In programming side hustles, it's how you keep going, not talent, that makes the difference

"It would be nice if I could earn money through programming."

I think there are probably quite a lot of people who have thought that.

A side hustle YouTube video you saw during your commute. The "I reached 50,000 yen a month" posts flowing through your social media feed. The "programming side hustle for beginners" search you did after looking at your company pay stub.

But at the same time,

"I don't feel like I can do it."
"It seems like only smart people can do it."
"Maybe it's too late for me at my age."

Feelings like these always follow along, too.

That's why, even though you're interested, you look at study materials, close them, and then search again a few weeks later. I think there are quite a few people who are stuck in that cycle.

A programming side hustle is certainly not easy.

But in reality, rather than a world where "only talented people survive," it's more of a world where "people who kept going little by little, even if they didn't fully understand it," are the ones who remain.

And perhaps, what many people really wanted wasn't "becoming an engineer" itself, but rather,

"the feeling of knowing you have value outside of your company"

that might be it.

"If I could earn money through programming" is always somewhere in the back of your mind

Many people who search for programming side hustles don't start out thinking, "I want to become a freelancer."

Rather, it's often,

"I'm a little anxious relying only on my current company."
"I'd feel more secure if I had another source of income."
"I want to have some kind of skill."

It often starts from that kind of "quiet sense of crisis."

Especially recently, the sense of security from lifetime employment has faded significantly. Even if you work hard, the feeling of "will I be okay like this?" never goes away.

That is perhaps why the word "programming" keeps catching your attention.

I want skills that are useful outside of the company

Even if you are valued at work, sometimes the anxiety doesn't go away.

You work every day, complete your tasks, and your boss doesn't see any particular problems. But you have a feeling that your evaluation is confined only to within the company.

When you look at job change sites.
When you see news about AI.
When you see posts of younger freelancers working freely.

Suddenly,

"What can I actually do outside of the company?"

you start to wonder.

I feel that people who are drawn to programming side hustles aren't just looking to "make money," but rather,

"I want to have portable skills of my own"

is a very significant feeling for them.

Not relying on a company title, but
the feeling of being able to provide value through your own strength, even if just a little.

There are more people seeking that than you might think.

But the thought that "it might be too late" doesn't go away

However, every time that feeling arises,

"But I have no experience..."
"I'm not from a science background..."
"This is a world for young people..."

anxieties like these also emerge at the same time.

Especially after your 30s,

"It might be too late to start studying now"

the impatience of that thought tends to become quite strong.

Even if you come home from work and open your PC while tired, just looking at an error screen can make you feel like giving up.

Even when you try to study on your day off,
you realize you've spent the whole time just watching YouTube.

Then, once again,

"Maybe I'm just not cut out for this after all"

you fall back into that cycle of self-doubt.

But in reality, there are very few people who can do it smoothly from the start.

Most people get stuck along the way, have to search for answers because they don't understand, and,
repeatedly think, "Maybe I can't do this."

Even when you start studying, your anxiety grows larger.

Programming study is most likely to make you feel anxious right after you start.

There are too many technical terms.
You don't know what to build.
Setting up the environment alone takes hours.

When you open social media,

"I landed a project in three months"
"Reached 100,000 yen in the first month"

posts like these keep appearing.

Every time you see them,

"I feel like I'm the only one not making progress"

is what you end up thinking.

But often, the people who are most likely to stop there are the ones who are "serious."

They are trying to understand properly.
They don't want to fail.
They don't want to cause trouble for others.

That's why they are cautious.

However, that caution can sometimes turn into an inability to take action.

For those wondering, "What is it actually like to work as an engineer on the side?"

In "side hustle engineering," I organize:
・Anxiety about market value
・The feeling of becoming less dependent on your company
・How to approach side hustle projects
.

The number of people seeking not just to "earn money," but to "gain a sense of being capable outside the company" is increasing significantly.

People who tend to give up on programming side hustles often stop at "just studying."

People who find programming study difficult often have characteristics in "how they stop" rather than a lack of ability.

Especially for serious people,

"I'll do it after I understand more"
"I'm still not prepared enough"

is what they keep thinking.

However, programming side hustles are less about "starting after you study" and more about

"learning as you go"

which is a very strong aspect of this world.

Being satisfied just by watching educational materials

Watching video tutorials.
Buying Udemy courses.
Searching for study methods on YouTube.

You make a lot of progress up to this point.

But when it comes to actually writing code, you suddenly stop.

