[ninjaofawesome]

I was a frontend hobbyist a couple of years before I decided to pursue this full time, and for me, I found that a bootcamp for fullstack web development was the way to go to REALLY get up and running. I found that dedicating half my day (or more) learning and coding in a classroom with like minds was the only way I was able to go from a passing interest in this field to something that I could actually see doing for the rest of my career (and for my own benefit beyond that).

Having seen more than one person go through them and on my experience though, not all bootcamps are created equal (in addition to how much work you put into it). Mine was fantastic, I got lucky. So also be sure to do the research first, and ask other (hopefully impartial) developers what their thoughts are on whatever ones you're interested in.

If that's not an option, before I went to my bootcamp and I had some confidence in my basic skills, I started to ask people who wouldn't have been able to afford a custom built static site on their own if they'd like a free one. It gave me practice with my frontend skills, they got a neat product, and I could have a portfolio piece. Everyone was happy, and I met a lot of neat people along the way. The TL:DR; on that is I'd suggest doing some practice, then finding something that you'd like the build (because you need it or want it), and then try building it with a mentor and plentiful tutorials.