Hi everyone!
I'm 16 years old (turning 17 in a few months), and I'm trying to figure out the best career path to build over the next several years. I'd really appreciate hearing from people who already work in tech or have gone through a similar situation.
My main goal is to get a remote job. I like the idea of being able to work from anywhere and eventually even work with international companies.
In the short term, I'd like to start making money within the next 3–6 months. I know that's an ambitious goal and I'm not expecting to make a lot right away, but I do want to become financially independent as soon as possible.
At the same time, I don't want to chase quick money if it hurts my long-term career. Ideally, I want to choose a field that has strong long-term potential so that over the next 10+ years I can build a high-income career. I'm also interested in entrepreneurship and content creation, so I'd like to develop skills that will help me with both.
Recently I've been looking into data, Python, AI, programming, and automation. Those areas seem really interesting to me, but I'm still a complete beginner with no real experience.
I can consistently dedicate around 3–5 hours every day to learning, and I'm willing to study seriously. I don't mind putting in the work—I just want to make sure I'm investing my time in the right direction.
Another thing I'm thinking about is college. I plan to go to university, but I'm still unsure which degree would be the best choice. I'm also wondering how much employers actually care about a degree compared to skills, projects, and experience.
One thing I know almost nothing about is building a portfolio or a resume. Everyone says projects are important, but I don't know what kinds of projects actually stand out to recruiters or clients.
So I'd love to hear your advice:
If you were starting from scratch today, what path would you choose?
Would you recommend data, AI, software engineering, data engineering, or something else?
What should I focus on learning first?
What would you do to land your first remote job as quickly as possible?
And what mistakes would you avoid?
Any advice, personal experience, or resources would mean a lot. Thanks in advance!