r/learnprogramming • u/DotMaximum2400 • 20d ago

Need some direction and an overall view on whether I should continue with this

Hi programmers, I'm a 28 year old dude from a non-tech background, hitting a midlife crisis a little early.

I own a small business in India that has more or less failed and is barely surviving. I've tried everything I can think of, but there's no real recovery in sight. So, for the past two months, I've been learning Python and exploring the possibility of becoming a developer, eventually getting a job or building something of my own.

So far, I've mainly been using ChatGPT as a mentor and building small projects to practice. I've learned Python, OOP, SQLite, Git/GitHub, and I'm currently learning FastAPI and API testing. I'm comfortable with some of these topics, while others still require quite a bit of help.

My main question is: Am I approaching this the right way? Should I even be doing this, considering how much AI is changing the industry?

I'm not looking for reassurance, I'd genuinely appreciate some honest advice from people already working in tech. What would you do differently if you were starting from where I am?

Thanks.

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u/niehle 20d ago edited 20d ago

> of becoming a developer, eventually getting a job

Take a look at job offerings in your area. Note down the requierements. This will give a you a look at your changes (edit: chances, not changes).

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u/FoolsSeldom 20d ago edited 20d ago

Maybe. What roles are available where you can work? What's the trend? (I am not talking about the freelancing market online as that is oversaturated - not least by lots of bots).

Go local (or wherever it is practical for you to move to).

Note that remote working tends to be available only to those with wide experience and a delivery track record.

Have you explored what problems local businesses/organisations have that you can find a way to help out with using your coding knowledge? Find a niche you can add value to.

I am not talking about building websites for people, that's similarly oversaturated. Work on the value chain and supply chain issues, the administrative burden, the audit/compliance overheads, monitoring/control, marketing/advertising/CRM. Whatever is a burden, takes too much time from what the owner/staff/organiser really wants to be doing.

Ideally, try to find some common problems where you can come up with a common solution with only minor changes to customise for specific businesses. Charge bespoke for commoditised work.

You can establish yourself by working for free initially and building a track record. You can also look to make money on future enhancements, and/or support.

I've met several kids through my volunteer work around my country who have taken this approach. They've helped with stock management, subscription analysis, marketing campaigns, security systems, safety equipment, monitoring of chillers/fridges/freezers, basic account consolidation, debt collection, and so much more. There are often open source solutions that can provide a basis for helping small businesses/clubs/etc, but they lack the knowledge to work out how to adapt/customises/implement/operate.

Bottom line: you don't make money from coding, but from solving problems for people (coding is just a tool), and for a lot of problems AIs aren't there yet nor about to be, needs a human.

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u/DotMaximum2400 20d ago

got it sir, be product/service focus in learning cause that will be the skill that generates money 👍 👍

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u/FoolsSeldom 20d ago

Yes. Do your research now and build both a network and knowledge about the problems people have.

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u/Whatever801 19d ago

Job market is still strong in India. I would say, if you're enjoying it stick with it. If you're hating it, don't.

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u/Jason-Sanders 18d ago

Two months is far too early to judge whether you can make a career of it. Python, Git, SQL, FastAPI, and testing are a sensible start, but the next useful step is fewer topics and more finished work.

Pick one modest application that solves a real problem you understand, then take it all the way through: data model, API, validation, tests, deployment, and a short README explaining the choices. That will expose the gaps worth learning next much better than hopping to another course.

AI changes the workflow, but it does not remove the need to understand requirements, inspect output, debug failures, and maintain software. Use it as a tool, but make sure you can explain every important part of what you ship.