I turned my hobbies into my job, which in turn allowed me to add more hobbies to do in my free time.

I'm a web developer coming from a game dev enthusiast background.

I really love what I do, being a self-taught also helped me understand why self-interest is the most important aspect to find a job you can truly enjoy.

My only advice to who is aiming for it is: burn your thick books, ask your online course a refund, then open a code editor and actually do something. It might sound stupid, but if you're sincerely interested in learning, you can manage to learn and find the resources you need without draining your wallet.