How to be successful as a self taught developer
Tags: career, javascript, webdev, beginners
Published: 2021-09-02 13:58:13

The game has changed. You don't need a College or University Degree to be a developer anymore. I am not saying that you should drop out however if you are studying then continue to do so! But regardless of your results the road does not end after you have studied and picked up your qualifications. If you did not get good grades don't think that its over you can always teach yourself to code at home or in a bootcamp and still get yourself into the world of tech.

## Aspiring to be a developer

For those of you who don't come from a tech background this is going to be a brave new world! It is so easy to become completely overwhelmed with all of the content and information that is out there. I might have studied in University but my most recent and __BEST__ skills are self taught. If I can do it then anyone can.

The road to success is going to be long and bumpy but should you survive the ride (most do) then you will be on your way to a new career path.

## The Road to success 

The first thing that you should do is join the top platforms with the biggest developer followings.

### Programming

You will need GitHub account to upload your projects to and you should create an account on freeCodeCamp and join the [100 days of code challenge](https://www.100daysofcode.com/) so that you can create a timeline for your learning and also to keep yourself accountable.

[GitHub](https://github.com/)
[freeCodeCamp](https://www.freecodecamp.org/)

### Blogs

Blogging is extremely important it is not only a learning tool but it's a way for you to keep track of your progress as you develop. Plus if you are really lucky it could turn into a side hustle or passive income stream.

[Hashnode](https://hashnode.com/)
[DEV](https://dev.to/)
[Medium](https://medium.com/)

### Social Media

This one is non negotiable if you are serious about becoming a developer then you need to be using social media. This is how you are going to connect with other likeminded and aspiring developers like yourself. This will give you so much motivation and ensure that you never give up. There are thousands of developers on Twitter so you will never run out of content to consume or struggle to find developers who will mentor you.

Obviously you are going to need LinkedIn for finding work and connecting with recruiters and other developers.

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/)
[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com)

### Products

Once you have gained some confidence in your skills now is the time to create some products. Doing this will open up some passive income streams and as an added bonus your reputation will increases leading to more job opportunities and collaborations with other developers that you could never have imagined.

[ProductHunt](https://www.producthunt.com/)
[GumRoad](https://gumroad.com/)

## Final Thoughts

I really hope that you enjoyed reading this article and learned something from it. As a content creator and technical writer I am passionate about sharing my knowledge and helping other people reach their goals. Let's connect across social media you can find all of my social media profiles and blogs on [linktree](https://linktr.ee/andrewbaisden).

Peace ✌️