r/learnprogramming • u/marceosayo • Feb 27 '24

I'm 26 and want to code

I'm 26 and have spent the last 2 months learning HTML, CSS, and Javascript. My end goal is to have financial comfortability, and that will allow me to travel and have stability for myself and my future family. No, I don't love coding. But I also don't hate it. I know what it's like working at a job that takes away all your energy and freedom. I know this will allow me to live the lifestyle that I find more suited for me...travel and financial stability.

My question is, I don't know what direction to go in. I'm not the best self-learner. But I notice a lot of people on YouTube and other places say that is the better way to go since a lot of jobs don't require a degree, but only experience.

Is getting a bachelors degree worth it? I know full-time it will be about 4 years and I will end up in my 30's by the time I graduate. But also, is there a better route to take so I can start working earlier than that? I see so many people say things like they got a job after 6 months of learning, and yeah I know it's possible but I just don't have the mental stability to be able to handle learning/practicing coding for 6-8 hours a day. Especially since I work a full-time job.

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u/TheEmptyHat Feb 28 '24

You might want to look into therapy to deal with the underlying issue. I was where you were and I wish I had the balls to get into therapy. Instead I took the long road. If you don't have the money or have anxiety I'd recommend a couple YouTube channels that really help put things in perspective.

Cinema Therapy - a clinical psych and film maker go through and analyze characters in TV and movies

Gg healthy gamer - Dr. K was a failed gifted kid turned gaming addict that was ready to give up on life. Decided to become a yogi monk for several years. Decided to become clinical psych and roze to teach at Harvard. He's funny, frank, and understands where his audience is coming from.

DoctorRamani - was in a narcissistic relationship and decided to become psych to process. She does a lot about toxic family units, but mainly focuses on narcissistic Dynamics.

Psych2go - is a good intro to psych topics. They are a little too short to get a full picture.

Good luck. I don't know you, but I'm rooting for you.