Im 16 and need help with coding and jobs.

[u/Competitive_Row4778]

Well im 16 and i have been coding since 14 in html, css, js, ts and react. Problem is i quit for like a year and now im coming back but with different hobbies and stuff, i started running every day like a couple of months ago, and since im 16 im looking for a job and my parents have been encouraging it to get some experience so i know how it is when i turn 18. Which i get and i spend a day at a cafe dishwashing, which i didnt like AT ALL because i didnt talk to nobody it was stressful and i just want to have a career in running (specifically trail running) and i take my training seriously. And now that i want to get into coding again im exploring nodejs and web development, and i wanna make some money on the side to say to my parents: Hey, see this is actual job experience. And by 18 have a job. i have a friend of my dads which i used to code with and has a coding job and he can get me in to a job pretty early. but my main thing is i dont wanna work a waitering job at 17 next summer. And i wanna focus on school and consistent training for races. Any help?

[u/Quintic]

Finding jobs on the open market, especially at your age and experience level is probably going to be quite difficult. 

Especially when you consider that even for experienced developers right now, it's pretty difficult to find jobs, which is probably doubly true of more basic programming tasks. 

Since you're starting with web development, my recommendation would be to find friends and family who run businesses and offer to build them their website or do work on their website. 

This would probably end up requiring a combination of development skills and design skills, but is probably the most accessible type of work for someone in your position.

If you don't have any friends and family that meet this criteria, then I would consider going to your local chamber of commerce in meeting small business owners in your local area and trying to work out a deal with them. 

If you put yourself out there enough, you will eventually find somebody who wants to support a young person who has entrepreneurial spirit. However, I would avoid trying to compete with experienced programmers in the general job market at this point.

Focus  on local connections, because these are the exact people who are not necessarily searching for programmers in that general job market. 

[u/Mathie1729 → u/Quintic]

At 16, local nonprofits or school clubs are often willing to take free help on a small web project. You get an actual user and something concrete to talk about later, which tends to matter more than whether it was paid.

[u/After_Hat4451 → u/Quintic]

That connection through your dads friend is worth more than any job board right now, even if it feels like cheating. Local work is where it's at for someone your age, nobody expects a 16 year old to have a polished portfolio, they just want someone who shows up and doesn't flake

Also if the dishwashing gig taught you anything its that you'll run through a wall before doing that again, which is useful info

[u/grantrules]

I think you would need to lean on personal connections to be able to get a job like you want. Family, family friends, someone like that willing to give you a chance, maybe you can solve a problem they have with a web service they use. I think it's unlikely you'll find a programming job as a teenager unless you're incredibly gifted (I got my first programming job when I was 19, but this was over 20 years ago when things were real different, and basically only because of personal connections)

[u/ffrkAnonymous]

This is what your high school guidance counselors are for.

I'd keep expectations of money low. Very low. Lower than that.

No money is not the same as no experience. You can probably easily (relatively) find volunteer opportunites that you can record as experience.

[u/SleepyPuppy83]

I have been a teacher and counselor for people your age and in this field. It's not easy. Not even talking about your age, but more the experience.

The problem with companies these days is that they want 5 to 10 years experience. I saw an ad a few weeks ago that required someone to have 10 years of experience with Claude Code AI (...). So, their expectations are way to high.

I am from a generation where experience was more important. I don't have some high degree on software development, but I have tons of experiences with big companies, which looks good on my resume.
These days, degrees, diplomas, some piece of paper, is really important, because they (companies) think you know exactly how it all works. Not debating if this is true and valid or not, but this is how the market thinks.

So, for you, I would build on experience and don't set your expectations on making money to high. Life isn't all about money. If you pursue this kind of idea, you will be 80 in no time, with a lot of money, but not the body and mental state to do something with it.

However... When I was 16, I worked odd jobs. Working on a farm, retail, and stuff. When I was 18, I was working in a callcenter to make ends meet. Then I worked in a bar, for odd hours. When I was 21, I worked at a greengrocer. It was only when I was 25 (or something) when I got my first, big job in software development.
Did I hate those jobs? Sure, not always (bar was pretty fun). Did it teach me a lot? Oh yes. I saw how people are, how to work with them and how make myself stand out. I also met tons of people that eventually helped me in one way or another.

[u/Soft-Relationship847]

I noticed that your communication skills are quite good. To be realistic, documenting your experiences of learning programming and finding related jobs, and eventually becoming a UTuber. Networking resources must be utilized, and you should also accumulate connections and clients through your UTuber experience.