Transcription
If you're learning how to code in 2025, it's safe to say that you're probably not the most optimistic. Especially if you go on social media, all you see is people complaining, talking about how tough the job market is. You see memes comparing computer science students to homeless people, and everybody is discussing how AI is going to completely replace the tech industry. Soon, everyone, including myself, is going to be on the side of the road, homeless and without a job.
Now, obviously, these are exaggerations, but there is some truth to the fact that it's become more difficult to land a job, and the industry has changed drastically from where it was four or five years ago.
So, in this video, I want to give you some rules to follow if you are going to learn how to code in 2025 and discuss whether it's actually worth it. Let's go ahead and get started.
First things first, I need you to understand that this field is not designed for everybody. Just because you're smart doesn't mean you should become a software developer. Truthfully, most people should not get into this field unless you really enjoy it and it's something you actually want to do for the rest of your life. If you don't, you should not become a software developer.
A lot of the people you see complaining online are those who got into this field because of the promise of high pay. They thought they were going to make a ton of money and land a job at Google after six months of going through a boot camp. When that didn't happen, they started complaining. They weren't ready to put in more effort to actually land the job, and they quickly switched to something else because this just wasn't something they had a lot of passion for.
Now, that leads me nicely into my first rule: if you're going to learn how to code, you need to make this fun. Yes, not every topic is going to be enjoyable, but generally speaking, you should be looking forward to coding most of the time. You should be working on projects that are fun, enjoyable, and that you actually want to create. Go build a game, make a cool website, create an interesting AI model—do something that excites you.
If you just go through all of the boring theory, you're going to burn out very quickly, and it won't be sustainable. Speaking from firsthand experience, the only reason I got good at coding is that I initially did it purely for fun. I wasn't trying to land a job or grind for an internship; I was coding because it was super fun, and I loved building games and showing what I made to others.
Now, that leads me to my next point: you need to write a massive amount of code. There are no shortcuts here. You need to put in the effort and spend thousands upon thousands of hours writing code before you become a competent developer. Simply watching videos, going through courses, or reading textbooks will not make you a good programmer.
That's why so many people who go through a computer science degree come out of the program not knowing how to write code. Yes, they've done a ton of theory and understand the concepts, but they can't actually put it into their editor because they haven't put in that effort. So please be prepared for this. If you're not willing to spend thousands of hours actually writing code, this is not a field you will be able to enter.
Speaking of writing a lot of code, today's sponsor, Boot Dodev, is a fantastic platform that will guarantee you do that. Boot Dodev isn't just another learning platform; it's an innovative experience designed to keep you engaged by blending principles of modern game design with coding education. Boot Dodev makes learning backend skills not only productive but genuinely enjoyable. Best of all, you can browse all of their content completely for free.
Here's what sets it apart: Boot Dodev is all about hands-on practical learning. Instead of endless hours of passive video watching, you'll be coding directly in your browser, tackling real-world projects that grow your skills step by step. The focus is on backend development, so you'll be digging deep into areas like databases, APIs, and server-side programming, especially with Python and Go.
What I like most is that it's structured like a game. You'll earn levels as you progress, unlocking fresh content and staying motivated as you hit new milestones. The platform emphasizes actual coding exercises and projects because, let's face it, that's the only true way to get good at coding—by writing a lot of code.
And here's something else you'll love: you're not just coding in complete isolation. Boot Dodev also fosters a sense of community and provides tools to connect with others working towards similar goals. If you're serious about stepping up your backend skills or becoming a software engineer, then go to Boot Dodev now and use my discount code "Tech with Tim" for 25% off your first year on the annual plan.
Now we move to rule number three: you need to stick to one area. So many people switch between languages and frameworks, constantly learning something new. They never get good in one particular area and are never able to present themselves as niche experts, which is really what you need to be competitive in today's job market.
Look, it's great to know a lot of different things and have broad knowledge in various areas, but if you're just starting out, you're doing yourself a massive disservice if you switch between languages every few weeks. I can tell you this from firsthand experience because it happened to me, and it also happens to a ton of students I talk to.
I'll ask them what they've been learning for the past year, and they tell me a hundred different things when the answer should really be, "I got very good at Python," or "I got very good at C++," or "I'm an expert at making games." Almost none of them present that, and that's why they don't have the skills to actually be productive and land a job—they've just dabbled in a bunch of different areas.
