"Every expert was once a beginner. The only difference is they never gave up."
Today, we explore the journeys of five developers whose names are now famous in the tech world. But there was a time when they too struggled just like you — code didn’t run, sleep was scarce, and giving up seemed easier than continuing.
Let’s dive into their inspiring real-life stories.
Disclaimer:
This article highlights the inspiring journeys of well-known developers.
All information is based on publicly available sources, interviews, and their blogs.
This is an educational and motivational summary written in my own words.
Full credit goes to the original creators for their work and contributions to the tech community.
👩💻 Monica Lent: Turning COVID Failure into Opportunity
Who is Monica?
Monica Lent is an American software engineer living in Berlin, Germany. She is the founder of Blogging for Devs, a platform that teaches developers how to start and grow blogs. Today, she has 5,000+ email subscribers and earns four-figure monthly revenue.
Blog: bloggingfordevs.com | Twitter: @monicalent
The Days When Everything Fell Apart
In 2020, Monica had:
- A travel blog generating income
- An analytics tool called Affilimate
Then COVID hit:
- Travel blog → zero income
- Analytics tool → lost customers
- Bank balance → only ₹5,000
She stayed in bed for 3 days, crying, wondering what to do next.
Turning Point: A Single Phone Call
A less-experienced developer friend called:
"Monica, can you teach me blogging?"
That call inspired her to create a free 7-day email course. Within two weeks, 1,000+ people signed up. Her failure became her biggest opportunity.
Lessons from Monica
- Turn struggles into opportunities
- Start small to test the idea
- Help others first; success follows
- Find your niche
👨💻 Priyanshu Verma: Escaping Tutorial Hell
Who is Priyanshu?
Priyanshu Verma is an Indian developer and mentor. He runs Build What You Imagine on roastdev.com. He teaches beginners to build real projects instead of endlessly watching tutorials. Skilled in MERN stack and ML, he is also a B.Tech CSE student at Haldia Institute of Technology.
Twitter: @priyanshuverma
Stuck in Tutorial Hell
Priyanshu once faced:
- Blank screens and too many ideas
- Endless tutorials without building anything
- 6 months of daily 4-hour tutorials → no projects created
Turning Point: Start Building
He realized:
“The problem is not lack of skills, but lack of direction. Build one project, learn more than 50 tutorials combined.”
He started coding, made mistakes, fixed bugs, and grew exponentially.
Lessons from Priyanshu
- Stop watching, start building
- Mistakes are your best teachers
- Share your journey
- Direction is more important than skill
👩💻 Julia Evans: Making Learning Fun
Who is Julia?
Julia Evans is a software engineer and creator of Wizard Zines (jvns.ca). She explains complex topics like debugging, Linux, and networking using sketches and small zines.
Twitter: @b0rk
From Fear to Action
Julia once feared CSS and coding in general. Seeing her younger brother struggle with debugging, she created The Pocket Guide to Debugging — a practical, illustrated guide. The zine was so loved that she continued creating more.
Popular Zines
- Oh Shit, Git! – Git problems
- How Containers Work – Docker explained
- Bite Size Linux – Linux basics
- How DNS Works – DNS concepts
Lessons from Julia
- Find your unique style
- Reduce fear in learning
- Build for others; it improves your own skills
👨💻 Dan Abramov: Self-Taught Developer Who Changed React
Who is Dan?
Dan Abramov is a core member of the React team at Meta, co-creator of Redux, and author of Overreacted.
Twitter: @dan_abramov
Early Struggles
- 17 years old, first love heartbreak
- Low-paying first job ($18k/year) in Russia
- College left, friends gone, starting over
Turning Points
- Worked on free projects to learn Git, Python, Django, CSS, JS, and gained root access to deploy changes
- Rejected from dream job, but kept learning and building
- Created React tools, including Redux, filling gaps in the ecosystem
- Joined Facebook in 2015 and became a leading React contributor
Lessons from Dan
- Passion over degrees
- Teach to deepen understanding
- Don’t fear rejection
- Solve problems you notice
👩💻 Chip Huyen: From Vietnam Village to Stanford
Who is Chip?
Chip Huyen is a machine learning engineer, author, and educator. She has worked at NVIDIA, Netflix, and Snorkel AI, and taught at Stanford.
Blog: chiphuyen.com | Twitter: @chipro
Beginnings
- Raised in a small rice-farming village in Vietnam
- Moved to the US; faced new language and culture
- Started as a writer, then transitioned to tech
Turning Point
She combined writing skills + technical knowledge, creating content that explained ML systems in the real world. This unique perspective helped her become a recognized ML thought leader.
Lessons from Chip
- Your background is your strength
- Think beyond just code
- Hard work + humility pays off
- Build bridges between theory and practice
🎁 Bonus: Rudrank Riyam – Build in Public Inspiration
- Independent iOS developer from India
- WWDC 2019 scholarship winner, Apple intern
- Won Build in Public award
He shared the entire app-building process publicly on Twitter and YouTube, inspiring thousands of beginners.
📊 Summary Table
| Developer | Known For | Starting Point | Biggest Struggle | Key Lesson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monica Lent | Blogging for Devs | Travel blog | COVID wiped income | Turn failure into opportunity |
| Priyanshu Verma | Build What You Imagine | Tutorial hell | 6 months no project | Start building now |
| Julia Evans | Wizard Zines | Afraid of CSS | Brother needed guide | Reduce fear, teach others |
| Dan Abramov | React & Redux | 17-year heartbreak | Rejected from dream job | Don’t fear rejection |
| Chip Huyen | ML Engineering | Vietnam village | New country, new language | Your unique background is your strength |
🎯 5 Golden Tips for Beginners
- Find your niche – Focus on one area and become great at it (Monica)
- Start building – Stop consuming, start creating (Priyanshu)
- Teach as you learn – Explaining to others solidifies learning (Julia)
- Write consistently – Blog, tweet, or journal every day (Dan)
- Be unique – Your background and story are your strengths (Chip)
❓ Are You in Tutorial Hell?
Ask yourself:
- Do you watch tutorials every day but build nothing?
- Did you create zero projects in the last month?
- Do you constantly check “how to do it” while coding?
- Do you think “I’ll learn more first, then build”?
If 3 or 4 answers are yes → it’s time to break free and start building.
📝 Reader Engagement
- Which developer story inspired you the most? Comment below!
- Have you experienced Tutorial Hell? Share your story!
- Who’s your favorite developer not on this list?
💖 Final Thoughts
These developers were once beginners like you:
- Monica had no money
- Priyanshu couldn’t build for 6 months
- Julia feared CSS
- Dan faced heartbreak & rejection
- Chip started in a new country from zero
The difference? They didn’t give up.
Success takes years, not overnight. Small daily steps, learning from mistakes, sharing the journey.
Start today: one project, one blog post, one tweet. Remember: every expert was once a beginner.
✅ Your Checklist
- [ ] Follow one developer
- [ ] Read their blog
- [ ] Start a small project
- [ ] Share your journey
- [ ] Take your first step today
"Remember, Monica, Priyanshu, Julia, Dan, and Chip all started where you are. They paved the way. You will too."
"Start your first project now. Share it on Twitter with #MyFirstProject, and I’ll retweet it!"
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