Julia Taylor, Web Developer

We've all seen the movies with the sloppy mid-twenties guy coding in his mother's basement and living off of Cheetos and Mountain Dew. With initiatives to bring coding into schools and womxn like Julia teaching other womxn how to code, that stereotype is shifting. Womxn of all ages are learning to code and they're slowly changing the environment with them.

Julia often recommends taking on a nonprofit client as your first one. It's often donated or discounted work, which can make you a bit more comfortable in taking the time to make sure you've got everything right. You want to do a great job and having a high-pressure client right out of the gate can be unnerving. Having a low-pressure client that values your work can be just what a new business owner needs. This is also a great way to get started with reviews and testimonials. Just make sure the client knows that you're expecting an honest review at the end.

Going with free trainings is definitely possible, but it usually takes longer. Julia took about a year doing it all on her own. Looking back, she believes that she could have cut that down to a couple of months had she invested in a paid program. It's not just your main skill that you can learn faster either. Most of us could use help with learning how to market, keep our books, write copy... Having a business has a lot of moving parts and learning how to get good at them takes time, especially when you're looking to Pinterest for advice.

For links and full show notes visit compasspod.com/021