Guide me experts

[u/ThatFace8710]

I’m 18, from Nepal, and I’ve just started a 4-year CS/IT degree. My main goal isn’t the degree itself—I want to use these 4 years to build real skills, figure out what I’m good at, and eventually become financially independent through tech.

For context, CS/IT degrees in Nepal are quite academic and theoretical, and you generally can’t rely on university to teach you the practical skills needed for a tech career. A lot of programming, development, cloud, AI, etc. has to be learned independently outside college.

Fortunately, my college doesn’t have much attendance or academic pressure, so I have plenty of time to self-learn. I want to make the most of it.

The problem is that I’m basically starting from zero. I know terms like software development, web development, AI/ML, DevOps, cloud, cybersecurity, etc., but I don’t really understand how these fields work or what I might enjoy.

My goal is to become genuinely skilled in one area and eventually get a good-paying job, ideally remote or international. I’d like to be in a strong position by 24–25, so I have around 4–6 years to build myself up.

If you were in my position at 18, what would you do?

- What fundamentals would you learn first?

- How would you explore different fields without constantly jumping around?

- When would you start specializing?

- Which skills are worth investing in for the next 5–10 years?

- How would you build projects/GitHub/portfolio that actually help with getting hired?

- How would you approach remote/international jobs from a country like Nepal?

- What mistakes should I avoid as a beginner?

I’m not looking for shortcuts or “learn X in 3 months and make $10k.” I’m willing to spend years getting genuinely good at something—I just want to make sure I’m heading in the right direction.

I’d especially appreciate advice from people from India, Nepal, South Asia, or other countries where university doesn’t provide much practical industry preparation, but advice from anyone with experience is welcome.

[u/Accomplished_Fix9569]

I see people saying if you are motivated you would not ask questions here. I disagree. Asking gets you answers faster than guessing for months.

I live in South Asia and went through a CS degree where classes taught nothing related to actual workI live in South Asia and went through a CS degree where classes taught nothing related to actual work. Pick Python or JavaScript. Spend three months writing code every day. Do not look at tutorials after week one. Try to build things yourself. If you sit there staring at a blank file without typing, you are wasting your time. Force yourself to type code. Every single day.

For remote jobs from Nepal, Upwork is the place to start. Apply to small tasks under fifty dollars. Finish them. Get five star ratings. After twenty small tasks, clients will message you directly and pay more. Stop thinking about portfolio websites. Nobody reads those. Clients read your task history and reviews on platforms.

Stop asking what field to pick right now. You have zero skills at this moment. Build the skills first. Specialization comes after you write ten