I'm a Technical Lead Front-end Engineer. In my time off I like gardening, woodworking, and spending lots of time with my kids. I'm also addicted to side-projects.
To add to this, I would say the most important thing is to thoroughly learn the basics.
This doesn't mean you have to have a CS degree, or to learn everything before diving in, but you should definitely have a programme of learning alongside your projects that includes: a low level language (e.g. C++), systems design, a database language (SQL), algorithms.
The concepts you learn at this stage will stay with you for your entire career and are your rock solid foundation.
To add to this, I would say the most important thing is to thoroughly learn the basics.
This doesn't mean you have to have a CS degree, or to learn everything before diving in, but you should definitely have a programme of learning alongside your projects that includes: a low level language (e.g. C++), systems design, a database language (SQL), algorithms.
The concepts you learn at this stage will stay with you for your entire career and are your rock solid foundation.
💯