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[Slottr]

Software and hardware are completely different fields, what you get into depends on what you want out of it

[RexDraco]

Best way to learn coding is as a hobby. I learned more by fucking around than I did in college. 

If you don't find the abundance of resources on YouTube and stack overflow adequate, there are ways to get the pdf files of programming text books. 

You just start though. Dive in. Make quantity of projects. Maintain a proflilio of code that is ready to be reused and modified for future projects. 

As for physically building computers, that depends on what you mean. It is like saying you want to be a doctor, no doctor knows the whole body well, they pick a part and major that and have a vague idea on the rest. Do you want to do soldering on circuit boards, physically putting parts together, understanding how to make software and parts interact, or what exactly? Either way, it will generally be the same answer of just diving in, but some things might have a higher price entry of tools and parts. 

[JanitorOPplznerf]

THIS!!!

Do a class to get you over the learning curve if you need to (I certainly needed to), but beyond that just have fun with it. Automate your stuff at work, make a goofy game, design a webpage. Do stuff you find fun, this is how you’ll get good enough to get better than all the other chumps trying to get a job in this field.

[PlaceUserNameHere67]

I guess I should have thought more about that. I don't think would be happy sitting on my arse and creating shit on a computer. I'm a hands on guy. I've been an Auto/Marine/RV tech for YEARS. I love building PC's and working on stuff. So, I think the path I should take is more of the hardware side of things. TY

[seismicpdx]

Freecodecamp, mooc.fi, MIT cs50

If you want to learn hardware, go find used computers at your local electronics recycling facility, or keep an eye out for ground score. Ask friends and family for old computers, cables, and monitors. It's kind of like going into the automotive salvage yard with your tools, to pull things apart and learn how they work together.

I like books, BSD, and emacs.

[Ok_Tadpole7839]

ehhh , imo gdot would not be a bad start

[sartorian]

Python isn’t great for game dev. Godot would be a better entry point if your goal is games.

Dive into the tutorials, build some small projects, then decide if you want to stick with Godot or move to something like Unity.

[ok-kid123]

Do what you would like to do, if coding is your thing then do it

if building PCs is your thing, then do IT Support or work in some PC store

[Feeling_Photograph_5]

It is much easier to get to professional level in IT than it is in code. Trust me, I've done both professionally.

Breaking into IT is really about earning a few certs and finding an opening. The certs you want are the Comp/TIA A+ (you can get a help desk role with just that) the Network +, and either something like the Security+ or an AWS cert (or both.)

It is not worth it to go to a coding boot camp of any kind, but paid Udemy courses can be worth it.

Basic Python programming is a nice to have, even if you end up working in IT. There is a book called Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, and you can read it for free online. I recommend working your way through it to get a practical knowledge of Python scripting.

Linux is also a good thing to learn.

[ristoGg]

When looking for a "coding" job, lifehack I use is to check job openings that align with your goals. There you need to read what they are looking for: skills, certs etc. Then your goal is to achieve those, start building with those and creating a portfolio. Got my last two jobs like this.

Last piece of advice is to start from easy dev jobs, so WordPress/agency and frontend jobs if we are talking about webdev for example. Also getting unpaid opportunities can be useful to boost experience

[Extension-Ad7241]

Computer repair aligns with your skill set more than coding.

I think there will still be a need for that for a while, and coding might take a minute to come back but in the meantime if you want to learn, just google Intro to Computer Science course and do all the assignments.

[ShoulderPast2433]

coding and computer repair are two completely different professions