Ask HN: What to expect when a completely new coder
He's taking it cautiously, but I pointed him at Python and suggested a few sample projects, and he's only got a few hours of coding under his belt but it's obvious he enjoys it and is a quick study. Once he has the basics down we plan to expand his exposure so he can learn what specialties (web, backend, etc) might appeal to him. This is all going very well.
My problem is that I have no idea what to tell him to expect going forward. I have no idea how long it will take him (using his spare time) to advance from "I made a text-based simple calculator" to "I can talk to databases and spit out web pages" to "I am employable at a salary equal or better than my current salary (40-50k)". I have no idea how a NEW coder finds work vs an experienced coder. It's been 20 years since I was new to this, I had coded for years before I entered the market, and the industry has changed a lot since then anyway.
A few factoids: * He has BA degree in an unrelated field * We are in Seattle, WA, USA * He is not currently looking at a bootcamp or other rapid training unless that is necessary * He is recently married and they are looking to start a family, so an amount of stability is required.
Has anyone had experience that is more relevant/helpful? Any non-obvious pitfalls that it makes sense to avoid?