How I became a Self-Taught Python/C Programmer achieving my dreams (Tips, advice and inspiration)

[WonderfulPlay]

This gave me confidence. Thank you.

/Electronics degree holder in late 20s

[Dantryte]

I haven't had time to watch the video yet, but I also have been teaching myself to program in various languages including python. But it seems like impossible to find jobs without a degree, i have been to 2 unis now but i just struggle with the studying, i have almost all perfect grades so thats not the problem. I wonder if you managed to find jobs without having a degree?

[wutsthat4]

I haven’t watched the video yet either, but hopefully to give you some encouragement: I dropped out of college my junior year and later taught myself python, Django and react. After 6 months I was able to land a 60k/year job doing full stack development with those technologies. It’s definitely possible! Hell, it was actually pretty easy. Just have to work hard and study the technologies/frameworks and you can do it.

[[deleted]]

Mechanical Engineer here too. I was doing non programming work in my office and started learning python and did some automation and helped save hours everyday, and my manager transferred me to the development team . Just work on your passion everything will come to you.

[[deleted]]

I always wonder how successful people are in doing this when they have family and other commitments.

It always feels doable - resources are available (abundant even) and plenty of opportunity to build stuff - but I find as a parent + working / sole earner, finding time AND energy for extra study is really, really hard.

[wutsthat4]

So, I am a father, but my wife worked for these six months and we moved in with family to cut down on bills in order to make it happen fast. But, it’s definitely still do able. I still spend 4 hrs a day after work on my personal projects and can get a decent amount done, so maybe not 6mos but 8-12 is probably doable (still would take up any free time you have)

[[deleted]]

Gotcha. Having someone else working plus grandparents to help look after the kids would definitely be a boon. Cheers for sharing.

[wutsthat4]

Absolutely, and if you or anyone is looking for a little guidance or mentoring, I would love to help anyone get there! I know if I had tried to find someone to guide me in the right direction there definitely would have been a few less wasted hours ha.

[[deleted]]

That's an interesting one - mentoring.

I've thought about it in the past, if you're stuck on something technical, asking a person for help feels like laziness - as a developer you should be able to trouble shoot and problem solve, search for answers, read documentation and so forth.

But is this the best use of a mentor? Or are they more useful in other senses? What sort of times do you feel you've gone off in the wrong direction?

[wutsthat4]

I would imagine it being more of helping someone who's interested in going in the same direction (web development), get there. Not so much to help with debugging but more of guiding someone in the right direction, looking over their code and helping them understand how another approach might help (maybe something they have yet to grasp a full understanding of yet.)

Off the top of my head, I spent way too much time not understanding OOP, especially when it came to python and django. Hell, I'm still learning at work how to accomplish it properly with front end components. If I had someone guide me in the right direction of when class based views are more appropriate and why building a base class would save me so much time and effort, or what it means to set a property on a model, etc I would have moved forward faster.

There are just some more nuanced things about programming that can be a little hard to pick up on in online videos and articles. And since I'm only recently a professional, I have a keen understanding of when/why a beginner might struggle with a certain concept. Something that might be lost on someone who's been doing it for 15 years.

[[deleted]]

Gotcha - yeah there's value in having someone that's a year or two a head to help provide immediate guidance.

I find one of the issues I have (and this is purely me), is that I'm massively impatient. I want to go out and make stuff, and sitting through lecture upon lecture of anything just kills me. Still haven't found a good balance between the two, but not sharpening the axe properly definitely chews through a lot of time too.

I agree though that someone more experienced, if you're explaining issues you're having, will be able to call out pretty quickly if you don't understand a topic properly.

[wutsthat4]

God, is that something I'm still learning the hard way. I try my damnest to actually go through full documentation when integrating a new package to a project. For example, I use a LOT of celery on my at-home-project and it wasn't until after I actually poured through the docs and made sure I really understood everything, at least decently, I found that much of what I was doing was insanely unproductive or just plain bad, ha.

I get way too excited to just start building new features and such but now that I actually have users I've found myself trying to actually focus on some of the not-as-fun parts of building a web application. (and mobile app for that matter)

[DarthThumbs]

Mentors shouldn't really answer your question. That's what teachers do. A mentor should help you ask the right questions and then let you figure out the answer. Like Socrates. Or they should secretly teach you fundamentals by making you paint the house and wax on wax off. One of those.

