https://scriptblog.hashnode.devRSS for NodeFri, 11 Sep 2026 00:42:14 GMT60https://scriptblog.hashnode.dev/working-a-9-5-to-survive-while-trying-to-become-a-developer-on-the-side-without-a-degreehttps://scriptblog.hashnode.dev/working-a-9-5-to-survive-while-trying-to-become-a-developer-on-the-side-without-a-degreeSat, 07 Nov 2020 20:18:21 GMTLike most of you, I am an aspiring developer. Initially motivated by the curiosity of how mobile apps are created and wanting to build them myself. Never was I thinking about landing a job nor getting paid to program. As I began researching how to develop new apps I discovered a world full of opportunities and promising careers. Fast forward to now, I am currently trying to learn Javascript, and new technologies such as React JS and Node.js to land a full time job as a developer to first off learn the business and gain skills from the industry one simply cannot learn freelancing or on your own terms. Then, I will branch off after some experience into bigger aspirations. (or at least the vision of how things will go). Programming has really taught me the value off time. Never before did I look at the time and think to myself "I only have x amount of time to learn this or that", "today I only have exactly 5 hours to learn/study", "it should take me a week to finish this/that", and I am forever grateful for it. It is really depressing being at a job you hate knowing you can be at home learning and building projects for your resume and portfolio to fast forward opportunities. The worst is not even knowing if indeed you will ever even succeed breaking into the industry without a degree. However, the rush is also fun. It's like gambling, not with money, but with your time. You're investing a TON of time into learning a new skill but you will not know if in the end it will ever be worth it. However, I have the mindset that it must be done. No if's or and's . Life or death. My only advice that I can give to myself is to just keep pushing, learning, and to finish at least 3-4 amazing projects to show potential employers that I can hit the ground running on day 1. One thing I can advice to anyone reading this is to not just take off a project from an online tutorial and put it on your resume without fully understanding how everything was built. If somehow if lands you a job, in the long term it will bite you because once you are on the floor sooner or later it will show that you did not fully create the projects you showcased. Anyways, my goal is to start applying in January of 2021 if I am able to have 3-4 projects complete and had at least a month of leetcode practice in. Remember, if you are as well in the same boat as me, you must use all free time to learn, learn, and learn and in the end just hope it all pays off. Or at least let's tell ourselves we MUST make it payoff! Cheers! Happy coding!

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