I'm 28, based in India, and come from a non-technical background. I currently run a small business that has struggled and is barely surviving, so I'm considering a career change. For the past two months, I've been learning Python and building small projects with AI assistance as a mentor. I've covered Python, object-oriented programming, SQLite, Git, and GitHub, and I'm now studying FastAPI and API testing. I understand some topics fairly well, while others still require substantial guidance. I'm trying to decide whether becoming a developer—through employment or by eventually building useful software—is a realistic direction. With AI changing the industry so quickly, am I learning the right things? What would experienced developers do differently if they were starting from my position? I'm looking for practical and honest advice rather than encouragement for its own sake.
3 Answers
Look at opportunities locally or in places you could move to, rather than relying on the online freelance market, which is extremely crowded. Remote jobs are often easier to get after you have experience and a track record of delivering projects.
Also, focus on solving business problems instead of simply trying to build websites. Small companies often struggle with inventory, reporting, compliance, customer management, marketing workflows, monitoring, and other repetitive administrative work. Coding is only the tool; the value comes from making an expensive or frustrating problem easier.
A good strategy could be to find a recurring problem shared by several businesses and create a reusable solution that needs only modest customization. You might initially work at a low cost or for free to build trust and a portfolio, then charge for improvements, implementation, and ongoing support. There are often open-source tools available, but businesses still need someone who can adapt, deploy, and maintain them. AI can help with code, but it is not yet a substitute for understanding the customer, the workflow, and the responsibility of making the solution work.
Your learning path is reasonable, but don’t let AI do all the thinking for you. Use it to explain concepts, review code, and suggest exercises, while making sure you can write, debug, and explain the important parts yourself. Build a few complete projects with documentation, tests, authentication, deployment, and a clear explanation of the problem they solve. Then compare those projects with real job descriptions and adjust your roadmap accordingly.
Start by researching actual entry-level job listings in the locations where you could realistically work. Make a spreadsheet of the recurring requirements, tools, and types of projects employers ask for. That will give you a much more accurate picture of the skills you need and whether your current learning plan is aligned with the local market.
That makes sense. I should keep learning, but tie the projects to real products or services that solve a specific business problem instead of treating coding itself as the thing customers pay for.