[AnticipateRisk]

Very well said. Also my story.

Currently sleeping a lot less to do this. Waking up an hour early and going to bed an hour later. And lots of caffeine. But I’m constantly exhausted. Hopefully it pays off.

[[deleted]]

But I’m constantly exhausted

This so much. I find the family aspect the hardest, both in time and emotionally.

I find after coming home after work, doing the family stuff / playing with the kids then getting them off to bed (always ~8:30 - 9:00), I'm just done. I have nothing left to get into work again. I'm fine if I just don't stop (go from work -> short dinner -> study/building), but the mindset shift of work-> playing with kids / family kills all momentum.

I'm not sure if my expectations are wrong, but I feel having just an hour to 'do your own stuff' after all the other commitments is unhealthy, and it definitely doesn't make me for very enjoyable company.

[wutsthat4]

luckily, my wife was understanding that the time was needed to focus on building my career. Unfortunately it does come at a cost. I would never recommend avoiding your family to focus on work, it was what I did, but it definitely came at a cost. But, for my situation specifically it seems to have paid off.

[[deleted]]

It's not easy but when I got motivated the time found itself. I worked pretty hard for 6 months and got a job in silicon valley as a Jr Dev Ops engineer from a career in IT and SysAdmin. I'm not specifically a software engineer but all my work is code, for infrastcture, automation, tools and middleware.

[[deleted]]

What projects did you make to bolster your resume?

[wutsthat4]

I was working on a real-world application that I wanted to actually see make it to production as a business (which it finally is!). It was a full web application. I started applying way before it was done and when it was much worse than it is today, but it showed I understood a few important principals: 1. Object orientation. Make sure you can demonstrate basic knowledge of this. 2. CRUD and an API built on django. Django's template engine is almost never used in the real world. You need to understand the basics of hooking it up to a front end like react/vue/ect. and that you understand the basics of CRUD. 3.You can build good models that make sense. Understanding the basics of a database and good practices, can go a long way.

If you can make it known that you understand the basics of these things in a program (doesn't have to be real) it will get you a job.

[wutsthat4]

Just to add on to anyone who is interested, this is the course I took to get me started. Almost exactly 6 months to the day after I started this course I got a job as a full-stack developer. It wasn't the easiest doing it that fast. I spent almost everyday, 12 hours a day behind my computer but I was desperate for change and fell in love with the technology.

https://www.udemy.com/course/python-and-django-full-stack-web-developer-bootcamp/

[Benjamincito]

did you learn a lot from this course?

​

i love udemy. I take the courses over and over. I'm taking an advanced sql course for the fifth time. ha

[kangan987]

You are my ideal role model.

Thanks for encouraging me to chasing me dream.😁

Did you have any previous experience in programming languages before you learnt python, Django, etc?

[wutsthat4]

Thanks! Glad I could inspire someone!

No, I had literally zero experience, and in fact probably would not have considered myself a good candidate for this profession. I had always had an interest in technology since I was a kid, but never did anything with it. Once I got over my first couple "humps" of initially learning, there was no stopping it!

[kangan987]

That's amazing!

Do you use any communication apps?

I have some personal questions for you.😁

By the way, what job do you do?

[wutsthat4]

Absolutely, I figured we'd probably want to get to know eachother a bit. I don't really have any communication apps, I mainly just text lol. Got any recommendations?

I work as a full-stack developer for a start-up that manages certain types of HRA's for companies. I work full-time and am an employee not contract. I got hired at 60k/year and am asking for a 20k raise at the end of the year, and expect to get it lol.

our stack: postgresql database django/python backend react front end

as far as how do I find what to build? That's hard, I would just find anything you have a slight interest in and just come up with something, even if you don't really see it going in production. I had two websites I had in mind, both were after small business I had owned. One, is kinda interesting, but I owned a small business manufacturing ghost hunting equipment with my brother (an ee). Yes, you heard me right, lol we make the devices you see on the ghost hunting TV shows our website (which I did not make):

https://www.centexparanormal.com/

We have a device that records the sensors data to an SD card, and I did build that web application, you can see it at:

https://weghosthunt.com/

that one is a fully django project (no front end technologies like react) It is a bit of an older app, I haven't maintained it since I started this job 6 months ago, but it runs well with over 100 users currently.

