Maybe you find yourself seated in your room, contemplating whether to dive into the vast world of programming. Even if your knowledge of IT science extends only to using social media, surfing the internet, and occasional gaming.

I found myself in this exact situation over 13 years ago. First and foremost, you must decide which area of programming you’d like to pursue: OS software, applications, robotics, game industry, internet applications, etc.

For me, the choice was clear. Anticipating the internet’s tremendous growth in the future, I placed my bet on that domain. I have no regrets. Let me share what you can expect from my perspective. I won’t delve into how to become a programmer or which technology should you learn first.

I’ll share my personal journey, the challenges, and rewards of embarking on this programming adventure. Let’s start with the obvious.

First, the harsh reality. 💊

Working as a web developer offers the chance to work remotely for anyone, from anywhere, with the promise of substantial pay. That’s the theory. But as we know, theory and practice can differ.

If you’re from a third-world country, your pay expectations may not match those of a web developer from a Western country, even if you perform the same tasks. Your location often determines the money you’ll be offered for remote work, with fierce competition from other professionals lowering rates online.

Only the top 5% of professionals on remote job portals have rates considered good for an IT professional. The rest are digging a hole for themselves by offering lower rates and offering their services below market value. And I get it. I don’t blame them. I was in the same situation. You can’t expect to get rich from programming, at least not in the first years.

I just want to be upfront—the start will be tough. On you, your mental health, your time, and your family. If you’re a novice, ignore tales of unicorn developers landing dream jobs after a quick boot camp. It’s possible but highly unlikely.

Your brain needs time to grasp coding abstractions, to think like a programmer, understand how the internet works, comprehend server-side languages, and construct applications using databases and code. This requires a lot of time and effort. There is no shortcut into coding.

So brace yourself for at least a challenging year, but probably a lot longer.

During the pandemic, many friends asked me to help them learn to code. I gladly obliged, offering a step-by-step manual. I showed them the fastest way to start building something that they can charge money for.

All of them, without exception, gave up after 2 to 4 months. It was just too hard—sitting daily for 6 or 8 hours, learning, coding, searching for bugs, typos, and wrestling with development tools. It’s overwhelming and frustrating for novice coders; there’s a lot to learn before diving into complex code.

I remember my beginnings—I was frustrated, feeling behind my colleagues. I worked harder than everyone, forcing myself to learn programming every day for about 2 and a half years. Only then did I consider myself a junior programmer, on the path to becoming a wizard. 🧙🏼‍♂️

So, it’s okay to feel frustrated, overwhelmed, lost in the web development ocean. It takes time. Do the hard work, and success will follow.

💊 The second harsh reality is the mental health crisis prevalent in the programming community. This isn’t discussed much online.

From personal experience and knowing many professionals, almost every programmer has faced burnout and some form of depression. Don’t dismiss this, thinking it won’t happen to you. To be a programmer, you must learn to care for your physical and mental health.

Don’t fall into the dark pit of working countless hours, lacking sunlight, neglecting exercise, and socializing. This will ruin you and your private life in the long run. Don’t let it happen. From day one of learning to program, join a gym or engage in sports at least 3 times per week. Take breaks, go for a walk, have coffee with someone—let your brain process technical data.

Recognize signs of burnout. If you don’t feel like coding after months of hard work, go outside. Take a day off. Listen to your mind and body. Be disciplined but reasonable. Don’t push yourself over the limit. Code can wait a day or two. Your mind cannot.

Over time, as programming consumes most of your time, you’ll find few people to talk to about it. Conversations about your job will fizzle out, and people will change the topic since they can’t discuss something unfamiliar.

As a programmer, your job is your passion. You’ll want to talk about it all the time. Learn to cherish moments with colleagues to exchange thoughts about coding topics.

What can you expect in the long run?

So, at least one year has passed, and you’ve studied meticulously. You made it to the junior level and finally secured a position at a web development agency. Congratulations! Landing your first job means you’re now earning doing what you love. Cheers! 🍻

However, you quickly realize that work can be stressful, and you often rely on your colleagues for assistance. Despite this, life seems good. The occasional brain fog and back pain are minor inconveniences, but your foresight in investing in a local gym membership pays off. Right? 💪

You observe some of your long-time colleagues, who have been in the industry for years, living sedentary and isolated lives. This serves as a cautionary tale — a reminder not to let programming consume your entire day. Work on improving yourself, not just your code.

While your IT professional salary may not be as lucrative as some might expect, it’s okay. You’re still learning, gaining experience, building connections with senior staff, and understanding how things operate. As you progress toward becoming a senior developer, a few more years fly by, during which you switch companies until you find one on the brink of significant success.

You’re now responsible for a critical part of the code. People are turning to you for guidance on what to do next. Social skills become increasingly crucial as you move away from coding and into decision-making positions.

As more time passes, a substantial portion of the company’s codebase is under your supervision or coded by you. Your paycheck reflects the significant strides you’ve made. You’ve also gained negotiable skills, allowing you to secure a better salary and be financially rewarded for your hard work.

Several more years elapse, and you now have a diverse skill set. You’re proficient in various programming languages and frameworks, with expertise in specific ones. You’ve realized that being a jack of all trades means being a master of none. You focus on mastering technologies that bring you joy and have a bright future.

Finally, you’re now an expert in a specific field of programming. You’ve spent countless hours coding, resolving major business issues, providing solutions, and navigating critical situations. The days when pressure would paralyze you are long gone. You know your way around.

However, you cannot just sit back and enjoy yourself; the work continues to evolve. Learning remains a daily endeavor, staying on top of rapidly changing web development trends. There’s no finish line in learning; it’s a perpetual journey.

The good news is that years of experience has taught you not to jump on every hype train. You exercise patience, observe technology developments, and opt for mature and robust solutions, steering clear of every new shiny objects.

As a senior developer, you can now enjoy the luxury of remote work from some warm and exotic location. You can solve problems in minutes that a junior developer might struggle with for half a day. After all your hard work, you’re finally living the programmer’s dream life you envisioned at the beginning. You’re the official 🧙‍♂️ at your company, commanding respect and valued for your advice.

Programming is as rewarding as it is challenging, but passion is key. If you don’t love it, you won’t succeed; the field is too dull and stressful for those lacking a genuine passion for tech. Coding goes beyond writing lines; it involves creativity, problem-solving, logical thinking, and a bit of playfulness while constructing something new and exciting.

If you’ve made it to this point in your career (and article), congratulations! 👏 It wasn’t easy. You avoided burnouts, maintained a healthy diet, trained, learned, and persevered through many stressful situations. So, what’s the next step in a programmer’s life at this juncture?

Let’s find out together…

P.S. Let’s show some code here, shall we? After all this would not be a real developers blog without it. Cheers!

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        <title>PHP Test</title>
    </head>
    <body>
        <?php echo '<p>Hello World</p>'; ?>
    </body>
</html>