I've been wanting to change careers for months and get into programming, but bootcamps cost a fortune. I've seen there are free platforms out there but I don't know which ones are reliable or if they actually teach well enough to get a job.
Most free platforms like freeCodeCamp, Codecademy (the free part), and Khan Academy genuinely teach well, but here's what nobody tells you: you need to be brutally disciplined. It's not that the courses are bad, it's that without someone pushing you from behind and without clear structure, a lot of people drop out halfway. I've seen people learn from free stuff and land jobs, but they were the ones sitting down at 6 in the morning every single day like it was an obligation. YouTube also has channels that are pure gold (Traversy Media, The Net Ninja) though you have to know how to filter because there's a ton of low-quality content floating around.
What I'd actually do is start with the most practical stuff: Python or JavaScript, those are the languages with the most demand and easiest to learn. Practice on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank where you can solve real problems, because that's what they're gonna ask you in interviews. Then build your own projects (an app, a website, whatever) and put everything on GitHub. That's what employers are gonna look at when you apply, not some bootcamp certificate. Bootcamps are worth it if you need someone to get your life together for three months, but if you've got discipline, you save yourself the money.
The trick is that while you're learning, already start looking for small freelance gigs or internships even if they're unpaid, because real experience teaches you things no course will. And be realistic: it's genuinely gonna take months, not weeks. But if you do it right, it costs almost nothing.
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