“How do I start?” “Where do I begin?”

These questions come up often from those trying to break into tech. My answer? There are many places to start—pick one, stick with it, and remember that motivation and passion will only take you so far.

The Murky Path

The tech journey isn’t always clear-cut but so many people have put in the effort to make it easy. That’s why countless bootcamps, tutorial sites, YouTube channels, and books exist specifically to help beginners. I’ve listed some beginner-friendly resources that helped me at the bottom.

Know Your Learning Style

Tech learning resources offer various tutors and methods. Knowing what works best for you is crucial—it’s not just about enrolling in a bootcamp or subscribing to a site.

What Works for Me?

Many People have their idea of how to get started in tech but ultimately it just boils down to what works for you. Some thrive in a classroom environment, while others prefer flexible online learning. Classroom settings help with accountability, but if that’s not an option, consider joining a learning group like the 100 Days of Code or 100 Days of Design challenges on X (formerly Twitter) or LinkedIn.

And don’t underestimate AI—it can be your self-dedicated tutor, guiding you to resources and helping you get started quickly.

For me, W3Schools and LinkedIn Learning were game-changers. I learned HTML (while getting stuck in tutorial hell), Figma, Git, and JavaScript.

Choose Your Path

Tech offers many paths, some of which are:

Development: Frontend, backend, mobile, full-stack

Design: UI/UX, graphic design

Data: Analytics, data science, machine learning

Infrastructure: DevOps, cloud computing, cybersecurity

Spend the shortest time possible exploring areas, and see what feels right. Use your comfort zone to start learning—then grow beyond it.

Dedication Over Motivation

Passion might get you started, but dedication keeps you going. Build habits and celebrate small milestones. The CodeNewbie Podcast is a great resource—featuring stories of beginners from diverse backgrounds (students, moms, even those starting tech in their 50s) who’ve made a name in tech.

Build Something Real And Useable

What I'd call a "real-world project" is simply something with a userbase, people can sign up and maybe even login. You don’t need to finish a bootcamp or course to be qualified. Start building real-world projects—that’s when you’ll truly know how far you’ve come.

Some Resources That Can Help

Scrimba.com

Many tutors to choose from.

Range of tech paths to choose from.

Wonderful community

One of the best learning experiences around.

You’ll build real-world projects.

Paid and Free videos (even the free videos are enough).

CodeNewbie Podcast

Stories from beginners from many tech roles.

Guests are from all walks of life, Moms, Students, Athletes, etc.

Learn how to progress in your career from beginners turn industry leaders.

Totally Free.

W3Schools.com

Complete and approachable documentation for so many things tech

Totally Free.

You can pay for certification exams if you want to.

Widely accepted as a good starting point for any beginner

LinkedIn Learning

Comes with LinkedIn Premium.

You can get a month or more for free.

A diverse range of tutors and videos.

You get a certificate of completion for every course you finish.

Remember: Motivation and Passion will only take you so far. 🚀

Charting A Course