How to Learn to Code and Get a Developer Job
A free, full-length book by freeCodeCamp's founder, written for people learning to code on their own, often while working another job. It treats getting hired as three parallel efforts: skills, a network and a reputation, which is exactly the shape a career switch needs.
Book
Career Growth
freeCodeCamp (Quincy Larson)
An evening or two to read
Beginner
Free
What it is
How to Learn to Code and Get a Developer Job is a full book by Quincy Larson, the teacher who started freeCodeCamp. It is published free on freeCodeCamp's news site as one long page (it was posted in 2024), and a free audiobook version is available as an episode of the freeCodeCamp Podcast. Larson himself moved into software in his thirties after working as a school director, so the book is written from the point of view of an adult with a job, bills and doubts.
What it covers
The book is organised around a simple idea: getting paid to code takes three things that you build at the same time.
- Skills: learning by building projects rather than collecting tutorials, and choosing a starting point for the web.
- Network: meeting developers at events and online without feeling fake about it.
- Reputation: putting work in public, contributing to open source and writing about what you learn.
Later chapters cover the routes to a first paid role, including freelancing for local clients and small organisations, and what to expect in your first developer job.
Why it suits career changers
Most learning resources teach code and stop there. Career changers usually stall somewhere else: they never meet anyone in the industry, or they have skills but nothing a stranger can see. This book spends as much time on those two gaps as on the learning itself. It is also honest that the process takes time and persistence, and it argues against paying large sums before you know you enjoy the work.
Who should read it, and when
Read it at the very start of a switch, before you pay for anything. It will help you decide whether the path suits you and give you a rough plan. Come back to the network and reputation chapters once you have your first projects, because they make more sense when you have something to show.
It is written mainly from a web development and United States point of view, so treat the specific job market details as examples, and check how hiring works where you live.
Free vs paid
Free to read online and free to listen to. There is nothing to buy.
Is it worth it?
Yes, for anyone considering a move into software from another field. It is not a coding course, so pair it with a structured curriculum such as freeCodeCamp's own, The Odin Project or CS50, and use the book as the plan around that learning.
Common questions
Do I need to agree with every recommendation? No. Some advice (such as starting with web technologies) reflects the author's view; other routes, such as data analytics, can make more sense for some backgrounds.
Is it only for people without a degree? No. It is useful for degree holders from other fields too, because the network and reputation advice applies to everyone.
Ready to start?
Opens on freeCodeCamp (Quincy Larson) in a new tab.
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