How I Conquered freeCodeCamp‘s Full Stack Curriculum in 9 Months – While Working a Full-Time Job
Nine months ago, I made a decision that would alter the course of my career: to work through the entire freeCodeCamp curriculum – over 1400 hours of tutorials, projects, and certifications – with the goal of launching myself into a full-time role as a software developer.
One catch: I‘d be doing it alongside my current 9-5 job. As a financial analyst.
Was I crazy? Quite possibly. Learning software development is a massive undertaking on its own. To tackle it while holding down a mentally taxing full-time job, well, let‘s just say I knew I was in for a challenge.
But I was determined to make it happen. And now, 9 months later, I‘ve emerged on the other side victorious – with 6 freeCodeCamp certifications, a portfolio packed with complex applications, and most importantly, a fulfilling new career as a full-stack engineer.
In this post, I want to pull back the curtain on exactly how I accomplished this. I‘ll dive into the nitty-gritty of my learning schedule, the specific strategies and techniques I employed to make rapid progress, and the many lessons I learned along the way.
Whether you‘re considering a similar journey or are already in the trenches of learning to code, my aim is that by sharing my experience, you‘ll pick up some practical insights to fuel your own progress.
Designing My Learning Routine
The bedrock of my success was crafting a learning schedule that was both sustainable and effective given my constraints. As a financial analyst, my workdays were often unpredictable – late nights poring over spreadsheets were not uncommon. I knew consistency would be key, but I‘d need to be strategic about when and how I incorporated freeCodeCamp study blocks.
Here‘s the weekly routine I settled on:
| Time Block | Activity |
|---|---|
| 6:00 – 7:30 AM | Code – freeCodeCamp curriculum |
| 7:30 – 8:30 AM | Commute and review concepts |
| 6:30 – 9:30 PM | Code – projects and implementation |
| Saturday | 4-6 hours focused coding |
| Sunday | 4-6 hours focused coding |
A few key things to note:
- Mornings were for learning new concepts when I was freshest
- Evenings were for cementing that knowledge through hands-on practice
- Weekends were for larger project work and diving deeper into complex topics
- All in all, I was averaging 20-25 hours per week of focused study
Was it a grind? Absolutely. There were plenty of days I wanted to hit snooze or veg on the couch after work instead of cracking open my laptop. But I treated my freeCodeCamp work as non-negotiable, the same way I would a college class or a part-time job. That consistency was crucial – it kept me making steady progress even when motivation dipped.
Of course, life happens, and some weeks this schedule got derailed by work crises, family obligations, or much-needed rest. I learned not to beat myself up over the occasional off-day or disrupted week. The key was getting back on track as quickly as possible.
Strategic Learning Techniques
With limited hours to devote to learning, I needed to make every minute count. Over the months, I honed in on a few learning techniques that enabled me to move through the curriculum efficiently while still getting a deep understanding of the material.
Active Recall
After completing a tutorial or lesson, rather than moving straight onto the next, I‘d close my laptop and attempt to verbally summarize the key points I‘d just covered to an imaginary audience (or very patient significant other). Anything I found myself stumbling over, I‘d revisit and review. This habit of active recall helped solidify new concepts in my memory much more effectively than passively consuming information.
Spaced Repetition
Memory is a muscle – it needs to be exercised regularly to maintain its strength. To combat the natural forgetting curve, I deployed a simple spaced repetition system. After initially learning a concept, I‘d make a point to revisit my notes and practice problems on it after 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, and 30 days. These quick refresher sessions dramatically improved my retention.
Here‘s an example of how I used spaced repetition to cement my understanding of JavaScript closures:
| Interval | Activity |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | Learn closure concept via freeCodeCamp lesson |
| Day 1 | Review closure notes, rework example problem |
| Day 3 | Implement closure in a small practice project |
| Day 7 | Teach the closure concept to a fellow learner |
| Day 30 | Encounter closures in the wild on a real project, reflect on initial learning |
Chunking
The freeCodeCamp curriculum covers an enormous breadth of material. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, I broke it down into manageable "chunks" using the Pomodoro Technique. I‘d set a timer for 25 minutes, focus intensely on a single concept or problem, then reward myself with a short break. After 4 "pomodoros", I‘d take a longer break.
