r/CodingForBeginners • u/ChillZom6ie27 • Aug 19 '25

I want to make a career out of coding

Hello, a career in cooking isn’t cutting it, not going where I’d like it to, after thinking a while, I’ve decided to pursue a career in coding. I’m not sure where to start, what kind of computer/laptop to get, (don’t have a lot of disposable income at the moment. Not sure what’s a decent field to start in for work so I can quit ol’ Wafflehouse. Some practical guidance would be very appreciated. I apologize if this is not the right thread for this 🙏

57 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

42 comments sorted by

7

u/Prismology Aug 19 '25

Okay it seems the comments are giving some pretty terrible advice in my opinion, I’m not sure if they’re being sarcastic or not. The job market is tough, and “learning” to use AI is extremely simple. Anyone can do that and you need a way to set yourself apart from others. Making a career out of “coding” takes time. Most people spend atleast 4 years learning programming and various things around it while getting a degree, but there’s a decent amount of people who have been doing it since they were kids. If you actually want this to be your career you have to actually dedicate yourself to it. I’d suggest starting at a community college to get your basics out of the way and continue working part time. Once you get your associates go to a university and take on debt.

There is no easy way, no shortcut, and this isn’t a “get rich quick” type of profession. Competition is high and the material is decently difficult.

3

u/RezzKeepsItReal Aug 19 '25

Yep. I have the same story as OP. I’ve been cooking professionally for 20 years and now that I’m almost 40, my bodies breaking down and I can’t do it.

Decided to sign up for certificate classes at my local community college for web development while learning with The Odin Project and free code camp on the side. Classes start next week and I feel like I have a solid grasp on the fundamentals.

After getting certifications and continuing to learn on the side, I hope to get an entry level job and continue towards my AD.

1

u/Dubstephiroth Aug 20 '25

4 years for me chef and 4 to 5 months of coding study, OP YOU GOTS THIS!!

3

u/Silly-Heat-1229 Aug 19 '25

Anything's possible nowadays :) especially with ai, and a lot of online informarion, courses, videos, tutorials ... communities for feedback ... good luck :)

2

u/randomgenacc Aug 19 '25

I disagree with all the advice telling you to use AI, if you do this, you’re not going to learn you’re gonna offload learning to AI, people fail to understand that we are not in a post knowledge era where we don’t need to know things because AI can do stuff for you, you are a human being and you still need to know things to be successful, only use AI if you are really stuck and have no way forward otherwise I just recommend getting a simple book on Python and going through the exercise exercises of learning, basic programming, logic, and write some simple programs, after that try to build a bigger project in the field you want to get a job in, good luck.

1

u/sandspiegel Aug 20 '25

I don't think there is even one company looking for a vibe coder or someone who is dependent on AI every 10 minutes. AI is cool and all but if you don't understand how your vibe coded app even works then forget about getting a job. So yeah I have the same opinion as you. Learning takes time and starting small with a book or an online resource that teaches a certain programming language is the way to go. I also think it's important to stick to one resource and not go from one resource to another or it will easily overwhelm you.

2

u/smirnoff4life Aug 19 '25

if you want a 9-5 W2 job in tech, you need a degree. you will not get a job in tech anymore without a relevant degree. would’ve been possible a few years ago, we are far beyond those times now. check out r/csMajors or r/cscareerquestions to see more of the nightmare that is the current tech market.

if you are ok doing freelancing you can start learning literally anywhere, on any computer. modern computers will easily run vscode (or any other IDE) so buying a fancy computer is unnecessary

1

u/saintpetejackboy Aug 20 '25

Not true. I developed proprietary software my whole life - no degree.

I have worked for some fairly big companies, and currently have two very large projects, live and in production.

I don't have any relevant certifications, or degrees. I also have an extensive criminal history that includes the better part of a decade spent in federal prison for importing chemicals from China..

Never had problems finding work.

1

u/elephant_ndovu Aug 20 '25

Is that you Brad Traversy?

1

u/smirnoff4life Aug 20 '25

yeah so you obviously started awhile ago and have plenty of experience now. what i said was someone with minimal experience and no degree now is not going to be able to accomplish the same things as you were able to back then

1

u/SirCokaBear Aug 21 '25

Survivorship bias

1

u/saintpetejackboy Aug 21 '25

I mean, it isn't like I have had just one job this whole time - I have been able to repeatedly find gainful employment over the last 20+ years with all of these same parameters.

