10 Essential Skills for Self-Taught Developers

I’d like to take you on a journey back in time, precisely 15 years ago, when my journey into software development began. As a younger me, armed with nothing but curiosity, I was introduced to the html and css.

In the beginning, it was all about figuring out the basics. HTML websites were my training ground. Then came PHP, followed by JavaScript. Every new language was like a puzzle. This wasn’t a walk in the park — every line of code, every bug was a battle fought and won.

What made this journey bearable, and indeed enjoyable, were the fellow travellers I met along the way — the coding community. I became a frequent visitor to coding forums, a place teeming with others who shared my passion and were always ready to lend a helping hand.

The thrill of it all was in the exploration. Each day brought a new challenge, a new piece of code to try, or an innovative idea that sprang up overnight. I remember particularly enjoying creating game bots when I learned C#.

But remember, it wasn’t just about hard work and perseverance. Fun was an integral part of the journey. After all, when you enjoy what you do, learning becomes not a chore, but a pleasure. So here I am, ready to share the essential skills I’ve picked up along my 15-year journey as a self-taught developer.