This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Md. Mamun Islam
Introduction 
:
Two years ago, I was living my monotonous life. At that time I had no purpose in life. I was passing my life watching meme videos on YouTube. While watching meme videos, I found a video where Elon Musk was crying because the heroes of his childhood were against his idea about commercialised Rockets. His story seemed interesting to me. I did some research on him. I found out that he started his life as a software developer. The term software developer sounded great to me. So I had decided that I will learn about software development.
As an introvert, I don't like traditional schooling systems. I love learning in my home alone with full concentration. So I started self-learning about software development. In those two years, I have made many mistakes and learned from them. Now I'm sharing what I have learned from those mistakes. So you don't have to make the same mistake.
Pick your niche 
:
In software development, there are different roles to choose from. Find out what kind of developer you want to be. You have to choose from front-end, backend, AI, and much more. In my case, it was frontend web development. Your selection does not end there. Then you need to select the appropriate code stack for you. If any one of these words seems unfamiliar to you, don't hesitate to Google. Because from now on you have to google a lot.
Find online resources 
:
There are many resources available on the Internet for learning programming. You have to choose which one is right for you. YouTube, W3schools, and FreeCodeCamp are ideal platforms for beginners. & most importantly, as I mentioned before Google. Even senior developers have to google a lot. As a developer, you can't learn every single method. So if you stumble upon a problem, Google it.
Consider joining a programming community. It can be your school's computer science club or #techtwitter community on Twitter. Not only does it help to have your peers readily available for guidance and mentorship, you learn a lot about the industry from experienced developers.
Build projects 
:
Try building your own projects. There is a term called "tutorial hell" for those who only watch one tutorial and follow the mentors to write code & create the project.
Watch a tutorial, learn from it and try to build it yourself. Otherwise, you will find yourself in a "tutorial hell". If anyone had told me this before. Try to transform your own ideas into projects. Don't worry about creating a fancy project. Always remember you will grow as you go.
Networking and consistency 
:
Networking and continuity are important. Try to meet and talk with new people who share the same interests as you. And the best place to do it is on Twitter. If you want to be successful in this industry, you have to be consistent. You need to learn, create and network with new people every day. For consistency follow #100DaysOfCode.
Portfolio and soft skills 
:
When you think you have learned enough. Build a portfolio site and showcase your projects there. A good portfolio will boost your chance to find a client or get a job. It's very hard to get a job as a self-taught programmer. Try volunteering for non-profit organisations. It will help you to gain some real-world experience.
A developer in a workplace needs to communicate and collaborate with the team. So soft skills are the most important thing in the technology industry. Most developers are introverts, so they find it difficult. But remember, if you want to succeed in this industry, you must have soft skills.
Conclusion 
:
Self-learning is not easy. But you have to be consistent enough to do it every day. As the saying goes, "consistency is the key to success." If you find this blog valuable consider following me on Twitter and subscribing to my newsletter.
This blog was originally posted on DevMdMamun's blog.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Md. Mamun Islam
Md. Mamun Islam | Sciencx (2022-01-31T06:40:42+00:00) How To Become A Self-taught Programmer? Summary of my self-taught journey.. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2022/01/31/how-to-become-a-self-taught-programmer-summary-of-my-self-taught-journey/
Please log in to upload a file.
There are no updates yet.
Click the Upload button above to add an update.
Scoping in JavaScript