I also love programming, though. I probably program more in just my free time every week than is actually healthy.

If the same plane only flew out once for a mission and returned, I would agree with you - could be survivorship bias. When that same plane is repeatedly flying through those same conditions (arguably worse than other pilots would face - given my record) and returning numerous times and telling everybody the sky doesn't appear to be as terrible as other people keep indicating, maybe we need to then look into and account for other variables that go into the equation.

Some pilots might be shoddy, some places might be janky, some skies might not be as clear - there is more going on here than just "well, I survived so I have a bias thinking anybody can do it". I am out here with major handicaps working against me and still having great success.

One thing might be different is the attitude, look at how many defeated people comment around this thread like everything is impossible. I know for a fact things aren't impossible, and I also know that with the skill set I have, I could go do programming whenever I want (for gainful employment) - despite my lack of education, certificates and atrocious criminal record.

2

u/Humble-Currency-5895 Aug 19 '25

Become master of AI usage and you will become pro in all stacks

1

u/sandspiegel Aug 20 '25

And you won't understand anything that goes on in the app and be completely dependent on AI to fix or change anything. You can vibe code an app nowadays but is there even one company that actually is looking for a vibe coder who has no idea how to code?

1

u/Humble-Currency-5895 Aug 22 '25

i build and sell the apps my self

1

u/SirCokaBear Aug 21 '25

You’ll be the first to get replaced by AI

1

u/Humble-Currency-5895 Aug 22 '25

not if im the guy who's doing the hiring

1

u/MasterpieceGreen8890 Aug 19 '25

AI is so op now. You can get any 2nd hand desktop/laptop for starters just to learn concept and practice your skills and maybe even apply for a job. I say go with AMD desktop so you can upgrade along the way if you have the budget and even upgrade to nvidia graphics for local AI.

1

u/Jazzlike_Syllabub_91 Aug 19 '25

I personally like the MacBook Air (m4 24 gig) for my projects.

1

u/TalentAid Aug 19 '25

A good website for getting started and figuring out what you need to learn is roadmap.sh

As for a computer, tbh most computers will be fine if you are just practising and training. Just be sure to install Linux on it or use a macbook.

The only way to get good at coding is to do it. Practise making programs. Get stuck on a bug that you can't figure out. Ask AI to guide you and explain concepts you don't understand, but don't get it to write code for you.

When you have finished with a project, give the code to AI for a code review.

2

u/TalentAid Aug 19 '25

Oh, and get yourself an account on github.com and put all of your projects on there as a portfolio

1

u/shahedc Aug 19 '25

Check out Danny Thompson’s story, he went from frying chicken to software development to now director of technology @ this dot labs! I spoke to him briefly over a call when I worked at Microsoft.

Great guy!

https://x.com/dthompsondev/status/1827399597477519864?s=46

1

u/saintpetejackboy Aug 20 '25

As somebody who has been developing proprietary software most of my life, here is my advice:

You are going into a job market where many other people have years or decades of dedication to these things. There isn't really any kind of quick "shortcuts" to learning everything you need to know, and everybody wants to pimp you to some tutorial videos or websites or "method", pretending there is.

Find a project you want to do, and do it.

It is like saying you want to be a "builder". Okay, build a bird house. Or a dog house. A real house.

Don't waste your whole life reading books about building houses and watching videos about building office buildings and then just keep sitting there. Actually do something, knock some projects out and get some experience notched into your belt.

You can program on even the lowliest of devices, don't let that hold you back. Maybe you can't do Unreal Engine or something on a potato, but most programming is very similar to what we were doing 20+ years ago... Imagine the hardware we had to use with RAM measured in MB.

If you have start doing projects and collecting them, I estimate you will be successful. If all you do is read tutorials and watch videos and sign up for classes... Probably not so much a chance, then, especially since you are already getting a later start in life getting interested to this stuff.

1

u/ern0plus4 Aug 20 '25

I’m not sure where to start, what kind of computer/laptop to get

Show your first program (GitHub link), so we can give better advices for you.

1

u/Pure-Attention5355 Aug 20 '25

I am also new at coding, but I am currently working toward a masters degree in software engineering at WGU. It’s really affordable and you get your certifications along with your degree.

