Hello, everyone! I apologise for the lengthy nature of this post, but I find it necessary to offer a detailed explanation of the current situation I’m in. I kindly ask for your patience in reading through it all and would greatly appreciate any insights or guidance you can provide on the path I should pursue.
I’m a 24-year-old guy who is currently working as a freight forwarder for nearly a year, but wants to pursue a career in web development. The challenge is figuring out the right path in order to make this a reality.
In 2020, I completed a two-year web development bootcamp, acquiring skills in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Node.js, React, and Angular. Regrettably, during that period, I was spoiled, taking things for granted and struggling with certain addictions. Instead of dedicating my energy and time in doing projects and expanding my knowledge beyond the bootcamp curriculum, I allowed my addictions to sidetrack me. My focus was primarily on meeting the requirements for each module, aiming for the highest scores rather than engaging in broader learning experiences. Following my graduation from the bootcamp, I received a diagnosis of severe OCD. For the next two years, I found myself succumbing to my addictions as a means of escaping reality, and during this time, I didn’t write a single line of code.
In early 2023, I made a decision to reclaim control over my life. Addressing my OCD and overcoming addictive behaviours, I secured my first job as a freight forwarder and embarked on a weight loss journey. Now I want to finish what I have started. The issue is that I’ve forgotten the majority of what I learned in the bootcamp, and I’m uncertain about how to proceed from here.
I considered four possible routes to pursue in becoming a front-end web developer, but I’m not sure which one is the right one.
The first path involves completing The Odin Project and some Udemy courses, focusing on mastering fundamentals and building advanced projects to showcase my skills. However, uncertainties arise regarding job opportunities given the lack of a bachelor’s degree and my outdated bootcamp certificates. Consequently, my plan is to showcase the projects I’ve build while omitting the certificates acquired long time ago from my CV.
The second path is to enroll in the same bootcamp again, but this time, I’ll be more serious and focused on learning and working on projects beyond the bootcamp’s requirements. The drawback is the €2000 cost, which I’d rather save since I plan to relocate to a larger city when applying for jobs. On the positive side, completing the bootcamp again would provide updated certificates, somewhat valued in my country, though I’m unsure if it’s a worthwhile investment.
The third path involves learning math from scratch for 2 years using khan academy and textbooks before pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science. During my childhood, I dealt with daily bullying because of my weight, which made me really dislike school. Additionally, my math teacher from fourth to seventh grade was not good at explaining things and treated us poorly, making me hate math. As a result, I mostly just did what I needed to pass my math classes and ended up cheating on a lot of tests. The problem with this path is that I will need to spend 6 years studying and the results are uncertain. I really want to start working as programmer in the next 1 to 2 years.
The fourth path involves around pursuing the first path while dedicating one hour daily to learning math. If I secure a job, I plan to continue learning math until I feel adequately prepared. I than intend to complete a bachelor’s degree in computer science, balancing my studies with part-time job as a web developer. It’s important to highlight that my current job is mentally demanding and stressful, limiting my study time to 2 to 3 hours a day, and I don’t know if I would have enough time to study both things.
I am determined to give my all in order to become an web developer because this is the thing that I want to do. I would greatly appreciate any advice that can help me make the right decision.
). The reasoning is this, you read the book as it is structured. When you run into questions, you ask on the forum, we provide the help you need to understand. When you are not reading the book, the articles can provide new topics and ways of thinking about the material. You can also watch a few videos too. Just know that articles and videos won’t teach you everything but they help you get thinking in terms of programming.