each of us found materials and methods that resonated personally. If there’s a common thread, it’s that none of us gave up. We all invested significant hard work and persistence.
Instead of presenting a singular “true path”, I’ll share my personal journey. It’s not the only way, nor necessarily the best, but it’s what worked for me in making coding a new career.
Getting Started with Coding
Initially, I immersed myself in reading articles and watching YouTube videos about programming to understand where to begin. Then I started experimenting with HTML and CSS. I followed online tutorials and coded along to build basic web pages. This hands-on experience solidified my desire to pursue this career change seriously.
Setting a Clear Objective for a Career Change
I reached out to two friends working in development for advice and guidance. Their early encouragement and insights were crucial in getting me started and focusing my efforts on a clear goal.
It took time to evaluate the various options and set realistic objectives that aligned with my needs. I needed a relatively quick career transition as I had no alternative income and needed to maintain my teaching job until I could switch to coding.
I decided that front-end development was the most accessible and in-demand field for a career change. I narrowed my focus further to the skills needed for a startup environment rather than freelancing.
Then, I set a firm deadline. I didn’t want this goal to become another item on a perpetually postponed to-do list. It was spring 2017, and I resolved that the upcoming school year would be my last as a teacher. By September 2018, just over a year later, I aimed to be employed in a development role.
It would be disingenuous to claim I had everything perfectly planned and controlled at this stage. I didn’t. Certainty is a luxury you often can’t afford when making a significant career change. Doubts arose frequently throughout the process. The critical factor was persistence. Once I made the decision, I committed to following this path to its end, regardless of the obstacles.
The Learning Process: Immersion and Persistence
I knew that dedicated study was the only way forward for this career change. With a full-time job, waiting for “free time” wasn’t an option. I had to learn while working, or not at all. I was fortunate that my partner was also learning to code simultaneously. This allowed us to structure our days to maximize study time. Initially, we established “weekend bootcamps,” dedicating entire weekends to coding. A typical day during these bootcamps looked like this:
8:00 am: Wake up, breakfast.
8:30 am: Start coding
12:30 pm: Gym
1:30 pm: Lunch and break
3:00/4:00 pm: Continue coding
8:00/11:00 pm: End for the day
When summer vacation arrived, I maximized my learning by transforming the “weekend bootcamp” into a “daily bootcamp.” I diligently adhered to this schedule, resisting the temptation to relax and enjoy the summer break.
September marked my return to work. I made a conscious decision to reduce my working hours, accepting a lower income in exchange for more study time. This was another step to solidify my commitment to this career transition.
It’s difficult to convey how frustrating it was to be away from coding during work hours. All I wanted was to be back at my computer, solving problems and refining layouts. But daily life intervenes. The start of a school year is always demanding, requiring significant preparation and organization, consuming considerable personal time for teachers.
This was a critical point where my mission could have derailed. Despite my best efforts, coding time dwindled. I started losing momentum. I tried to maintain consistency, but some days, time simply wasn’t available. Even with strong motivation, life can complicate things.
My GitHub activity reflecting a dip in October
However, as my GitHub activity graph shows, I persevered. I continued to dedicate time, even if just an hour, even if it was just reading articles. I did everything possible to avoid losing all motivation. The longer you stay away from learning, the harder it becomes to resume.
As December approached, the looming new year and my approaching deadline spurred me to reorganize and refocus. I pushed forward, dedicating hours regardless of fatigue or limited time. Sometimes I coded early mornings, sometimes late nights.
This meant my life essentially revolved around my income-generating job and studying, with little else. I maintained this rhythm until I started packing for my move to Madrid in spring 2018, several months ahead of my deadline.
Essential Tools and Resources for a Coding Career Change
During the 10 months leading up to my job offer, I completely immersed myself in the world of code. The most frequent question I receive on Twitter is about the resources I used. I’ve detailed this in another article. However, here’s a concise list of key tools and resources:
Online Coding Courses
- freeCodeCamp.org (Free, comprehensive web development curriculum)
- Udemy courses by Cassidy Williams and Colt Steele (Affordable, focused courses)
- Wes Bos’ JavaScript 30 and other courses (Specialized JavaScript training)
- YouTube channels like Traversy Media, LevelUpTuts (Free tutorials and guides)
- Christina Truong’s Lynda.com courses (Professional, structured learning)
- Udacity Front-End Nanodegree (Paid, intensive program, scholarship-based access)
Courses are a great starting point, but I supplemented them with other tools to enhance my learning and job prospects.
- Twitter: A vital part of my journey, especially the supportive #100DaysOfCode community for motivation and networking.
- GitHub: Essential for version control, collaboration, and showcasing projects. Employers frequently review GitHub profiles to assess candidates’ work.
- Portfolio: Building a personal portfolio website and other self-directed projects was crucial for developing practical skills and demonstrating my abilities.
You can also explore My Learning Tracker GitHub repository for a complete list of resources and learning paths I used during my initial ten months of learning to code.
Landing a Job in a New Career: Focus and Selectivity
Surprisingly, the job search phase wasn’t overly complicated for me. I didn’t send out countless resumes or spend excessive hours job hunting. Instead, I chose a selective and focused approach.
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 interview processes and received job offers from all three. One offer was significantly less appealing. The other two, arriving almost simultaneously, were both very attractive. One of these became my current job.
I don’t want to sound casual about this; it was an intense period. I was still uncertain if my skills were truly job-ready. I entered interviews unsure if my limited experience would be a disadvantage. It was nerve-wracking, but also exciting and filled with hope. When I finally had two solid job offers, I was ecstatic and almost in disbelief.
I will always be deeply grateful to the individuals who made those hiring decisions and gave me a chance to start my coding career.
The interview process varied significantly between the two companies. One involved a series of video calls with various team members at a small, established company building a new front-end development team. After a few weeks of discussions, they extended my first job offer.
The other was a rapidly growing startup. After a phone interview, I received a technical challenge to complete within a few days. This involved building a component, making API calls, and displaying data correctly. This was followed by a video call to discuss my code. Then, I was invited to meet the tech team in person to see if we were a good cultural fit. Following this, I received an offer to join as a junior front-end developer.
In the end, I had the fortunate problem of choosing between offers. I selected the startup based on one primary factor: their clear emphasis on mentorship and providing guidance for growth and learning. That was crucial. And it was definitely the right decision for my coding career.
And so, on that rainy day in Madrid, after my coffee, I walked into an office in the business district, introduced myself as the new front-end developer, and began my new career path.
I hope you found my story inspiring. If you did, please give it some claps and share it so others can see that a coding career change is possible for them too. I plan to write more about this journey, so if there are specific aspects you’d like to learn more about, let me know on Twitter @Syknapse.
Read my article detailing all the resources I used to get this job.
