How to be a software developer and make 6 figures without a degree

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Chan With A Plan, host Max Chan speaks with Emily Hill, Founder of Joy of Coding Academy. In this conversation Emily discusses how she started the Joy of Coding Academy school, and how she is able to train anyone with a non-technical background to be a 6 figure developer within 6 months as long as they put in consistent work. 

 

QUOTES

• “We need everybody involved in designing and developing software. That's why I do what I do. Because right now, the only software we have is being created by the people that just got it. But there's so much value when you bring in other areas of expertise, everyone has a superpower, like, we're all looking to find and share our superpowers.”- Emily Hill
• “What differentiates [a 6 figure developer with a 5 figure developer] is that a 5 figure developer is not going to have any experience working on a team. And they're not going to know that much. They might know HTML, CSS, and some JavaScript with the web stack. But they may not have experienced the major framework, they probably don't have a lot of back end skills, they may not be very good problem solvers, they're getting their foot in the door, and they're getting tried out.” - Emily Hill
• “There's only one requirement, you don't have to be a math whiz, you don't have to be a genius, you don't have to be able to work 24/7. But you do have to be able to show up and practice and do the work. So that's like two hours a day, can you cut out two hours a day to invest in your dream of becoming a six figure developer, and if you can't, it's not going to work.” - Emily Hill

 

TIMESTAMPS

• [1:18] Meet Emily
• [5:38] The difference between programming and computer science
• [7:17] How Emily learned computer programming languages on her own
• [14:29] How Emily landed her first job as a programmer and how she developed the Joy of Coding Academy to teach others
• [18:29] The essential programming language to learn first
• [21:17] How Emily condensed her curriculum to 6 months 
• [23:12] The 7 fundamentals of computer programming
• [23:53] Common obstacles Emily’s students have faced when learning programming
• [25:16] Difference between The Joy of Coding Academy and a bootcamp
• [30:52] How Emily helps her students with their job search
• [32:16] Difference between a 6 figure programmer and a 5 figure programmer
• [36:28] How to continue to build up your skills once you graduated from the academy and landed your first job
• [40:52] The mindset you need to have if you want to learn to become a programmer
• [42:45] Biggest challenge in starting up the Joy of Coding Academy
• [44:56] Biggest career challenge Emily has faced, and what steps she took to overcome it to get to where she is today 
• [46:32] Contacting Emily
• [47:49] Outro

 

RESOURCES & RELEVANT LINKS

• Joy of Coding Academy Website
• Joy of Coding Academy Facebook Group
• Chan With A Plan
• Chan With A Plan Facebook Group