Stage 3 of 8 · 6 lessons · ~1 week

Money, risk and the people around you

Plan how to fund your switch without betting everything on it: know your runway, keep income as long as you can, expect a possible pay reset and bring your family into the plan.

Start: Your runway

Lessons· one lesson for each topic, in this order

Do this

Calculate your runway from real spending, keeping an emergency buffer.
Decide which income you will keep, and the conditions for reducing it.
Look up junior pay for your target role where you would work.
Set checkpoint dates at three, six and twelve months with evidence to review.
Write a plan B in one paragraph.
Talk to the people affected by your switch.
Choose a weekly pace with at least one rest day.

Keep handy

levels.fyi
Check junior pay for your target role and city before you plan around a salary
Glassdoor
Salary ranges for local companies and roles that levels.fyi does not cover

Also worth your time

How to Learn to Code and Get a Developer JobRead
Its chapters on getting paid include keeping income while learning and freelancing first

Before moving on: A one-page money and risk plan: your runway, the income you will keep, junior pay for your target role compared with today, checkpoint dates with evidence to review, a plan B, and notes from a conversation with your family.

Tauseef's advice

If you are studying without a job, runway is your clock. Know exactly how many months you have, and consider part-time or stepping-stone work early rather than when savings run out. A support or QA job while you learn is progress, not failure.