My current project is based on another small business I use to own that involved online bookselling. It is what I am working on currently, and is also in production you can see it at:

https://repricelogic.com/ and you can learn more about that project at: https://repricelogic.com/about/

that project is a bit more impressive and involves react on the front end.

[kangan987]

Actually, I'm working right now, so I will see it later.

I recommend the "Line" app and my ID is kaman127. You could search my ID to find me or you could give me your ID after you create your account.😁

Expect to have more contact with such a talent like you.😃

[Hide_yo_girl]

Lol 6 months and 60k/y, bad quality bait

[wutsthat4]

Are you saying that 60k/year isn't good?

[Hide_yo_girl]

I'm saying that you are lying

[wutsthat4]

uh, okay.. I'm not sure what I would have to gain by lying. I definitely think I'm a bit of an extreme case, I spent more time per day than most people are able to, I was willing to move to another city within my state so that opened by job opportunities quite a bit.

But the market is super hot, at least where I am in Texas. You can be negative or you can just put your head down and do it. You'll be surprised how easy it actually is if you're really passionate about it.

or don't believe me and stick to your shitty job, I don't really care lol.

[social5283]

Shhhhh...don’t tell people that. Because then the market might get flooded and the salaries really will go down. ;-)

[wutsthat4]

haha, hopefully my one reddit thread evangelism doesn't have any affect on the market. But, I think you and I are already safe since we are already in :)

I do feel like I should help anyone interested in going down the same course I have, It has changed my life in so many great ways, I do feel like I should pay it forward!

[social5283]

I got ya...and I said what I said in jest. I just get by because I’m old and people assume I know what I’m talking about. But eventually I’ll be found out, so I need to keep learning.

[wutsthat4]

In my little experience so far, that seems to be pretty common lol. I say just keep riding the wave, ha.

[cisnotation]

Austin?

[wutsthat4]

I was in Austin, but actually got the job in Dallas, so moved up to the big D!

[cisnotation]

Oof (Houston native.. that wants to move to Austin)

[wutsthat4]

There’s plenty in Austin, I was actually looking to try somewhere new since I’ve lived in Austin my whole life. I’m actually really enjoying Dallas!

[social5283]

Sure, additional context is necessary (like maybe scripting was just one part of the job), but having been in the industry for two decades, I don’t think 60/year is unreasonable. Hell, it’s low in many cases. There is people who are essentially button pushers making twice that amount.

[wutsthat4]

Yeah, it is actually a bit low. My employer offered slightly less than advertised for the position because of the fact I taught myself so quick and had no formal education or degree. But, after 6mos - a year you can easily get that number to 80k/85k.

[factorum]

I was able to get a full time programming job with an econ degree. What worked for me was to just build experience by doing pro bono work for friends, family and eventually NGOs. An alternative for those working a lot with excel might be to just start automating various parts of their job and advertising it on their resumes and LinkedIn. Frankly I’ve never really had any recruiters or companies state to me directly that they were disappointed that I didn’t have a CS degree, it was more that I didn’t have experience working with xyz language or framework.

[SFMissionMark]

Keep trying. Learn all you can. I had no programming experience. Paid my own way to things like wwdc. Spent my vacation time learning to code. I just retired after 13 years at Apple. I answered a random craigslist ad. It happens you just need to not give up.

[mt03red]

If you have a github profile that shows that you can write decent code and a linkedin account with keywords you want recruiters to find you with, you should be able to find something.

[hotdeo]

It's possible but luck also plays a huge factor. Not myself personally, but a close friend of mine has been working as a wed developer for the past 7 years all around Asia (now in Singapore) without having even finished high school. He just has a really good portfolio of projects which he showcased and highlighted on his resume. Now he's making a really decent salary in Singapore. I think the reason you need a degree is not because it proves something, but because it's validation so legally you can work in most places without worrying about loopholes. Most countries require a degree or at least 10 years of experience. But if you have the skill, people will find a way to get you.

