There comes a time when you just have to bite the bullet and just immerse yourself in a project. As a self-taught developer this is something I’ve learnt over the years. Initially when I started out I was enrolling on a lot of online courses, getting enthused about a new programming language or data science course and then life gets in the way and never ever completing the course.
In the last few years, I’ve become a bit more confident in my ability to learn as I go, and if I’m unsure about something to seek help from the wider community. I’ve launched several side hustles and most recently decided to re-learn Python by buying a SaaS business. What this does is throw myself in the deep end and forces me to put into practice some of the stuff the courses are teaching.
Taking on someone else’s sidehustle when they’ve created a SaaS from scratch does not suit everyone. There’s going to be a lot of discovery and playing detective, but once you get over that steep learning curve and start making commits improving on existing functionality and filling in some of the gaps it becomes very rewarding.
So my advice to anyone thinking of starting a side-project but doesn’t feel totally confident in the chosen tech stack, I’d say just go for it. The best way to learn is by doing!
Full Stack Web Developer with knowledge and experience in the following: HTML 5, CSS 3, SASS, Javascript, NodeJS, ReactJS. I love taking on E-commerce projects, specifically Shopify Basic/Advanced/Plus, and also projects with a strong SEO focus.