This approach helped me maintain my focus and avoid burnout, while still making measurable progress each day. I used a simple tracking sheet to log my pomodoros – here‘s a sample from a typical Saturday coding session:
| Pomodoro | Activity |
|---|---|
| 1 | Responsive Web Design Principles lesson |
| 2 | Applied Visual Design challenges |
| 3 | Applied Accessibility challenges |
| 4 | Tribute Page project |
| … | … |
Over the course of a month, those focused 25-minute blocks really added up.
Overcoming Barriers
While I‘d love to say my journey through freeCodeCamp was nothing but smooth sailing, the reality is that I faced my fair share of obstacles and setbacks. Here are a few of the major challenges I encountered and how I navigated them.
Knowledge Gaps
Having no formal computer science background, I entered freeCodeCamp with some significant gaps in my understanding, particularly around lower-level programming concepts. I remember struggling mightily with the JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures section, spending hours trying to wrap my head around concepts like recursion and algorithm complexity.
When I reached an impasse like this, I had to be willing to step outside the curriculum and seek other resources. I leaned heavily on supplemental material like Colt Steele‘s JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures Masterclass on Udemy and Gayle Laakmann McDowell‘s seminal book Cracking the Coding Interview. I also made extensive use of freeCodeCamp‘s forum, reading through others‘ explanations and posting my own questions when I was truly stuck.
It was humbling to confront the limits of my knowledge, but each one of these deep dives expanded my understanding tremendously.
Impostor Syndrome
As I progressed through the curriculum and started building more complex projects, I frequently found myself grappling with impostor syndrome – the nagging feeling that I was somehow faking it, that I didn‘t belong in the world of "real" programmers.
This was especially acute when I‘d explore the codebases of established open-source projects or read technical articles by seasoned developers. I‘d look at their elegant, effortless-seeming code and think to myself, "I could never build something like that."
The antidote, I found, was simply to keep building anyway. The more projects I added to my portfolio, the more job-applicable skills I checked off, the more my confidence grew. I also made a point to connect with other early-career developers, both online and locally. Hearing that they shared many of the same doubts and insecurities was hugely validating.
The reality is, impostor syndrome never really goes away – I still battle it frequently in my new role as a full-stack developer. But I‘ve learned to acknowledge it, put it in perspective, and most importantly, not let it stop me from tackling ambitious projects and putting my work out there.
Burnout
Putting in 20+ hours a week of mentally taxing work on top of a stressful full-time job was a recipe for burnout, and indeed, I found myself teetering on the edge of it several times throughout my freeCodeCamp journey.
Ironically, it was usually after my most productive periods that I‘d find myself the most drained. I‘d power through a sections, firing on all cylinders, only to wake up one day utterly depleted, the thought of looking at another line of code triggering a visceral "nope" response.
Over time, I learned to recognize the early warning signs: irritability, difficulty focusing, a drop in enthusiasm for coding. When those red flags appeared, I knew it was time for a break.
Typically I‘d force myself to take a full weekend off, catch up on sleep, get outside, see friends (a non-negotiable outlet even in the busiest times). I also got better at pacing myself. Rather than cramming, I tried to maintain a steady tempo, punctuated by regular recharge periods.
Burnout is a very real danger in any intensive learning journey. Treat it seriously, and don‘t feel guilty about taking the time you need to restore your energy and enthusiasm. Your studies will be far more productive in the long run.
The Payoff
After 9 months of intensive study and practice, I‘d polished off the final project of freeCodeCamp‘s curriculum: building, from scratch, a full-stack web application using React, a Node/Express backend, and MongoDB. I remember that final PR, the rush of clicking "Mark as Complete," savoring the sight of that sixth certification badge populating on my public profile.
It was a huge accomplishment, one that represented hundreds of hours of concentrated effort – but it was only the beginning. The real reward was the knowledge and skills I‘d developed along the way, and how they‘d transform my career trajectory.
