Remember 2020? It was a tough year for many, with job losses and sad goodbyes. But for me, it turned out to be a year of change, thanks to an unexpected break due to COVID-19.

How It All Started

I didn’t know much about YouTube back then, but I found something great — NPTEL, an IIT course. It had awesome videos, and the teacher, Mr. Sudharshan Iyer, made learning easy with his cool way of explaining things. So, I spent my days watching these videos, and life felt good.

The man who made Programming Interesting — Sudharshan Iyer

The Next Step

Like many of us, I also started exploring YouTube for coding tutorials. But here’s the thing: if you’re not careful, you can end up watching “How to code” videos forever, without really learning much.

literally me?

Finding My Way

I realized that watching random videos wouldn’t help me much. I needed to focus on one thing. So, I chose JavaScript and searched for “Learn JavaScript.”

Guess what? I picked a video by Clever Programmers, and it went well. I watched it and thought of myself as a JavaScript whiz. But here’s the catch: I was good at listening, but not so good at doing.

I couldn’t work on coding projects by myself. I always needed a tutorial to guide me. It was tough, and I almost gave up.

Why I Kept Going

I knew I’d learned something valuable, but I was confused about how to turn it into money. That’s when I heard about Upwork. I started applying for jobs there, and someone asked me to create an educational website. It was pretty simple, but it was a game-changer.

I got serious about coding and read lots of articles, blogs, and watched videos to understand how to make it a career.

The World of Web Development

When you think of web development, React JS often comes up. I was interested in it because it was popular. I watched many tutorials, but here’s the twist: I realized I was stuck in “tutorial hell.”

But instead of giving up, I decided to practice by making copies of websites like Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. It worked, and I gained confidence.

Time to Make Money

Now, it was time to turn my coding skills into cash. I started sharing my project screenshots on WhatsApp, and someone asked me to make a website for them. I earned $100, and it felt amazing.

More opportunities followed, with jobs paying from $100 to $750. I was thrilled to make some good money.

I got clients through referrals, Fiverr, and Upwork, and I made around $3,000 in the last four months of 2021.

But that wasn’t the end of my journey.

Becoming a Creator

I wanted to make money through social media as an influencer or creator. I started with Instagram, but it didn’t go well. Then I tried YouTube, but it didn’t work out either.
I thought maybe being a creator wasn’t for me. But then, Twitter came to the rescue.

Twitter was a money-making machine for me! Last year I have made more than 2 Lacs from Twitter through Partnerships and Promotions.

My Twitter Adventure

I used to ignore Twitter, but it became my favorite platform. I started from scratch and built an audience of 2,000 developers on Twitter. It was a big deal.

Having a presence on social media made a huge difference. I got paid for promoting stuff, with my top client paying me $120. I also got opportunities to write technical articles and made around $2,000 in just three months.

Freelancing gigs started pouring in, and more opportunities came my way.

Technical Writing Journey

For every person, there will be someone who will change the direction and momentum of our career. For me, it was Himanshu sheth. He gave me an opportunity to write at LambdaTest and that was a game-changing moment for me.

I got 9+ clients for technical writing gigs and made more than ₹5,00,000 rs ($6500) as a freelance technical writer, and being a college student in India, it is a big deal. (That's the average salary of an IT employee.)

Never Giving Up

My journey is all about not giving up. I might not know everything, but I’m always ready to learn because I believe that knowledge is power.

If you’re starting your coding journey, here are some simple tips:

• Stay Patient: Starting is hard, but don’t give up. Keep going.
• Show Yourself: Build an online presence. It can open doors for you.
• Focus: Don’t try to do everything. Concentrate on mastering one thing.
• Invest in Learning: Start by learning. Once you learn, you can earn.

Learn, Code, Thrive: Your Journey to Tech Success Begins Here

Wrapping It Up

Thanks for reading my story! So far, my first two years in tech have been quite a ride. Don’t let anyone tell you that your age, race, gender, or height matter in tech. If you’re willing to learn, you can do it.

Thanks again, and keep learning!

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