The reason is that "passive study" provides a sense of security.

You feel like you've understood it.
You feel like you're making progress.
But when you try to build something yourself, reality hits you suddenly.

Errors.
Causes you don't understand.
Articles you can't understand even after searching.

In that moment, the feeling that "maybe I can't do this" becomes much stronger.

Only input keeps increasing

The more anxious people get, the more they tend to lean toward "I have to learn more."

HTML.
CSS.
JavaScript.
React.
PHP.
SQL.

The amount of information just keeps growing.

However, as knowledge increases in your mind, it can sometimes become scary instead.

“Do I really have to learn all this?”
“There's no end in sight.”

Because you end up feeling that way.

The truth is, you don't need to understand everything from the start.

But when you're a beginner, the “unknown territory” is so vast that it's easy to feel overwhelmed more than necessary.

Getting stuck because you feel “not good enough yet”

Even when looking at side hustle projects,

“No, I can't do this yet,”
“I'll do it after I study more,”

you think, and close the page.

That feeling itself is natural.

But in reality, many people start working while still feeling “not good enough.”

In fact, if you wait until you can say “I can do this perfectly,” you'll be stuck for a very long time.

Programming side hustles are often more realistic when you start by

“starting small while still feeling anxious”

rather than “starting only when all anxiety is gone.”

The more inexperienced you are, the harder it is to wait until you “understand perfectly” before taking on projects.

People aiming for programming side hustles from scratch tend to have a stronger urge to “understand things properly.”

But in actual work environments, you often proceed while looking things up as you go.

In fact, it is often more important to be able to keep searching when you do not understand something.

However, at first, it is hard to get that feeling.

It is easy to feel self-doubt just because an error occurs

You write code, and it does not work.

Even though it is just that, it makes you feel quite down.

Thinking, "I cannot even do something this simple," or "Maybe I am not cut out for this."

That is what happens.

But engineers see errors on a daily basis.

Searching, trying, and fixing again. It is just a repetition of that.

At first, it is easy to feel that "error equals failure," but as you get used to it, it changes into "part of the work."

Feeling anxious when seeing successful people on social media

When you open X,

there are many people saying things like, "I landed a project!" or "I went freelance!"

Then, you feel like you are the only one being left behind.

But social media is a place where it is easy to see "people who are moving forward."

On the other hand,

people who have stopped along the way, people who are too anxious to move, or people who have given up many times,

do not post much.

So, comparing yourself to them can easily make you feel quite miserable.

That is why comparing yourself to them can easily make you feel quite miserable.

It's easy to stop when you think, 'Maybe this isn't for me'

When you're a beginner, just a small stumble can make you feel like,

'I don't have any talent'

and it's easy to feel that way.

But in reality, it's often more about 'just not being used to it yet' than it is about 'talent'.

Programming is particularly demanding in the first few months, isn't it?

Full of words you don't understand. Full of errors. Results are hard to see.

That's exactly why an 'environment where you can keep going' is more important.

But in reality, those who 'build small' tend to grow more easily

People who succeed in programming side hustles often didn't build anything amazing from the start.

Rather,

'I tried making it for now' 'I published something small'

People who accumulate experiences like these tend to move forward little by little more easily.

Instead of waiting for perfection, 'moving small' is often stronger.

Even simple things, the 'experience of having built it' is huge

A TODO app. A simple site. A profile page.

At first, really small things are fine.

But the feeling of 'I built this myself' is quite significant.

The screen displayed. The button worked. The design came together a little bit.

Just that alone creates a little bit of 'maybe I can do this too'.

This feeling is hard to get just by looking at teaching materials.

It was normal to proceed while looking things up

Surprisingly, many engineers build things while searching.

Copying and pasting error messages to look them up.
Reading official documentation.
Asking AI questions.

That's not because they are "incompetent," but rather just a normal part of the work.

When you're a beginner, it's easy to think, "I have to memorize everything."

But in reality, the "ability to look things up when needed" is often more important.

Few people understand everything from the start

There are really very few people who understand everything from the start.

Everyone repeats:

"I feel like I kind of get it"
↓
"Try building it"
↓
"Get stuck on an error"
↓
"Look it up"

over and over.

So, instead of "I can't proceed because I don't understand enough,"

"Understanding as you go"

might actually be a more natural mindset.

What changes with a programming side hustle is "confidence" more than "income"

Of course, the income aspect of a programming side hustle is significant.

But what people who actually start often feel a change in is the feeling of,

"I was able to do it myself"

that sense of accomplishment.

