"What started as a curiosity turned into a career. From earning nothing to ₹50,000 with code – here’s my real story."
🎓 The Beginning: Just a Regular College Student
I was just another engineering student in India. Attending classes, doing assignments, and wondering what to do with my life. I didn’t come from a tech-savvy background, nor did I have money to invest in expensive courses.
One evening, while scrolling through YouTube, I came across a video titled: “How to make money online with coding.” Something clicked. That night changed everything.
💡 Step 1: Learning Coding – Completely Free
I had zero budget. But the internet is a goldmine if you’re serious. I started with the most basic tools and platforms:
🧑💻 YouTube Channels:
-
CodeWithHarry – Simple, Hindi explanations helped me understand fast.
-
Apna College – Great for DSA and project ideas.
-
Traversy Media – International level tutorials.
🌐 Free Learning Platforms:
-
freeCodeCamp.org – Gave me a full curriculum in Web Development.
-
W3Schools – Perfect for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
-
MDN Web Docs – For deeper understanding of web technologies.
🛠️ Tools I Used:
-
VS Code – For all my coding work.
-
GitHub – To upload and showcase my projects.
-
Canva – For resume and social media visuals.
-
Notion – To plan my learning and schedule.
I dedicated just 2 hours daily, and slowly I started understanding how websites work, how code becomes a product, and how people earn from it.
🔨 Step 2: Building Projects – Turning Knowledge into Skill
Learning is one thing. But applying that knowledge is where the magic happens. I began building small projects, even if they weren’t perfect:
-
A personal portfolio website using HTML, CSS
-
A To-Do List App with JavaScript
-
A Python Automation Bot that could auto-comment on Instagram
-
A Quote Generator App
I uploaded everything to GitHub and shared it on LinkedIn and Twitter. Slowly, people started noticing my work. More importantly, I built confidence.
💰 Step 3: The First Earnings – Real Money from Code
After 2-3 months of consistent learning and building, I was ready to take my first client project.
📍 Where I Got My First Gig:
-
I created a Fiverr profile and uploaded my portfolio.
-
I also joined Facebook groups related to freelance work.
-
I reached out to small businesses on LinkedIn, offering website design help.
One day, a client on Fiverr offered me ₹1,000 to fix a simple website issue. That was my first payment. It felt amazing. Not just because of the money — but because I got paid for my skill.
📈 Step 4: Scaling to ₹50,000
Once I cracked the first project, I started receiving more offers:
-
Built landing pages for startups
-
Created Python automation scripts for data scraping
-
Helped fix bugs on WordPress websites
-
Did basic SEO for blogs and small sites
Most of my income came from:
-
Fiverr & Freelancer
-
Referrals through LinkedIn
-
Selling a simple Python tool on Gumroad
Within 5 months, my total earnings crossed ₹50,000 — part-time, while still in college.
🕒 Step 5: Balancing College and Freelancing
Managing coding, learning, and college was a challenge. Here’s how I handled it:
-
Weekdays: 1-2 hours of coding after classes
-
Weekends: Focused on projects and client work
-
Reduced screen time on social media and used that energy to learn
Time management is a skill that every student-turned-freelancer needs to master.
🧠 Skills That Made Me Money
If you're starting today, focus on these high-demand skills:
-
Web Development (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React)
-
Python Automation
-
WordPress Customization
-
Bug Fixing & Optimization
-
Basic SEO and Digital Tools
You don’t need to master everything — learn one skill deeply, then monetize it.
🚀 Tools That Helped Me Grow
Here are the free tools that supported my journey:
Tool | Purpose |
---|---|
VS Code | Code editor |
GitHub | Hosting and showcasing projects |
Canva | Resume and Fiverr gig designs |
Notion | Note-taking and planning |
Grammarly | Writing better proposals |
Google Keep | Quick notes on the go |
💬 Final Thoughts: You Can Do This Too
"I didn’t have a mentor. I didn’t have money. I didn’t even know where to start. But I had time, internet, and consistency."
If you're a college student and wondering “Can I earn from coding without a degree or paid course?” — The answer is YES.
You don’t need to wait for graduation. Start today. Make mistakes. Build stuff. Share your work. The internet rewards consistency and effort.
Comments
Post a Comment