Tech is the new money. Tech changed my life. Tech can be learnt with a guaranteed job under three months. Tech gives you freedom of time.
Those are the various half baked truth sold to new comers (muggles) to convince them to go into tech. As a junior developer, many people continue to go in circles in their first month trying to decrypt different concepts and patterns completely strange to them.
A major issue with many people now is that they got convinced through the media so there is no personal guide to hold their hands. As a new developer, you need a personal guide to direct you on the correct steps in other to do anything meaningful otherwise you will be stuck in tutorial land.
I remember when I first started with Javascript, I was otherwise a bit familiar with HTML and CSS but coming to JS, I read a book of about 900 pages studying different concepts. In fact, I could tell you what I learnt if woken from a deep sleep but it came time to implement and I became blank. Why? Funny thing, I was scared of writing code just so I don't get an error but for goodness' sake, how do you get a result without putting input? I started playing with console.log() then I was able to inject text with innerHTML(). It worked like magic because gradually, I started working on different things including the almighty function and return statement.
Before I continue, here is a schema, "for you to understand anything, you have to work everything you have learned to make it stick."
Another issue is how to get money.
First of all, I feel that before you transition a person into tech, direct such person on how to get passive source of income while learning in other to maintain body, spirit and soul. I got into tech after quitting my job calculating my risks with the hope that I could land a job within three months. Oops! I just fell into brokeland, and slowly, I blew out my savings on data subscriptions and other bills which just made me frustrated at this point. When you can no longer foot your bills, you get frustrated at this point because NOBODY will understand what you do except staring at a computer screen for hours on end wasting away time. Your family members start nagging and comparing you to friends working and how they are going to be able to purchase their first cars before you. You may act bold and all but don't lie, this gets to you and hurt you deeply. I have faced this a lot and remember how I sometimes cold email companies to grant job offers even without compensations as long as I can foot transportation bills and leave home everyday.
Market is hostile to newcomers
I don't know if this is as a result of overcrowding but the barrier to entry is just ridiculous. I was first directed to take freelance gigs which I did but on signing up and setting my price, I put my price to $20 to at least get a first client, could have set it lower on upwork but I guess their terms were not allowing it at that point, bidded for entry level, intermediate and what not, but couldn't find anything. I guess people want to see testimonies first and I get it. No one wants to waste their money but even after posting projects, could not get anything. Then coming to the jobs, phew! you don't just get any and when you get, they require you to know things that even full stacks just learnt. I get it, you are looking for value but these things just take time to learn, I cannot create an algorithm that creates youtube websites on clicking a button that says 'create youtube template websites'. I need time and mentoring but it is what it is. As the saying goes, 'grow or die' so I keep growing till I can get that job and say 'I made it, time not wasted'. Till then, 'e go be'.
I created this post for everyone out there especially the new developers to tell them that they are not alone'. Kindly subscribe to my blog, I will be posting new contents for learning and if possible, job opportunities to help people. Feel free to get across to me anytime.
Top comments (2)
Hey, fellow Nigerian here. As someone who's just decided to dive into programming (I'm taking two online courses on python), and tech in general, reading through your story feels like I'm taking a sneak peek at my future. 😅
But that said, it also motivates me, as it reaffirms my belief, that everything I'm going through, other people are, and have. We just have to keep grinding. Wetin go be, go be. ✌️
Wishing you the very best of luck in all your future endeavours.
Thank you. I wish you the best