When working as a company employee, it can sometimes be difficult to feel a sense of value outside of your "assigned role."

That is precisely why the feeling of "I was able to create this with my own power" is bigger than you might think.

The feeling of "I can actually build things myself" is quite significant

Even with a small website, the moment it starts working is incredibly rewarding.

Things that took hours at first start to take shape little by little.

Then,

"I guess I wasn't as helpless as I thought."

There will be moments when you can think that.

This feeling can sometimes be even greater than the income itself.

A sense of being able to provide value outside the company begins to emerge

Beyond just the company's evaluation,

"I might be able to make it on the outside too"

that feeling starts to emerge little by little.

This leads to a significant sense of security.

Of course, you won't be making a lot of money from the start.

But the feeling that "my life is controlled only by the company" fades a little.

For many people, that alone is enough to change their mindset.

Anxiety about market value begins to decrease slightly

"I have nothing to offer"

The more someone feels this way, the more likely they are to change as small experiences accumulate.

I tried applying for a project.
I tried publishing a site.
I tried writing some code.

That accumulation gradually increases the feeling that it's not just about self-denial.

For those who say, "But I'm afraid my company will find out about my side hustle."

In "How to keep your side hustle from being discovered by your company," I have organized the following for employees:
・Resident tax
・Tax returns
・Points to be careful about when doing a side hustle
I have organized these for company employees.

Being cautious is quite natural.

Programming side hustles are more of a "cumulative way of working" than "earning a lot at once."

When you look at social media, it's easy to see numbers like "achieved monthly income of X yen."

But in reality, not everyone changes drastically all of a sudden.

Rather,

Study a little.
Build something small.
Do a small-scale project.
Improve it again.

People who accumulate experience like that tend to last longer.

Even small projects are enough at first

You don't have to aim for high-paying projects from the start.

In fact, at first,

"Experiencing the communication process"
"Trying to deliver a product"
"Creating one track record"

are more important.

Even for a few thousand yen, the experience of "getting paid to create something" builds a lot of confidence.

The more you continue, the less anxious you become

At first, you are full of anxiety.

But anxiety is often at its greatest when you have "zero action."

I made a little bit.
I applied for a few things.
I understood a little bit more.

Even just that makes it feel less scary than before.

That's why, in the end, the people who keep going are the ones who find things getting easier little by little.

The feeling of "I can't do anything" changes bit by bit

When you're a beginner,

"I have nothing to offer"

is an easy thing to think.

But people actually change quite a bit just by building things up in small ways.

I understood a little more than yesterday.
I'm more used to searching than before.
I can read code a little better now.

Those changes are quite small at first.

But when you look back later, you realize you really were building something up.

What really changes with a side hustle might be your "sense of how you work"

Programming side hustles bring changes that go beyond just a simple increase in income.

The bigger change,

"Maybe the company isn't everything"

might be the feeling that you can think that way.

Just having that feeling can sometimes change the sense of suffocation you feel about how you work.

You no longer have to rely solely on your company

Of course, that doesn't mean you can become independent right away.

But just being able to think "there might be other paths" makes it a little easier for people to breathe.

When you get tired of your company.
When performance reviews become painful.

Just being able to think,

"At least I have a little bit of skill,"

can change your mental breathing room.

Skills become your own assets

Company systems and job titles can disappear when your environment changes.

But the skills you've built up tend to remain.

Even if it's just a little bit,

"being able to look things up yourself,""being able to build things,""being able to make improvements"

as these increase, they become your own assets.

The feeling that "this is all there is" starts to fade

People who start programming side hustles probably aren't full of confidence from the beginning.

If anything,

"I'm a little worried about getting older like this"

is often how it starts.

So, it's okay to start small.

It doesn't have to be perfect.It's okay to stop along the way.

The "experience of having moved a little" surprisingly stays with you later.

Having read this far,

some of you might feel that "programming side hustles aren't so much a world for talented people, but a world where those who keep going are the ones who remain."

In fact,
・Anxious about a future relying only on your company
・Want to acquire skills
・But, don't have much confidence

—there are quite a lot of office workers who feel this way and become interested in programming side hustles.

In related articles, I have also organized information on:
・How side-hustle engineers work
・Side hustle planning for office workers
・Measures to prevent your company from finding out

It is okay if you cannot do it perfectly from the start.

To begin with, even just starting by "trying to build something small" is enough to start making a change.

It is enough to start changing just by "trying to build something small" first.