Self-Taught Developer to Millionaire

Reached $1M at age 38

Tech

Journey: 2010 - 2023

Background: No College Degree

Key milestone: Founded profitable SaaS business

Visa Status: US Citizen

Started with no formal education in tech, learned coding through online courses while working retail. Built small projects that led to freelancing, then a junior dev role. Eventually founded a niche SaaS business that generated significant passive income.

Educational Background

High School

Public high school, dropped out senior year

Undergraduate

No college degree

Family Background

Parents' Occupation

Middle-class working parents

Parents' Visa Status

US Citizens

Family Background

Typical middle-class American family.

Financial Milestones

$100K

Age 31

Saved first $100K after landing full-time developer role

Key Strategies:

Frugal living
Skill development
Side projects

$500K

Age 35

Reached $500K after SaaS business became profitable

Key Strategies:

Bootstrapped business
Reinvesting profits
Low overhead

$1M

Age 38

Hit $1M through business growth and strategic investments

Key Strategies:

Recurring revenue model
Strategic partnerships
Real estate

Challenges & Advice

Biggest Challenges

Rejected from jobs due to lack of degree
Bootstrapped business with limited capital
Balanced full-time work with business building

Advice for Others

The traditional path isn't the only way. Building something that generates recurring revenue was my game-changer. Start small, validate quickly, and scale gradually.