I was a writer and executive assistant with a solid liberal arts education when I first encountered WordPress in 2009. Since then, I’ve gone from knowing only very small bits of HTML to working full time as a developer. In this session I’ll talk about how I transitioned to a career in web development while working full time, how I’ve continued to polish my skills along the way, and how I’m leveling up now that Gutenberg has been released. We’ll cover suggestions on what to learn first, strategies on how to learn technical subjects, resources I’ve found helpful both offline and around the web, how to get experience with real projects, and perhaps most importantly, how the WordPress community can be an amazing resource to help guide you along the way.