Using EdTech tools as a teacher and thinking of solutions I wish existed sparked my interest to become a software engineer. That shift from user to builder opened my eyes to the creativity and scale of the tech world. This repository is meant to inspire anyone coming from a non-traditional path—whether you're pivoting careers, fresh out of a bootcamp, or transitioning from education—that breaking into tech is possible. My journey is still being written.
Level 0: Start by Finding Your Niche 🔝
If I could start all over, I'd begin by writing a mission statement to clarify my direction. There are so many domains in tech—like data science, cybersecurity, software engineering, etc. Mission statements provide focus on what domain and role to pursue.
Here is an example of a mission statement that outlines: (1) the domain, (2) company type, (3) product or service focus, (4) preferred location, and (5) work setting. You can make yours more or less detailed for your goals.
I want to secure a backend developer role within a late-stage EdTech startup focused on K-12 e-learning products, with the ability to work in [city] [in-person/hybrid/remotely].
Level 1: Learning Stage 🔝
Now that you have a mission statement it is time to start learning. There are many excellent free resources to get you going:
- freeCodeCamp (FCC): updated weekly; they have a YouTube channel too!
- Community Taught x 100Devs: free frontend development bootcamp
- Roadmap.sh: great site for curated learning paths
- Official documentation: each tool has free tutorials to read!
That said, I personally struggled with uncertainty and decision fatigue—until I committed to a structured, paid learning path with Boot.dev. Having a clear roadmap helped me stay focused and track progress with confidence. Here are some other paid platforms, organized by domain, that might help you take your next steps:
- Data Science: DataCamp
- Cybersecurity: Hack The Box, TryHackMe, TCM Security
- Software Engineering: Boot.dev, Scrimba
I choose Boot.dev for backend development and followed this learning progression:
- Where to start?: Learn Linux, Git, and GitHub first. This is useful to make sure you know how to deploy projects on GitHub.
- How to learn to code?: Basics > object-oriented programming > functional programming
- How to get started with data structures & algorithms?: Big (O) notation > data structures > array sorting algorithms > graph traversal algorithms > additional theory
Level 2: Doing Stage 🔝
We can use projects to create our own experiences to showcase on resumes. I think of projects in terms of four levels:
- Learning Projects: These are completed with the guidance of tutorials. Examples include to-do lists and CRUD apps. These are great for learning but bad for resumes. I’ve posted mini-projects with full code examples for your review, each built in a matter of days to weeks.
- Capstone Projects: These are completed from scratch. It's up to you to make all the decisions. These are great on resumes and for interviewing to talk about your development roadmap.
- Team Projects: These may be hackathons, freelancing, or open source. Each includes different levels of collaboration with colleagues and stakeholders that mimic real work experience.
- Startup Projects: These would be projects you launch with actual clients. This level is not necessary but very commendable if reached.