If I had to start over as a person who wanted to become a professional programmer, in 2026, what would I do?
I wrote about this before, in 2015, and am here in the present to report: a lot has changed. I’d skip my old post, and read this one instead. It’s the simplest, most viable advice I can give today.
I’m writing for someone who was like me a decade ago. You are interested in programming as a profession, have little or no programming experience, and you aren’t sure what direction to go.
This is 100% my opinion. I hope it helps you.
My Advice
First, this is absolutely doable. I did it over a decade ago, and it changed my life.
Second, with the rise of AI and the changing global economy, it’s a tough time to make the leap. I would not underestimate the challenge.
Still here? Next, I would pick a realm of technology I found interesting. Web development is great because we all enjoy websites, and there are many great free learning resources about the web. I’d do a short course on one of the core technologies in that realm, like Codecademy’s “Learn JavaScript”.
Then I’d ask myself, was that fun? Did I enjoy it, and would I be interested in doing it a lot more?
If the answer is yes, a seasoned programmer (or Chat-GPT) could sketch out a curriculum that would get somebody hireable in maybe six to eight months of nights and weekends. Unless one had a can’t-miss bootcamp opportunity lined up, I’d take the self-taught route. If you’re motivated and smart, it’s cheaper, and the self-taught designation is respected in the industry.
Conclusion
I deleted a much longer version of this post. There’s a lot more I could say, but this gets the point across in the least amount of words. Concurrently, you need to work on getting hired, which is a related, but different, challenge.
Good luck!