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Think of it as volunteer work. Lots of people like coding and volunteer their time. Lots of people don’t do this.

This doesn’t mean time isn’t valuable, it just means that people donate their valuable time. And competing with that is a bad idea.

I have a friend who does pro bono legal work. Normal bill rate is hundreds per hour, but donated for free to people who can’t afford it. Been doing it for years.

Now imagine that I start a new legal aide company and only charge $5/month for it. It’s pretty silly to complain about these volunteers. It’s also silly to think that it’s not worth being a lawyer because of these volunteers.

Keep studying, become a good programmer. You’ll have work. Some of your ideas might not sustain you economically. But if you get a good enough job, you can help the world with a cool side project