"How I Landed My First Dev Job Without a CS Degree"

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re trying to break into tech without a computer science degree—and you might be wondering if it’s even possible. I used to ask myself the same thing. Spoiler alert: yes, it is possible, and no, you don’t need a fancy diploma to become a developer.

In this post, I’ll walk you through my unconventional journey into software development, the strategies that worked, the mistakes I made, and practical advice for anyone aiming to break into tech from a non-traditional background.

🧭 My Background: Where It All Started

I didn’t major in computer science. In fact, I graduated with a degree in [insert field here, e.g., business, biology, art history] and had no idea what a for-loop was. For the longest time, I assumed programming was only for math geniuses or people who had been coding since high school. It wasn’t until I worked a job that required repetitive Excel tasks that I stumbled upon the power of automation—and that curiosity changed everything.

🔍 Step 1: Figuring Out Why I Wanted to Code

Before writing a single line of code, I had to ask myself, why am I doing this? Was it for money? Flexibility? Creative problem-solving?

The answer was all of the above. But most importantly, I wanted to build things. That motivation helped me stay grounded during the harder days when tutorials didn’t make sense, or my code refused to compile for hours.

🧱 Step 2: Choosing a Learning Path

Here’s where it gets tricky—there are too many ways to learn how to code:

• Bootcamps

• Online courses (Udemy, Coursera, freeCodeCamp)

• YouTube

• Books and blogs

• Self-made projects

I didn’t have $10,000+ to drop on a bootcamp, so I chose the self-taught route. My learning path looked something like this:

1. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript basics (freeCodeCamp, The Odin Project)

2. Version control with Git and GitHub

3. Building small projects (a calculator, a weather app, a to-do list)

4. Learning a front-end framework (React)

5. Back-end fundamentals with Node.js and Express

6. Databases (MongoDB, then later PostgreSQL)

It wasn’t linear. I bounced around, got stuck, and restarted projects—and that’s totally normal.

🧪 Step 3: Learning by Doing (a Lot)

There’s a point when tutorials stop being helpful. You have to start building things.

Here are the first few projects I made:

• Personal Portfolio Website – A static site that showed who I was, what I was learning, and links to my GitHub.

• Weather App – Fetched data from a public API and displayed it dynamically.

• Task Tracker (CRUD app)—Built with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB.

• Recipe App – With user login/authentication (using Passport.js).

Each project taught me something new—how to read documentation, how to debug, how to make API calls, and most importantly, how to Google effectively.

🌐 Step 4: Open Source & Community Involvement

I was intimidated by open-source at first, but contributing—even in small ways—gave me experience with:

• Reading unfamiliar codebases

• Collaborating through Git/GitHub

• Writing clean, documented code

• Code reviews

I started with beginner-friendly repositories tagged with good first issue, submitted pull requests, and asked questions in the repo’s Issues or Discussions tab.

📂 Step 5: Building a Solid Portfolio

Your portfolio is your resume when you don’t have a degree.

I focused on three things:

1. Quality over quantity. I included 3–4 well-built projects instead of 10 half-baked ones.

2. Clean, responsive UI. Even simple apps should look good.

3. Project write-ups. Each project had a README that explained what it did, how to run it, and what I learned.

📑 Step 6: Resume & LinkedIn

I treated my resume like code: minimal, clean, and to the point.

✅ Tips:

• Put your projects front and center

• List tech stack you used for each

• Focus on outcomes, e.g., “Built a task manager used by 50+ users”

LinkedIn was equally important. I started posting:

• What I was learning

• Screenshots of projects

• Code snippets or dev memes (yes, engagement helps)

This helped me get noticed and build a network, even as a beginner.

💬 Step 7: Applying to Jobs

This was the hardest part.

I applied to over 100 jobs. Most ignored me. Some sent automated rejections. A few gave me a shot.

Here’s what worked:

• Tailoring every application. I personalized the opening paragraph of every cover letter.

• Referrals. I DM’d people on LinkedIn (politely), asking for advice—not a job.

• Cold applications. I applied to early-stage startups, nonprofits, and local businesses.

• Freelance gigs. I did a few low-paying projects for real clients. These went on my resume.

🧠 Step 8: Learning to Interview

I bombed my first few technical interviews.

Then I realized: coding interviews are a different skill than building apps.

Here’s how I improved:

• Practiced daily on LeetCode and Exercism

• Used Excalidraw to practice whiteboarding questions

• Watched mock interviews on YouTube

• Learned to talk through my thinking, even if I didn’t finish

Behavioral questions were just as important. I had stories ready for:

• Working in a team

• Handling bugs

• Learning a new tech quickly

• Failing (and what I learned)

🎯 Step 9: The Breakthrough

I had made it to the final round for a junior developer role at a SaaS startup. After a take-home assignment and a live code review, I was offered the job.

I was honest about being self-taught. What impressed them most wasn’t my code—it was:

• My ability to learn fast

• My communication skills

• The real-world projects I built

• My GitHub history (it showed consistent effort over time)

💡 Final Thoughts & Advice

Here’s what I’d tell my past self—and you—if you’re trying to land a dev job without a CS degree:

1. You don’t need permission to become a developer.

Nobody’s going to hand you a roadmap. Take the initiative. Be scrappy.

2. Projects speak louder than certificates.

Courses are great—but proof of work wins interviews.

3. Your story is your strength.

Own your non-traditional background. It gives you a unique perspective.

4. Consistency beats intensity.

You don’t need to code 12 hours a day. Just show up every day, even if it’s 30 minutes.

5. Imposter syndrome never goes away—but you can outgrow it.

Every developer feels it. Keep pushing. It means you’re growing.

📚 Resources I Recommend

• freeCodeCamp—Full curriculum for front-end, back-end, and more

• The Odin Project—Another stellar free curriculum

• Frontend Mentor—Great for real-world front-end challenges

• JavaScript.info—Deep dive into JS

• CS50 (Harvard)—Free intro to computer science (great even if you’re self-taught)

🎉 TL;DR

• You can get a dev job without a CS degree

• Build projects. Show them off. Be consistent.

• Network and put yourself out there—even if it feels uncomfortable

• Practice coding interviews as a separate skill

• Believe in yourself, even when others don’t (yet)

If you're on this journey too, I see you—and I’ve been there. Feel free to reach out or share your story in the comments. You got this. 🚀

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