Starting a tech career can be exciting. You hear about people getting remote jobs, building apps, freelancing, or earning in dollars. But behind the success stories are people who also struggled, failed, and restarted. I was one of them.
As a software engineer today, I’ve built real projects, earned from my skills, and grown across various stacks, from Node.js to Flutter, Django to Spring Boot, and now even Rust. But trust me, my beginning was filled with mistakes, confusion, and wrong turns.
In this article, I want to share 5 key things to consider before you begin your tech journey, so you won’t suffer the way I did. If I had known these things earlier, I would have saved myself years of frustration and burnout.
Let’s dive in.
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1. Know Why You’re Starting (Don’t Just Follow Trends)
One of the first mistakes I made was learning things just because someone else was doing them. I started with HTML because I liked the idea of creating login forms and designing simple interfaces. But then my senior in college told me to learn JavaScript instead.
I ignored that advice because I thought JavaScript was too hard. Instead, I jumped from HTML to Visual Basic (since it was part of our curriculum). Later, I ran to PHP, not because I needed it, but because my friends were doing it. I didn’t even do anything tangible with it.
The truth is: I was learning with no real direction or goal. I didn’t ask myself, “What do I want to build?” or “What path excites me long-term?”
Before you start:
- Ask yourself: Do I want to build websites, apps, games, or something else?
- Are you learning to freelance, get a job, or build a product?
- What’s your long-term vision in tech?
Clarity will save you from jumping around like I did.
2. Don’t Fear One Language — Master It First
I was scared of JavaScript at the beginning. I thought it was too difficult. So, I avoided it and kept jumping from one language to another. I tried Flutter even when my PC wasn’t powerful enough. I struggled hard. I went back to Java, which was also difficult. Then I ran into Python, only to abandon it later because I felt it was too slow.
All of this hopping around wasted my time. I kept starting from scratch over and over again.
But here’s what I later realized:
It’s better to be really good at one language than to know ten languages halfway.
If I had focused on JavaScript from the beginning, I would have gone far earlier. Eventually, I came back to it in 2023 — started fresh with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and started building projects from scratch. That’s when I saw real progress. And finally, I earned from it.
Now I use JavaScript for fullstack development with Node.js, Next.js, Nuxt.js, TypeScript, and more. I even use Rust now, but that only became possible because I first mastered one stack.
So before you begin, choose one language or tech stack, and stay with it long enough to build real projects.
3. Your Computer May Be Slow, But Your Focus Shouldn’t Be
When I started learning Flutter, my laptop couldn’t handle it well. It was slow, it crashed, and I suffered a lot. But I kept pushing. At some point, I made a few Android apps and even got a small gig that paid me.
But deep down, I knew I wasn’t growing fast. Why? Because I was forcing tools that my device couldn’t handle. I was limiting myself.
Eventually, I realized that web development (especially with JavaScript) was lighter and more accessible. I didn’t need a high-end machine to build and deploy websites.
If your device is slow:
- Don’t let that stop you, but also don’t force tools like Android Studio or heavy IDEs.
- Focus on lightweight technologies like web development, HTML, CSS, JS, and frameworks like React or Vue.
- Use online IDEs like Replit, Codesandbox, or GitHub Codespaces to practice.
It’s not about what device you have. It’s what you do with it that matters.
4. Don’t Learn Alone — You Need Community and Guidance
One of my biggest regrets was not having a mentor or guide. I was just a teenager trying to figure things out by myself. I learned in silence, struggled in silence, and wasted years trying to connect dots that someone could have explained in minutes.
Tech is hard, but it’s much harder when you’re alone.
Here’s what you should do before starting:
- Join communities (Twitter/X, Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp tech groups)
- Ask questions, no matter how small or basic they seem
- Watch others build and learn from their mistakes
- Follow tech creators or YouTubers who simplify learning
Even if you don’t find a personal mentor, the internet is full of resources and communities that can help you stay on track.
Don’t suffer in silence like I did. Tech is a team sport.
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5. It’s Not About Speed — It’s About Finishing What You Start
One of the worst traps I fell into was always chasing the next shiny thing. One day I’m learning Django, the next I’m trying Spring Boot. Then I jump to Flutter, only to run back to Java, and then to Python again. At the end of the day, I finished nothing.
I was chasing speed and variety, but not mastery.
It wasn’t until I started building real projects, stuck with JavaScript, and applied what I learned that I saw progress. I began creating fullstack apps. I earned. I gained confidence. I stopped the cycle of confusion.
Before you start your tech journey, understand this:
- It’s okay to move slow.
- But don’t quit halfway and restart something new every month.
- The people who succeed in tech are not the fastest, they are the ones who don’t quit when things get tough.
Focus on building. Even small projects like a to-do app, calculator, or weather app will teach you more than 20 tutorials ever will.
Looking back, I realize that every wrong step I took taught me something. But if I had just listened, focused, and followed a clear path, I would have reached my current level much sooner.
So if you’re about to begin your tech journey or you’re stuck and unsure where to go, I hope this article guides you.
If you follow these 5 principles, you’ll avoid the confusion I went through and set yourself on a focused, rewarding path in tech.
Do you relate to this story? Have you jumped between tech stacks like I did?
Drop a comment below and share your experience, let’s help each other grow.