How I'd Learn to Code in 2026 (If I Had to Start Over)

The internet has never had more resources for learning to code. It's also never been noisier.

Bootcamps promising six-figure salaries in 12 weeks. YouTube thumbnails with someone looking shocked next to "I learned Python in 24 hours." AI tools that supposedly make learning obsolete. A new framework every week that's definitely the one you should be using.

If you're trying to break into this field right now, I don't envy you. Not because it's impossible — it's absolutely not — but because the signal-to-noise ratio is brutal.

I've been doing this for a while now. Long enough to watch trends come and go, to hire junior developers, and to mentor engineers who are just getting started. Here's what I'd actually do if I had to start over today.

Forget the "Perfect" First Language Debate

Every programming forum has the same tired argument: Python vs. JavaScript vs. whatever's trending this month. People will fight about this like it matters.

It doesn't. Not really.

Pick a language and go deep. The syntax isn't the hard part — it's learning to think like a programmer. That skill transfers across languages. Once you truly understand one, picking up another is mostly just learning new vocabulary for the same concepts.

If you forced me to choose, I'd say JavaScript. You can see results immediately in a browser, it's used everywhere (frontend, backend, mobile), and the job market is massive. But honestly? If Python clicks for you, do Python. The real skill you're building is learning how to learn languages, not marrying one forever.

Build Stuff Immediately

Tutorial hell is real, and I've watched people get stuck there for years.

Here's what it looks like: you complete a course, feel good about yourself, start the next course, complete that one, feel good again, and repeat. Hundreds of hours of content consumed. But when someone asks you to build something from scratch? Panic.

The dirty secret is that the discomfort of not knowing what you're doing is the learning. Tutorials give you the illusion of progress. Building things gives you the real thing.

My advice: learn basic syntax — variables, functions, loops, conditionals — then immediately build something small and dumb. A personal website. A calculator. A tool that solves some tiny annoyance in your life. It doesn't matter what it is.

You'll get stuck. You'll Google constantly. You'll feel like you have no idea what you're doing. That's the point. You'll learn more from one broken project than ten completed tutorials.

Learn How to Read Errors

New developers see red error text and freeze. I get it — it feels like the computer is yelling at you.

But here's the unlock: errors are your friend. They're telling you exactly what's wrong and usually where. Learning to read them — actually read them, not just panic — is one of the most valuable skills you can develop early.

When you hit an error, slow down. Read the message. Google it verbatim if you have to. Stack Overflow exists for a reason, and even senior engineers live there.

The skill isn't "never getting errors." That's not a thing. The skill is diagnosing them quickly and knowing where to look for answers. Start building that muscle now.

Use AI, But Don't Let It Be Your Brain

This is where I might get some pushback, but I stand by it.

AI tools are incredible. They can explain concepts, help you debug, scaffold boilerplate code, and accelerate your workflow in meaningful ways. You should absolutely use them.

But if you're copying and pasting AI output without understanding it, you're building your skills on sand.

The engineers who thrive — now and in the future — are the ones who can validate what AI produces. They can spot when it's wrong, understand why it made certain choices, and fix it when it breaks. You can't do that if you never learned the fundamentals yourself.

Use AI as a tool, not a crutch. Let it explain things to you. Let it help you get unstuck. But make sure you understand the code that ends up in your project. The shortcuts aren't worth it if they leave you helpless when something breaks.

Get Uncomfortable With the Fundamentals

Nobody wants to hear this, but some foundational knowledge isn't optional.

You don't need a computer science degree. But you do need basic mental models for how things work:

• How the web works. HTTP, requests, responses, what a server actually does. You don't need to be an expert, but you should understand the flow.
• Basic data structures. Arrays, objects, when to use what. This isn't academic — you'll use this every single day.
• Version control. Git is non-negotiable. Learn it early, even if it feels annoying. You will not get a job without it.

These fundamentals compound over an entire career. The developers who skip them eventually hit a ceiling. The ones who invest early keep climbing.

Find Your Feedback Loop

Learning in isolation is brutal. You write code, but you have no idea if it's good, bad, or held together by duct tape and prayers.

You need feedback from somewhere:

• Code reviews. Even informal ones from a friend or online community.
• Communities. Discord servers, local meetups, Twitter/X — find people who are learning alongside you or slightly ahead.
• Open source. Even small contributions show you how experienced developers structure code and communicate about it.

The goal is to shorten the gap between "I wrote this" and "I know if this is actually good." That gap closes faster when you're not doing it alone.

Ignore the Hype Cycle

There will always be a new framework, a new tool, a new "this changes everything" moment. As a beginner, most of it is noise.

You do not need to learn the latest JavaScript framework. You do not need to have opinions about Web3. You do not need to care what's trending on Hacker News this week.

What you need is depth. Pick your stack and get genuinely good at it. The fundamentals don't change nearly as fast as Twitter would have you believe.

Once you have a solid foundation, you'll know which trends actually matter and which are just hype. You'll be able to evaluate new tools from a place of knowledge instead of anxiety. But that only comes after you've put in the work on the basics.

Give yourself permission to ignore the noise.

The Unsexy Truth About Getting Hired

The job market is tough right now. I'm not going to sugarcoat that.

But here's what actually moves the needle when you're trying to land that first role:

• Portfolio over certifications. Show me what you've built, not what courses you've completed.
• Real projects over tutorial clones. A simple app that solves a real problem beats a perfect replica of something from a YouTube video.
• Communication matters. Being able to explain your code, talk through your decisions, and collaborate without being a nightmare to work with — these are real skills that real teams care about.

The market is competitive. Resilience is part of the game. Keep building, keep applying, and don't take rejection personally. Most people who make it weren't the most talented applicants — they were the ones who kept going.

What I Wish Someone Told Me

It's going to feel like everyone knows more than you. They don't — they're just further along the path. Every senior engineer you admire was once mass-Googling basic syntax and wondering if they were cut out for this.

Imposter syndrome doesn't go away. You just learn to work alongside it. Ten years in, and I still have moments where I feel like I'm faking it. That's normal. Don't let it stop you.

The engineers who make it aren't the smartest ones. They're the ones who kept showing up. Who stayed curious. Who didn't quit when it got hard.

You can do this. But there are no shortcuts worth taking.

Now close this tab and go build something.