The $0 Developer Phase — And How Dev.to Pulled Me Out

Eight years ago, I was absolutely convinced of one thing: I was ahead of the curve. Not just good. Not just competent. Elite. The kind of developer who would casually refactor your entire codebase before lunch and then explain distributed systems over coffee. There was just one small issue. My bank account disagreed. For six straight months, I made exactly $0 from my side projects. Not “almost something.” Not “about to launch.” Not “investor talks in progress.” Zero. And somehow, I still thought I was winning. The “Top Developer” Era At that time, I was working a regular developer job. Comfortable salary. Stable team. Safe environment. I had two coworkers who couldn’t have been more different. Richard. Quiet. Focused. The kind of guy who solved algorithm problems for fun. If you asked him about time complexity, he didn’t hesitate — he just answered. Calmly. Correctly. No drama. And then there was Ronald. We called him “Bangi Granfa.” Because he talked like a retired grandfather who acc