Why this guide exists
After the dawn of AI and large language models (LLMs), a massive debate erupted: “Can AI code? Will developers be replaced? The loudest public answer was a firm “no” — but not for technical reasons. It was psychological.
Many people were afraid of losing their jobs. Many more were afraid of losing their future jobs.
At YouCanBuildTech (YCBT), we believe this fear-driven denial caused serious damage to the “learn to code” ecosystem. It distorted reality, froze progress, and created an entire industry built on pretending nothing had changed.
The bootcamp illusion
Today, there are countless well-meaning but unlucky developers who paid for expensive bootcamps or programs, only to discover that high-paying programming jobs were not waiting on the other side.
Instead of confronting this truth honestly, many institutions doubled down. They began presenting coding as if it were the rarest, most valuable skill on Earth — when in reality, it is the exact opposite.
Coding is now abundant. Tools are abundant. Knowledge is abundant. Compute is increasingly abundant.
Yet bootcamps, online academies, and even physical campuses continue to market themselves as if it were still the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, or even 2015 — an era where simply knowing syntax could secure a long-term career.
We consider this either deeply irresponsible or dangerously delusional. Either way, it is unacceptable.
Coding is free by nature
YCBT is built on a simple, timeless belief:
Learning to code should be free on the web.
Not locked behind paywalls. Not hidden inside overpriced bootcamps. Not gatekept by artificial scarcity.
Programming languages are free. Compilers have been free for decades (C, C++, GCC). JavaScript runs freely in every browser. PHP thrived on free stacks like Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP/WAMP).
This is not accidental. It is cultural.
Programming emerged from academic environments, open research, the GNU Foundation, the open-source movement, and the internet itself — arguably the most democratic communication system ever created.
The golden era of free learning
We came up during the 2010s — a golden era of free learning. You could learn almost anything, at a high level, without paying a cent.
- MDN Web Docs for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- W3Schools for quick experimentation and fundamentals
- Stack Overflow for real-world problem solving
- Early YouTube pioneers like TheNewBoston, teaching dozens of languages for free, long before monetization was the norm
This culture mattered. It shaped an entire generation of developers.
What paywalled education gets wrong today
Modern paywalled platforms are not just charging money — they are teaching the wrong things.
They obsess over syntax depth and trivia, while ignoring what actually matters today:
- System and application architecture
- Frameworks and ecosystems
- Tooling and integration
- Problem decomposition
- Using AI effectively (yes, it exists — denial does not change that)
The best teachers always focused on fundamentals. Today, the fundamentals include what many now call “vibe coding” — understanding intent, structure, and outcomes, not memorizing syntax.
Anyone pretending this shift did not happen is either uninformed or actively gaslighting you.
What YCBT does differently
All YCBT content is:
- 100% free
- Beginner-friendly
- Expandable into advanced topics over time
- Published on mainstream, free platforms
You’ll find us on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook — in short-form content, long-form explanations, and everything in between.
We aim to educate and entertain simultaneously, because learning works better when curiosity and enjoyment are involved.
Teaching for 2026, not 2015
We are not teaching outdated career myths. We are teaching the mindset and knowledge required to succeed today whether you are a hobby coder, a builder, or an entrepreneur.
This is not about selling hope. It is about delivering reality clearly, freely, and without distortion.
No paywalls. No bootcamp pressure. No nostalgia-driven lies.
And yes — we’re free.
Now beat that.