Stage 1 · Lesson 3 of 7
What a switch costs
A switch has three kinds of cost. First, money you pay: courses, exam fees, a laptop that can run development tools, and reliable internet. Second, money you do not earn: reduced hours, a lower first salary, or months without income if you study full time.
This is called , the value of what you give up. Third, time taken from rest, family and overtime. The last two are usually far bigger than the first.
Add all three together and you have the full cost of a switch. Most beginner material is free. That is why this roadmap tells you to learn free first, and pay only when you know exactly what the payment buys. Later, the money and risk stage turns this into your .
Common trapcounting only the course fee and ignoring the income and hours the switch will take.
A question to check yourself, an AI practice session and 1 cheat sheet entry come when you add the roadmap to your account. Add it
Resources for this stage
Start with
- BookFreeHow to Learn to Code and Get a Developer Job
freeCodeCamp (Quincy Larson) · Beginner
Free book by someone who switched in his thirties: skills, network and reputation built in parallel
Keep handy
Also worth your time
A short, realistic look at what moving into software from a non-technical background involves
- The Pragmatic EngineerGo deeper
How hiring in tech is changing right now, when you want the wider market picture