I Had 2 Months to Learn JavaScript (Or Lose the Grant)

Published: 8/4/2025

Duration: 01:23

I burned 6–7 months paying an overseas dev—and the app still wasn’t meeting grant milestones.
In September I realized: learn JavaScript in a couple months, or lose the grant in December.

A grant-funded app project forced me to learn how to code after months of work from an overseas developer still wasn’t aligning with the grant’s guidelines and milestones. With a September wake-up call and a December deadline, I had to learn JavaScript fast—at least enough to finish what was needed and validate the deliverables.

- Used grant funding to hire an overseas developer
- Set a goal to learn enough coding to judge whether the work met grant milestones
- Realized the deliverables weren’t matching the grant’s guidelines
- Lost roughly 6–7 months trying to get the app finished
- The app involved socks you can scan, NFTs, and ownership verification
- Games were planned later, after the core scanning/verification piece
- Hit an “oh sh*t” moment in September with the grant expiring in December
- Committed to learning JavaScript in a couple months to avoid losing the grant

Watch next:
- Lost Generation | Are we the new Hemingway era of Creatives?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyjquEFDVpc
- Ambition without Aim: Why Creators Crash and Burn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGctsD16_7w
- Vegeta's delusions are the secret to his insane work ethic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbbEo_KTw5Q
- Delusions of Grandeur vs. Impostor Syndrome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISSBzQIkXyk

Playlists:
- Driven to Create Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyjquEFDVpc&list=PLm_X9BbBBS12vhz7L4yrRPDfQ_2eF2MQt

Connect with us:
- Medium: https://medium.com/@paulmelluzzo
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/01wAW1GbLms8bu1atrds9K
- Website: https://www.paulmelluzzo.com/podcast
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/driventocreate_podcast/
- Inquiries: https://driventocreatepodcast@gmail.com

#JavaScript #LearnToCode #IndieDev