WelcomeUser Guide
ToSPrivacyCanary
DonateBugsLicense

©2026 Poal.co

170

At this point, I am beginning to narrow down what I would like my focus to be in. I am interested in cloud computing and cyber security at the moment, but am still open to other facets that may be easier to break into.

I am enrolled in the Harvard CS50 course right now, and am looking for other good platforms to learn on. I have found a couple of youtubers where I am learning python at the moment, and Java to start. If you think I should be learning any other languages at first, let me know.

If you are self taught, let me know how you became employed in tech, if not, tell me what I should be doing/looking for/working on to make a break into tech.

I have read many stories of self taught devs getting jobs in the industry, all across the board, so I know it's not impossible, I would just like some tips and pointers to help me on my journey.

I am not that smart yet, so go easy on me, but I will be listening to all advice. This is something that I feel called to do, because I am interested in it, and can see it as something that will support me and my family long term, and something that I can do from the comfort of my own home.

All advice appreciated and accepted.

Thanks.

At this point, I am beginning to narrow down what I would like my focus to be in. I am interested in cloud computing and cyber security at the moment, but am still open to other facets that may be easier to break into. I am enrolled in the Harvard CS50 course right now, and am looking for other good platforms to learn on. I have found a couple of youtubers where I am learning python at the moment, and Java to start. If you think I should be learning any other languages at first, let me know. If you are self taught, let me know how you became employed in tech, if not, tell me what I should be doing/looking for/working on to make a break into tech. I have read many stories of self taught devs getting jobs in the industry, all across the board, so I know it's not impossible, I would just like some tips and pointers to help me on my journey. I am not that smart yet, so go easy on me, but I will be listening to all advice. This is something that I feel called to do, because I am interested in it, and can see it as something that will support me and my family long term, and something that I can do from the comfort of my own home. All advice appreciated and accepted. Thanks.

(post is archived)

[–] 2 pts

Really good info, thank you

[–] 6 pts

I would suggest to start with GIT if you are doing any kind of development. The 4-year I was going to didnt teach any kind of source control and students were constantly being told by companies they applied to that it was expected for them to have experience in it.

Even sysadmins should be using git most of the time with all of the automation going around (such as ansible).

A bonus of having some projects publicly on github is that you can use it as part of a portfolio. Just make sure you only use it for things you want to show off.

Otherwise Python is a good choice as it is the most popular language of 2022 (And has been for a while now). https://statisticstimes.com/tech/top-computer-languages.php

[–] 1 pt

I appreciate the advice. I am overwhelmed with it and thats why I love poal!

[–] 1 pt

Feel free to DM me if you need help with stuff. Im not much of a programmer but I do a lot of tech stuff and I am self-taught.

I think one of the best suggestions I have is "Pick a project". It doesn't matter if you are just following tutorials or someone's howto's. Pick something that you want to mess with or learn and just do it. You will learn a lot that way.

Ex. Don't like advertisements/Tracking? Build a "PiHole" for your home network. You will learn about some Linux, Networking, DNS, etc.. Plus, you get to block ads and tracking stuff before it gets to your desktop/laptop/tablet/etc.

You also do not need to run it on a Raspberry PI since they are hard to get and expensive now. Any simple SBC (Single Board Computer) will do. Or just a virtual machine on a laptop/desktop (but if you configure your network to use it, you will want something that runs 24/7).