I started coding a little more than a year ago, and if you look at some of the testimonials found on sites that promote career change and learning to code I should have landed my first full-time job in tech after six months or so, after all that's what many of them "promise". Real-life is a little different though, and while I am sure those people are out there I tend to think that they are the exception, rather than the rule.

I got a full-stack web development course from Udemy, and started like a house on fire! I worked through the lessons and exercises and I thought I was acing it. Progress was quick, going from a static web page to a dice game, a to-do list and eventually a blog with a database and all the bells and whistles, I mean, I was flying.

Then I finished with React, and you start thinking this really isn't that hard. First thing I thought when I was done was that now I'm gonna build that blog, and that was where the mind shift happened.

I quickly realised that just because I completed the projects in the course, (read 'coded along with') didn't mean I could build them. Suddenly design was a thing, and if you're anything like me I suggest you learn some design basics or your site might end up looking like the drawing of a six-year old.

I ploughed along for a few weeks, and the more I tried the more disheartened I became. Nothing I was doing was working. I would go back in the course, redo databases, look at the code examples, but I just wasn't getting the results I wanted. This is when I decided to take a step back.

I reevaluated what it was that I wanted to get out of learning this skill. Did I want to find a high-paying tech job? Or did I perhaps want to start a side-project that could possibly lead to full-time freelancing? The key here is self-awareness. You need to know yourself well. Long story short, I like the idea of freelancing, so my focus started to shift.

As a freelancer I'm guessing your clients are not going to care what framework you used to get the end result, they are only going to care about the end result. For me this was an important consideration because I had started drowning in different frameworks and the like. I am sure many others experience the same emotions I did (and still do to an extent).

My advice is to take a step back, reevaluate your goals, and start from there. Look for small wins. Build a static page using HTML, plain CSS and plain JavaScript. Don't get distracted by React, VUE, Bootstrap, Tailwind etc. All great tools, all worthwhile learning, I'm sure. But, you have time. You don't need to know them all to be successful.

The main thing is, keep at it. There are no shortcuts. It's like the saying goes, "How do you eat an elephant?" "Little by little."