The freeCodeCamp Podcast #185 From Hospital Janitor to Developer with Emmett Naughton
Aug 22, 2025
Emmett Naughton went from being a hospital janitor to a self-taught full stack JavaScript developer and founded Coder Dads, a supportive community for fathers. He shares his journey of resilience through job layoffs and family challenges while navigating the coding world. Emmett discusses the cultural differences between the PHP and JavaScript communities, the impact of sleep apnea on his life, and how he effectively uses social media to boost his career. Join him for an inspiring tale of transformation and community support.
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Community Tone Shapes Learning
- Emmett observed the PHP/Laravel community felt more welcoming and helpful for newcomers.
- He contrasted that with occasional abrasiveness he experienced in parts of the JavaScript ecosystem.
Mopping Floors To Learning Code
- Emmett discovered freeCodeCamp while mopping floors in a hospital and listening to podcasts.
- He used early mornings and breaks to learn HTML/CSS and slowly build programming skills while supporting his new family.
Sleep Treatment Multiplied Cognitive Ability
- Treating sleep apnea with CPAP massively improved Emmett's cognition and problem solving.
- Better sleep reduced anxiety and made learning and debugging far more effective.