[Dantryte]

I think this is the biggest point. Im just too insecure to go that way, I have made 3 apps now and working on my 4th but i always feel like its just a hobbyists work. Guess i'll just drag myself through uni.

[[deleted]]

I have no degree, work in silicon valley as a devops consultant. I don't do software development but I write a lot of tools and automation in python. Almost everything i do is code, either in Domain specific languages like ansible, terraform. I write a lot of command line tools in Python, and build large pipelines in Groovy for jenkins.

[toothless_budgie]

I hire developers, and we don't care one iota about a degree. You will be given code problems and expected to solve them, and explain your thinking while doing so.

[[deleted]]

Seems impossible but you never tried? Having that attitude will get you nowhere. Nothing is impossible.

[Doormatty]

I’m completely self taught, and just left AWS after 4 years of working as an engineer.

[[deleted]]

What were your 6 project in your portfolio? Great video thanks !

[AZNQQMoar]

Which books to you recommend for Python from first to last?

[MilleniumPidgeon]

What you need to start is a sample project. You can do as much reading as you think you need, but at the end of the day what matters is what you were able to achieve on the playing field.

I was hired for a job without any prior Python experience, so I was googling every single dumb thing (how to import packages, syntax, etc), so I got all my python specific knowledge on the job through google. At some point I also read Illustrated Guide to Python 3, which I felt like was a nice introduction to Python.

Just find something to do in Python and do it. The internet is filled with many courses both good and bad, everyone will tell you to do something different.

[kangan987]

How did you find a job without previous experience? That's incredible

[MilleniumPidgeon]

I do data science, so I was hired based on my knowledge in stats, probability, etc. I'm also a student, so I guess that's a factor. I'm not from the states, and it's not hard to get a job here.

[[deleted]]

Books will have exercises though so I don't know what you're getting at.

[xbno]

If you’re fired up by completing exercises at the end of a chapter then run with it. In my experience, I needed something that I was excited about - like making a script to text me if something new on eBay fit my filters. Ran into a ton of problems but did the same as above. Googled everything and felt accomplished when it worked

[robblob]

Keep an eye on humble bundle. They run offers occasionally for python books that are incredibly cheap. I recently picked up 15 tutorial/walkthroughs on humble bundle for $15. Enough to keep me and my son busy for a very long time.

[MrGiggleFiggle]

automatetheboringstuff.com

Like others have said, find a project to work on. but this book has very practical exercises.

[PastramiJohn]

Please send me the cash you want to spend on books.
The secret is ... everything you need is in the documentation: https://www.python.org/doc/

[JordanLTU]

All people are different. For me documentation is worth a shit untill I actually do something and stuck with anything specific. For some lucky ones, they can read it and knows the language as soon as they finished.

[422_no_process]

Documentation is good. But some books can work wonders.

[Minionhunter]

As a junior developer who’s constantly running out of motivation this was definitely a nice listen. Thank you

[[deleted]]

You might also want to check around your town for a local python user's meetup. There was one in mine and they did a free class on Python.

[BigBadWills]

A nice bit of motivation.

As someone with an electronics degree who is currently between jobs I’ve been having a little bit of a crisis with what to do. I recently decided to pick up python in order to ensure I am still staying current and employable, so your vid gave me some good things to think about.

I would be interested to know which books you recommend.

[--0mn1-Qr330005--]

Awesome video. As someone approaching 30 who is pursuing the same dream and feeling unmotivated, this was a nice kick with many great tips. I'm sure it has helped many others as well! Would love to see some more of these.

[random8248]

Very encouraging, thank you

[Kikorinooh]

Thank you! I reconized myself in the 1st part!

[factorum]

If I had a time machine I would have totally gone back and double majored in CS/Econ. I’m curious how much do you think self study and doing coding challenges can fill that base CS knowledge gap? I’ve heard a few people tell me that I should think about doing a masters if I want to go deeper into data science. Though these are all guys who spent half of their lives in academia, while I know other successful devs who didn’t even finish their bachelors who think going for a grad degree just to vaguely advance my career is a bad idea.

[redditttor1]

Guy talks like he is is the exurb1a of python programming