Leveling Up My Technical Toolkit
By the end of my freeCodeCamp journey, I‘d built up a formidable toolkit of job-applicable skills:
| Skill Area | Proficiencies Gained |
|---|---|
| Front-End Development | HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript ES6+, React, Redux, jQuery, Bootstrap, Sass |
| Back-End Development | Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, Mongoose, Authentication/Security |
| Testing/Debugging | Jest, Mocha, Chai, Postman, Chrome DevTools |
| Developer Tools/Workflow | Git, GitHub, NPM, Agile Methodology, Trello, VS Code |
But more valuable than any individual language or framework was the problem-solving capability I‘d honed. Through hundreds of algorithm challenges, bug squashing sessions, and project roadblocks, I‘d developed an approach to tackling complex problems and a confidence that I could figure out even the most daunting of coding tasks. That was the real superpower.
Building a Job-Worthy Portfolio
The beauty of freeCodeCamp‘s project-based approach is that you emerge with a robust portfolio of apps and websites that demonstrate your abilities far more effectively than any resume ever could. By the end, I had:
- 5 responsive websites, including a clone of a popular tech blog
- A deep-dive "Documentation Page" on a JavaScript topic, complete with code samples and demos
- A "Personal Portfolio" site showcasing my best projects
- A full-stack "Issue Tracker" app for managing software bugs
- An AI-powered "American Sign Language Recognition" app using TensorFlow.js
- Scores of bite-sized front-end projects, from calculators to games to data visualizations
Having this body of work to point to gave me a huge leg up in the job search process. I remember in one interview, the hiring manager was so impressed by my "Exercise Tracker" app that he had me walk through the codebase and explain my architectural decisions. That turned into an on-the-spot offer.
Nailing the Technical Interview
The true test of my newly-acquired skills came during the technical interview process for developer roles. Thanks to freeCodeCamp‘s heavy emphasis on Data Structures and Algorithms, I was well-prepared for the typical coding challenges and whiteboarding sessions.
Though I was anxious in those initial interviews, I found that I was able to reason through problems and articulate my thought process far more effectively than I would have just months prior. I certainly wasn‘t perfect – I stumbled plenty and had my fair share of "I have no idea" moments. But I was able to showcase my problem-solving approach, talk through tradeoffs and edge cases, and propose viable solutions.
With each interview, my confidence grew. And after dozens of applications and a handful of onsite interviews, I landed an incredible opportunity as a full-stack engineer at a fast-growing tech startup. I still marvel at that – in under a year, I went from a total programming novice to a full-fledged, professionally employed software developer. And I owe so much of that transformation to freeCodeCamp.
Lessons Learned
Looking back on my journey, a few key lessons stick out that I think are valuable for anyone undertaking a self-directed learning challenge like freeCodeCamp.
First and foremost, consistency beats intensity. It wasn‘t the 12-hour Saturday coding binges that got me through the curriculum, it was the daily commitment to putting in focused work, even if just for an hour. Small steps, taken consistently, will get you to your goal faster than sporadic leaps.
Second, get comfortable with being uncomfortable. So much of learning to code is repeatedly confronting what you don‘t know and pushing through that discomfort. Embrace the challenges, the bugs, the frustrating hours spent stuck on a problem. That‘s where true growth happens.
Finally, the greatest asset you can cultivate is persistence. There will be times when you doubt your abilities, when you feel like an impostor, when the hill ahead looks insurmountably steep. The ones who succeed are the ones who keep climbing anyway. Fall in love with the process, and trust that your efforts will bear fruit, even if you can‘t see it yet.
Looking Ahead
Completing freeCodeCamp was a transformative experience – one that kick-started an exciting new chapter in my career. But in many ways, I feel like I‘m just getting started. I‘m still in my first year as a professional developer, still honing my skills and tackling new challenges every day.
But the beauty is, I now have a proven roadmap for expanding my capabilities. Whenever I want to level up my skills or dive into a new domain, I return to the core principles that served me so well during my freeCodeCamp days: set a goal, carve out focused time, find high-quality resources, build real projects, and constantly push beyond my comfort zone.
Whether you‘re considering embarking on the freeCodeCamp journey yourself, or are engaged in another form of self-directed learning, I hope my story offers some inspiration and practical guidance. Know that it won‘t be easy – nothing truly rewarding ever is. But if you commit yourself fully, stay focused on your goals, and keep putting one foot in front of the other, you‘ll be amazed by how far you can go.
Happy coding!