Ask HN: How does a hobby programmer get hired?
Late to the party, but maybe I can help.  I've helped in the hiring of many developers.(grain of salt, just my opinion, etc...)* Don't do bootcamps.  It's a red flag for me.  This can be said for any 100% online college.  (again, I'm just being honest).  Community colleges are fine.* You having a Github that you've committed stuff to often-ish will most interest me.  I don't give a crud if you contribute to open source.  But just the fact that you're coding is what I care about.  Yes, I will snoop around and see how good it is.  No, I won't care if your code sucks.  (side note: if your code is actually good, than that's better than a four-year degree at a college I've heard of imo)* Don't get discouraged.  I remember I searched for a programming job for two years before I got hired.  The 70-ish times I was told "no" didn't matter after the one "yes".* Be honest about where you are at (not programming professionally).  I've always been open to hiring people outside the industry for entry-level programming jobs.* Coding challenges are beyond useless to me.  I will concede that they are valuable to some.Hope that helped some.  80% of the advice given here is helpful as well.Good luck.  Please don't get discouraged <3.