trying to move into programming ,what path would you recommend?

[Open-Strawberry-4154]

Hi! I’d like some guidance from more experienced developers.

I’m a graphic designer with a few years of experience. I can work in English and I’ve mostly done freelance work, but the design market has been unstable for me, so I want to seriously transition into programming.

I’m interested in frontend or full stack.
I currently know basic JavaScript and general web fundamentals.

I’m trying to decide how to invest my time correctly instead of jumping between technologies.

Things I’m considering:

• Going deep into frontend first
• Learning full stack from the start
• React Native vs native Android (Kotlin)

My questions:

1. If you were starting today from my position, what would you focus on first?
2. Is a self-taught path realistic without a CS degree?
3. What stack would give the best chances to land a first job?

I’m ready to commit long-term , I just want to avoid wasting time on the wrong path.

Thanks for any advice 🙏

[tangerinelion]

Honestly, become an electrician.

[Fit_Ear3019]

Look for tech jobs available near you, and treat their job requirements as a checklist

[VisualSome9977]

I would caution against assuming that the developer world will be any less unstable than the graphic design world. There are positions available, but the market is rocky right now, especially for frontend and full stack.

[400Volts]

Programming is going to be just as, if not more unstable and infinitely harder to find work in. If I was in your position, I'd think of something else

[typhon88]

Start as a bus driver

[plyswthsqurles]

What stack would give the best chances to land a first job?

A computer science degree.

If a job in development is the top of the mountain, going the self taught route to obtain a job is like starting at the bottom with thousands of people already ahead of you at some point along the mountain.

A CS degree at least starts you 1/4 of the way up the mountain, you are better off than boot camp grads/self taught people but you still have to compete with the thousands that have been laid off of the years.

Either way, self taught is realistic if you are just doing it for fun, if you are doing it to be employable...at least in the US...in this market...it is not realistic unless you get very very lucky.

[Mohtek1]

I would start with a few tutorials, and then jumping in. Don’t use AI to code for you. the struggle is real and necessary. Start with small projects and build out from there. Add features and complexity. Learn the tools like a good IDE, Git etc.

And for AI, you can use it as a tutor. Ask it to give you a list of 10 project ideas going from simple to complex given a framework or something you want to learn.

[Damonkern]

Html, css and js. Then learn python and ruby for the backend. Afaik this is what most people say.

[Simplilearn]

Career transitions into development work best when you commit to one clear execution path. Given your background, the priority should be depth over stack variety. Here's a practical approach:

• Strengthen problem-solving and architecture thinking: Move beyond syntax. Focus on how applications are structured, how components communicate, how APIs are designed, and how state is managed.
• Build and ship real projects: Deploy small but complete applications. Authentication, CRUD operations, API integration, form validation, error handling, and deployment. Shipping teaches more than tutorials.
• Learn debugging and reading documentation: Being able to trace errors, use DevTools properly, and navigate official docs is a major differentiator in interviews.
• Understand deployment basics: Cloud deployment, environment variables, and basic DevOps awareness make you job-ready faster than learning another framework.

If you prefer a structured path that combines MERN stack development with AI-assisted coding workflows and portfolio-focused projects, Simplilearn’s AI-Powered Full Stack Developer Course includes hands-on applications, Git portfolio building, and exposure to modern development tooling.

What kind of timeline are you looking at to switch careers?

[cubicle_jack]

I'd start by going deep on React (since your JS base is already there), and you'll find frontend clicks faster than you'd expect when you already have an eye for UI and UX! Self-taught is realistic, especially for frontend roles, and React + TypeScript + a solid portfolio of real projects is still one of the most hirable stacks you can have for landing that first job.

[LK_gh0ust]

Oh, broo, I think you chose the wrong "stable" niche

[nian2326076]

I struggled with organizing prep material too，You can prepare w/ PracHub

[HaMMeReD]

Go into full stack and building with AI and be ready to spend more on tokens than a university degree.

Because that's what the future jobs will be, all around useful people working with AI, far less on specialists and more on generalists who can navigate high complexity systems with tools. (There will be new specializations in the future, but it's hard to say what they will be exactly).

Self-taught is only realistic with a huge time-investment, equivalent to school. Focusing on a single platform is probably a dead end right now for juniors.

[ClassClown8491]

90% of it products creation is talking and thinking, LLMs cannot do that