So when you're learning how to code, it's crucial that you stay focused. Pick one area you want to excel in and ensure you complete your expertise in that area before moving on to a million different topics.
Now, that leads me to rule number four, which will help enforce rule number three: you need to follow a strict roadmap. If you don't have a roadmap, if you don't have a plan, there's no way you're going to make significant progress. You need to know the topics you're going to learn, when you're going to learn them, and a rough timeline on how long that should take you.
You should spend the effort—take a day or two—and prepare a roadmap with all the things you need to become employable. Personally, this is what I do for students in my mentorship program, Dev Launch, which you can check out through the link in the description.
The point is, almost all of them come in without any kind of plan and have no idea what they should be doing next. They're just bouncing all over the place, guessing what they should do based on the YouTube video they watched or the TikTok they saw. They don't have a structured, solid, focused plan to help them make progress and actually reach their goals.
The next rule on my list is that you need to build stuff on your own. You need to get hands-on experience in the code editor, doing something completely from scratch, without anyone helping you. No one is holding your hand, and no tutorials are walking you through everything you need to do. You simply sit there and figure out how to do it by yourself.
Sure, you can consult different resources, but the point is you need to get that experience—actually problem-solving, debugging, working through issues, and planning out your code—everything that any experienced developer does pretty much every single day.
The way you get good at software development is by struggling through problems, constantly building that resilience, and understanding how to find the resources you need when you need them to solve specific problems. So please, do yourself a favor: sit in front of the code editor, stop following all the tutorials, and just try to work on something by yourself.
If you get stuck, you can reach out to different resources, but you need to get that practice, and it's something that so many students really never get.
Now, for number six on my list: you need to be obsessed. Software development is a field you need to live and breathe. You need to constantly stay up to date, check what new languages and technologies are coming out, refresh your skills, and really just be obsessed with this field in general.
If you're not someone who's interested in new things, keeping up with technologies, or actively learning more, this probably isn't a field you want to get into or one where you'll be successful. Anyone who's a good developer is completely obsessed with this. Their whole Twitter feed is full of software development. They're watching videos, reading new documentation, checking out press releases, going to events, and talking with others in the field.
This is their life. If you ask them what they do, they say, "I'm a software developer." That's what you need to act like, and that's how you're going to get good—by being completely obsessed with this field.
Now, the last rule on my list is that you need to be comfortable failing. If you want to get good at software development, you're going to fail constantly. You're not going to get called back for an interview, you're going to fail that technical interview you go in for, and you're going to fail writing code that doesn't pass the test case. There will be bugs or errors, and you need to persevere and continue failing until eventually, you have that success.
Look, even for someone like me, who naturally was pretty good at software development and started very young, when I was applying for my first internship, I applied to about 70 different companies and only got a single interview. That was a massive fail and a huge hit to my ego, but I needed that to wake me up and realize there was more to be done if I wanted to succeed.
From there, I failed countless times. I failed interviews, failed projects, and even failed videos on YouTube that I never posted because they were so bad. But these were all great learning experiences. If I had been too scared to attempt the task in the first place, I never would have learned from it, and I never would have been where I am today.
So please, remove some of that fear. Don't be afraid to fail, and honestly, fail as many times as you can because that's where you learn the most and where you're able to level up in your career and skills in software development.
So those are my rules for you, but I want to give you a quick take on AI. A lot of people debate whether you should use AI when learning how to code. Some say don't use it at all, while others say use it for everything. My approach is a bit more nuanced, and I want to share it with you here.
If you're learning how to code, I think you should absolutely utilize AI, but specifically for the purpose of learning. Don't use it for generating code or writing all of your solutions. Use it to check your understanding and to quiz yourself. One of the best things AI can do is provide instant feedback.
If you write the solution to a program and you're not sure it's correct, give it to AI and ask it to analyze your solution and point out any mistakes. Explain a concept to it and see if it understands. Use it to augment your learning and get instant feedback quickly, but don't rely on it to actually write your code.
You should still be the one writing all the code in your editor. Don't use it for code generation, but use it as a learning resource—something like an assistant or a tutor that can guide you along the way. I've found that students of mine who do this learn much faster, but you have to be careful not to rely completely on AI and make sure you go out of your way to write code on your own.
So, anyway, that's going to wrap up this video. If you enjoyed it, make sure to leave a like, subscribe, and I will see you in the next one. [Music]