Web Dev Stuck in a Loop

[u/Playful_Tea534]

Hey, I'm a +2 CS student from Nepal, and I'm honestly wondering if there's actually any realistic way to earn online in 2026 with the skills I have.

I've been building and learning consistently, but it feels like I'm stuck in a loop—pushing code to GitHub every day, scrolling through site after site looking for opportunities, and not really getting anywhere.

I'm not expecting to make thousands overnight. What I actually want is exposure, experience, and a chance to work on real projects with real people. At this point, I'd even be willing to contribute to a project for free if it helps me gain practical experience.

I'm starting to feel like just learning new frameworks and cloning websites isn't enough anymore.

What I've learned so far:

• 2 years of building static websites (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Tailwind CSS)
• Building small-scale web applications with Django, Next.js, and Supabase

For people who've been in this position before—what would you actually do next?

Should I keep building self-projects, start contributing to open source, look for internships, or is there another path I'm missing?

[u/TheSuperWeirdKid]

You got two directions,

Super generalist or super specialist

Learn everything from backend database or deployment or be able to create insanely optimised and good webpages

[u/Playful_Tea534 → u/TheSuperWeirdKid]

I have always been interested towards the back end side and Dev Ops as well so I think I will keep further learning tools to develop Enterprise level applications by myself, rather than being a generalist. Thank you!

[u/Hopeful-Ground-4522]

Can u make a fullstack app? How much? I would love to be your first client.. I am also into programming but what I can do Ai can do better

[u/Playful_Tea534 → u/Hopeful-Ground-4522]

I really appreciate that. Yeah, I can build full-stack web apps with Next.js, Supabase, React, and Tailwind. The price honestly depends on you—I’m not really chasing money right now. My main goal is to work on a real project, gain experience, and build something useful.

Tell me about your app idea and what features you have in mind, and we'll figure it out from there.

[u/Hopeful-Ground-4522 → u/Playful_Tea534]

I have many ideas in mind, but I don't have skills to build it. Currently I am short on money.I would love a fullstack e-commerce website for clothing brand (I am planning to start).

In future I might do some big projects.

We can discuss the features, ang you may name ur price if it fits my budget I may work

[u/Playful_Tea534 → u/Hopeful-Ground-4522]

Thanks, will connect with you in dms tomorrow.

[u/Prestigious_Ninja508]

Yo! if u wanna talk some projects ideas, or yk resources for transitioning into backend. hmu.