As we make our way through life, we are faced with many choices that can ultimately determine whether our lives are fulfilled or empty. These choices are not always easy, but the good news is that we have the power to choose. For me, a series of unfulfilling jobs ultimately led me to pursue a career in something that feels more meaningful. So in my case, it was web development.

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Crossroads

Interestingly enough, there was no need to spend thousands of dollars on online IT academies, bootcamps or college in order to learn what I needed to know. But I was not aware of that, I took the bait and purchased an online academy. The academy did not bring me much closer to my goal, but it did create a spark of interest in web development.

There is actually a wealth of free information available online, and with enough time and effort, I was able to teach myself the skills I needed to succeed. I chose front-end development because it seemed like the perfect mix of creativity and technical ability.

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Roadblocks

But learning to code is not easy. It can be frustrating, time-consuming, and sometimes downright frustrating. However, the alternative was to continue working at jobs that drained my soul, and I knew that wasn't an option. So I persevered, and over time, the hard work began to pay off.

As I progressed in my learning, I faced a new challenge: how to finance my education while I was still a full-time learner. I solved this problem by taking a job abroad in a supermarket storage facility. It wasn't the most glamorous work, but it allowed me to save enough money to focus on learning full-time when I returned home.

After a few months of hard work, I was able to land my first job as a web developer. From there, my skills and experience began to snowball, and I was able to take on more and more complex projects.

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Imposter

But even as I accomplished more and more, there was a voice in the back of my mind that told me I wasn't good enough, that I was a fraud.

This is a common problem known as imposter syndrome, and the best way to cope with it is to ignore it to some extent and focus on the feedback and encouragement of your colleagues and other skilled individuals.

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Go for it

In the end, the key to success is to not overthink things and just do the work. If you put in the time and effort, you can achieve great things. I went from a beginner learning the basics of coding to building complex, real-world web applications in just a couple of years.

So don't let fear hold you back. Add some consistency to your day-to-day life, do the homework, and go for it.

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From "hello world" to web application