Coding is the new literacy! Or was it the new latin? In any case, there’s a lot of talk about how we should all learn to code. But is it that simple? 

A lot of people are curious about a (second) career in tech and start of with a workshop or an online class. But it's hard to tell what the next step could be - between being an interested beginner and having the basic knowledge level to start out as a trainee or junior developer lies a big blank space and a lot of doubts, especially if you come from a non-technical background and / or an underrepresented group in tech. At least, that's how I felt when I thought about how I could achieve this career switch.

I'd like to share with you how I proceeded after deciding that I really want to do this, how long it took me, what ressources I used (it's all on the internet!), what obstacles I faced (an awful lot of self-doubt) and what I would do differently now, looking back (spoiler: quite a bit). To take this decision and stick with it, it was very important to hear stories of other people who had done it before me, to hear that it actually can be done. Yes, by you too! Therefore I hope to give some hands-on advice on self-teaching, finding people to help you and even finding a job, as well as answering some of the questions I asked myself.