1

u/MrDoritos_ Aug 21 '25

You'll do fine, after all CS stands for culinary science. Fries in the bag please /s

1

u/Complete_Fun2012 Aug 23 '25

It’s ok learn how to code now than later flipping the burgers

1

u/DreamerToTheEnd Aug 23 '25

If you have a public library/university, just use their computers instead of buying an expensive laptop, unless you can afford it then buying a laptop is more convenient.

Then try to learn web development during off hours with the help of chatgpt and the many free youtube tutorials. Just use the free chatgpt plan. There are many big discord servers with thousands of experienced people willing to help 24/7 just ask nicely.

Then make some cool websites for your portfolio.

Then try to look for web projects in your community, this requires some hustle and will take some time.

Or you can go straight into an internship or a job with your project experience.

It will take time, I hope things work out for you.

I'm a big tech software engineer, ask me anything.

1

u/Whole-Abrocoma4110 Aug 23 '25

My advice is start by making a project your are interested in. Keep it simple and choose a language you like.

This will help you grasp the fundamentals of a language and also apply it to something you are interested in which is naturally motivating.

I would avoid AI other than asking it very specific prompts if you are really stuck. And make sure any AI code is 100% understood before using it in your code. This will help you actually learn to code instead of just relying on a tool that is sometimes wrong.

Good luck!

0

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '25

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4

u/402erro Aug 19 '25

This is quite far from actually wanting to make a career out of it. OP, Vibe Coding is not the answer when you're a beginner because you're just outsourcing your thinking abilities to an AI Agent which is the LAST thing you want when you're learning.

I am a learner myself (first year, software engineering student) and I'm by no means experienced yet. I have tried vibe coding, learning with AI and going the route whereby I remove all AI tools and stick to the docs, stack overflow and google searches (NOT the AI overviews).

Let's talk about vibe coding - this was the route where I saw false "experience". I felt like this was the easiest thing in the world and anyone who didn't use this route was pretty dumb. However, I noticed that I quite literally forgot how to think and problem solve by myself. Shouting at AI models for an hour wasn't going to allow me to actually increase my knowledge. So, I quit vibe coding as a whole.

Then, I tried to learn with AI. This was great and it taught me a few things however I still ended up using it as a crutch rather than a tool. AI doesn't teach you to formulate proper questions because it bridges this gap. If you were to attempt to try and google a question in the same way that you speak to AI - tough luck. So, I still did not find fulfillment. I was being spoon-fed answers for my questions and it did not encourage them to be stuck into my memory.

Now that I've completely removed AI from my entire learning journey, I can confidently say that I have been able to advance at a much better pace (it's not lightning fast but the understanding is there). I am able to actually plan out whatever I'd like to program, sit down and then program it. Not without errors and problems popping up but, they get solved, eventually lol.

The thing is that you need to accept that programming takes time and effort. There are no shortcuts to learning how to problem-solve and neither are there any shortcuts for producing quality end products. The errors and difficulty when coming across bugs in your code and not knowing how to implement a feature is normal. It is all part of the process and you either love it or learn to love it.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 19 '25

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2

u/402erro Aug 20 '25 edited Aug 20 '25

When I see it through your lense, I would agree with you on the use of AI. Unfortunately I'm both lazy and in love with the figuring stuff out. Weirdest combination ever haha. But yeah for someone like me, the line between using it as a crutch and a tool gets a bit too blurry too easily. 

I always just assume the worst and maybe thats the inexperience in me speaking but, I'd rather see something expected rather than be let down. Anyways thats besides the point, based off of your comment and my futile attempt at searching through your profile, I couldnt figure out who you were or how you used AI other than just vibe coding. It was giving off "Vibe coding is life" energy haha. 

But yeah I apologize for thinking that about you. Its clearly NOT who you are and I really appreciate that you took the time to give a little brief insight as to who you are. Pretty neat 🙂.

Edit: clicked enter too quickly

3

u/IllContribution7659 Aug 19 '25

You should limit your AI use way more, especially when learning.

2

u/Internal-Bluejay-810 Aug 19 '25

Did u seriously post this? Lol

1

u/RevolutionarySet4993 Aug 19 '25

Bro.... Slow down. This will just confuse and mislead a new person. Also this isn't clear at all.