First of all, I was a lot older when I started freeCodeCamp. I was 34, and I had already worked as a teacher (and eventually a school director) for about 10 years.

I don't know how old you are, but I find there's this misconception that people in their 20s should be starting companies or nonprofits, and I think - sure if your parents are rich or if you went to Stanford / MIT and have lots of friends with money - go for it. But for most people, it's way too risky. You see the Mark Zuckerbergs or the world and you think: "Oh, a 22 year old college drop out can do it. It's possible. Maybe I can do it." Mark Zuckerberg was rich and his parents hired a private programming tutor for him while he was still in high school.

Far more common is for people to exhaust their resources and have to move back in with their parents.

It's much more effective to spend the first decade or two of your career working for other people, climbing into a management role, and learning on their dime.

Life is long. Your confidence will grow with time. And that confidence will be well-founded. It won't be blind hope. It will be insight informed by experience.

If you are feeling freaked out at the prospect of starting a project, you are trying to tell yourself something. Don't jump off the bridge if you don't yet know what's below the water.

Instead take your time to do lots of small experiments where you can survive failure. With planning and preparation, your odds of success go up dramatically.