To become a developer, all you need is the right determination, grit, and enough time. You must have that undying will to change your life for the better. Trust me when I say this, there will be a lot of distractions. I can remember starting and stopping my 100 days of code over 15 times.

Earlier this year, my wife was incessantly asking me to get her a new laptop, her reason being that she wanted to learn how to code, because developers make a lot of money. I knew the fleeting enthusiasm would pass, so I decided to get the laptop and buy a few Udemy courses for her; it has been 4 months since then, and she hasn't even opened those courses, let alone searched for the word Javascript My point here is that you need more than fleeting enthusiasm.

You must learn to forgive yourself and try again on this journey. It's okay if you don't meet your goal. Don't beat yourself up about it; instead, accept it and begin again. I get irritated whenever I see people assuming that it will take a certain amount of time to learn a programming language. Please don't listen to this. There's no time frame for this; everyone has their own different realities and schedules. Work at your own pace, and please moderate your social media usage. Most people just spend their time browsing endlessly through Twitter feeds.

Twitter is fast becoming a tool for validation seeking. There's always someone announcing their new tech role. If you are the type that gets overwhelmed or intimidated easily, I advise you to limit the usage of the bird app and focus on the important thing, which is learning how to code.

The good thing is that, nowadays, you don't need to break the bank to gain knowledge. All you need is sheer willpower and determination. For me, I started with the free stuff. Most of the time, the free ones are all you need. I couldn't afford those expensive bootcamps, so for the first 6 months, my job was to scavenge the web for free learning materials. Unlike other tech careers where you need to buy expensive certifications to prove your competence, as a developer you don't. The only currency is your time, and the reward is huge.

Anyone can be a developer at any age. There's no age bracket for it. Some people get discouraged because they think they are too old. This is just your mind playing tricks on you. We will all get old one day, and at every stage in your life, you might want to try something new. A successful surgeon might decide he wants to become a developer at the age of 50. Life is in stages, and you just might not know what will catch your interest in the next 10 years. Let's dive straight to the point.

Here are some platforms that helped me a great deal while starting out.

Youtube:

As a beginner, it is always good to start with the free stuff. Youtube is like a university of its own. You can find whatever you're looking for. Someone out there has made a video for it. Whether you wish to learn Python, Java, or Javascript, there is something for you on Youtube. Never ignore the free stuff; sometimes it's just as good as the paid ones. The problem is that some people usually don't give much value to things until they pay for them. Here are some Youtube channels you can learn coding from:

• The Coding Train. The Coding Train, a fun and interactive channel, is run by a computer programmer, Daniel Shiffman
• The Net Ninja. The Net Ninja is one of the best YouTube channels to learn more about web development and programming
• Derek Banas
• Programming with Mosh
• Academind
• Free Code Camp.
• Traversy Media
• TheNewBoston
• Kevin Powell
• DevTips
• Treehouse

Coding Websites:

There are tons of websites where you can learn for free without paying a dime. Some are totally free, some are free for certain courses only, while some require you to pay a little token. Below are my top picks.

• Udemy:

  Udemy is my personal favourite. You can find both free and paid courses on the platform. The good part is that the paid ones are relatively affordable. If you find a course you like and it seems pricey, you just have to wait a while for the next promotional discount to come up. Udemy is home to the world’s largest collection of courses. When selecting a course, make sure to look at the ratings that others have given it—this is generally a good indicator of how you should prioritize courses. It's one thing to buy courses on Udemy and another thing to even start or finish them. Most people tend not to finish their courses. I'm guilty of this. Please don't be like this. Be disciplined.

• Codecademy

  Codecademy is my second best choice, and it's entirely free. Over 45 million learners have developed their coding skills in only seven years on the platform. You can start your Codecademy learning journey by assessing your coding skills to see which level is best for you. Alternatively, if you are a beginner, you will be able to begin coding in minutes. Their learning software allows you to learn by doing. You can be confident that you are applying what you are learning correctly with instant testing of your coding skills.

• FreeCodeCamp

  Another interesting website with tons of free coding resources is freeCodeCamp. Their content includes interactive coding tutorials supported by videos and articles, and they have helped 40,000 learners land dream jobs at companies such as Google, Spotify, and Microsoft. Certifications can be obtained by completing courses in various categories. FreeCodeCamp covers Web Design, Quality Assurance, Data Visualization, Machine Learning, and other topics are covered by freeCodeCamp.

• Scrimba

  Scrimba is another awesome platform to learn coding. It's a subscription-based platform, but there are tons of courses you can access without paying a dime. Their mission is to give students the quality of a coding bootcamp at the price of a gym membership. I would like to think of Scrimba as the next-generation platform for learning how to code. Scrimba screencasts enable you to interact with the code directly in the player. The teaching concept is way ahead of Youtube or other e-learning platforms. The interactive parts in nearly every video make this platform so unique and effective.

• W3School

  W3School is as old as the hills and has an excellent Google ranking. When I was trying to brush up on my HTML and CSS knowledge, the website came in handy. Also, if you are a coding professional, W3Schools is full of references and examples to help you stay on top of your game at all times. They also have a good video library of tutorials.

Developer DAO

A DAO is a decentralized autonomous organization, a type of bottom-up entity structure with no central authority. If you are a developer, I strongly advise you to join a DAO if you can. My personal favorite is the Developer DAO. I have met a lot of cool people and have learnt a lot from people in the DAO. There's always something being worked on that you can benefit immensely from. DAOs are generally an amazing way to be a part of a community, network, learn and grow your career. When I joined the developer DAO, I started by contributing to their blog, and so far, my written articles have brought me a lot of exposure in the Web3 community.

Conclusion

Finally, my advice is to avoid being a generalist. Focus on a framework or programming language and master it. The question you need to ask yourself is, "What do I want to be known for?" A front-end developer, back-end developer, app developer, or even a DevOps engineer. Whatever it is, focus on the technologies you need to master to become an expert in them. Like I always say, you don't need to break the bank to start with your learning journey. Stay determined and focused. You will surely arrive at your destination.