How I Became a Software Developer in 6 Months With No Degree (And You Can Too)

Six months ago, I was folding clothes at Target for $14/hour. Today, I'm writing code remotely for a tech startup and making more money than I ever thought possible. No, this isn't a scam post. This is the honest truth about how I went from retail hell to a remote developer job—and you can do it too.

The Breaking Point

I'll never forget the moment I knew I had to change something. It was Black Friday 2024, I was yelled at by my 5th customer of the day, and my manager told me I couldn't take a bathroom break because we were "too busy." I went home that night, opened my laptop, and googled "how to become a software developer."

Everyone told me I needed a degree. That I was too old at 29. That it would take years. They were all wrong.

Month 1: The Foundation (Free Resources Only)

I started with The Odin Project—completely free. I spent 3-4 hours every single night after my retail shifts learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript basics. On weekends, I did 8-hour days. Was it exhausting? Yes. But so was being broke.

Key resources I used:

The Odin Project (free, comprehensive)
FreeCodeCamp (great for practice)
JavaScript30 by Wes Bos (30 vanilla JS projects)
YouTube (Traversy Media, Web Dev Simplified)

Month 2-3: Building Real Projects

Here's what nobody tells you: tutorial hell is real. I spent a month watching videos and felt like I knew nothing. The game-changer was building actual projects WITHOUT following tutorials.

My first real project was embarrassingly simple: a to-do list app. But I built it from scratch, got stuck 100 times, and Googled every error message. That's where the real learning happened.

Projects I built:

To-do list with local storage
Weather app using an API
Calculator (harder than it looks!)
Portfolio website (still using it today)

Month 4: Learning React and Modern Tools

Once I had vanilla JavaScript down, I learned React. Why React? Because 90% of junior dev jobs wanted it. Simple as that.

I built my portfolio site in React, added some projects, and started making it look professional. I used Tailwind CSS because it was faster than writing custom CSS (and every job posting mentioned it).

Month 5: The Job Application Nightmare

This month almost broke me. I applied to 150 jobs. I got 3 interviews. I failed all of them. The imposter syndrome was crushing.

But I learned from each rejection. I improved my portfolio. I added more projects. I learned to talk about my work confidently even though I didn't have professional experience.

What finally worked:

Focused on remote-first companies (they care less about degrees)
Targeted startups, not FAANG companies
Customized every application (yes, all 150)
Networked on Twitter/X (got my job through a connection)

Month 6: The Offer

I got my first offer from a remote startup building SaaS tools. $95k salary, full remote, great benefits. I cried when I got the email. Not gonna lie.

The interview process was intense: technical screening, take-home project, 3 rounds of interviews. But because I had real projects and could explain my code, I proved I could do the job.

The Real Talk Nobody Gives You

This path isn't easy. I had advantages: no kids, could live with roommates to keep costs low, had some savings. If you have more responsibilities, it might take you 9-12 months instead of 6. That's okay.

What you actually need:

3-4 hours per day minimum (yes, even after work)
At least 3 solid projects to show
Understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React
Git/GitHub knowledge
The ability to explain your code
Persistence (most people quit after Month 2)

Resources That Actually Helped

The Odin Project: Best free curriculum, hands down
Frontend Mentor: Real design challenges to build
CS50 on YouTube: Computer science fundamentals
100Devs: Free bootcamp with great community

One Year Later

It's been 6 months since I got hired. I'm still learning every day, but I'm getting better. My salary just got bumped to $105k. I work from my apartment in Portland. I take bathroom breaks whenever I want.

If you're reading this from a job you hate, know that change is possible. You don't need a degree. You don't need a bootcamp. You just need consistency and refusal to quit.

Start today. Not tomorrow. Today.