Making money is essential. It’s imperative. Because thats’ how we people can sustain and live our lives.

So if you’re learning to code, I can feel your pressure to start making money as soon as possible with your skill. You want to learn as much as you can and then land your high-paying dream job.

But the reality is different from that. It’s easier. You don’t have to wait months or years before making your wallet bigger with your skills. You can start making money even while learning to code.

Sounds fantastic, right? You can learn something you love and get paid in the meantime. Let’s see how you can do it.

1. Writing on Medium

I started writing on this platform one year ago. I wanted to share the results of what I was learning and my experiences as a professional developer.

I haven’t always been consistent with my writing, but since my second month, I’ve been in the top 1% of writers earning more than 100 dollars every month.

And in the months where I write more, you can see the results I can get:

My earnings in December 2020 when I was consistent with my writing

On Medium, technology, and coding, in particular, have always been trending topics. There are a lot of great publications waiting for your articles to be shared.

So if you want to get your hands dirty in the art of writing while learning to code, this could be an amazing opportunity for you. I suggest that, for every topic that you learn, you write an article about it.

For example, if you just learned about loops in JavaScript, you could write articles like these:

The best ways to loop through an array in JavaScript
Modern ways to write the for loop in JavaScript

See? The opportunities are endless. With writing on Medium, you can make money, build online authority (and possibly be noticed by hiring companies), and also sediment what you’re learning.

Don’t be discouraged by the fact that you’re not a professional writer. Unperfect writing often leads to what readers on this platform love the most: humanity and warmth.

2. Writing for Paying Agencies

While Medium is a fantastic platform to make money while learning to code, it also requires a lot of effort in constant publishing by yourself. A less time-consuming way to earn money with writing is to apply to paying agencies looking for writers who can talk about programming-related topics.

I’ve worked with many of these companies, and I’m still working with some. I guarantee you that the pay per article is exceptionally high. Usually, for a 1500 words long piece, you can be sure to take home about 300$.

While some of these companies do not require a writer’s portfolio to work with them, some ask you for some writing samples. This requirement takes us back to Medium as an excellent choice for beginners, because even if you can’t get to earn money on Medium, you’re still building your writer’s background.

You’re improving; your writing is improving. And you will be able to showcase it to potential companies once you feel confident to do so.

3. Freelancing

Recently, I started my newsletter on how to become a web developer. As you can imagine, I’m not Oprah or any other influential celebrity. So you can imagine that nobody really subscribed to it just because: “hey, it’s Piero.”

However, after one week of release, my mail-list had more than 100 subscribers to it. Do you know why?

Because I wasn’t afraid to personally reach to people who I thought might be interested in what I could do for them. I scouted my Linkedin list and my Gmail account looking for people who might be interested in joining the list.

I wrote to them, and they happily participated in my project. So how is this all related to freelancing?

Well, freelancing as a beginner developer is not only about your skills but in your ability to market yourself to potential clients. You need to have the ability to communicate your usefulness to them.

Get yourself a list of 20 local businesses, friends, family members who may need a website. And then, personally contact them to propose your service. There is no shame in offering a professional product you’re sure you’re qualified to create.

Also, subscribe to platforms like Upwork and freelancer, work hard there to get your first clients. Over-deliver the first projects and ask for positive reviews.

You will soon see your clients exponentially increase.

Conclusion

If you’re learning to code, you don’t have to close yourself in your room waiting to see the light at the end of the tunnel one day. Put your head out right now, recognize the infinite possibilities that this skill can give you economically, and take advantage of them right now.

You can do it, and you will do it if you follow the advice I’ve given to you. And once you get to earn your first dollar, a thousand more will come.

Piero