Can You Start an IT Career from a Non-Tech Background?
When we hear about successful tech entrepreneurs, we usually picture programmers who started coding in school. But Eliana Jordan’s (@eliana_jordan) story shatters this stereotype.
Three years ago, Eliana was a dive instructor at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Today, she’s the founder of four SaaS products with over 11K followers on X. Eliana entered the IT field not straight from university but after years in business, marketing, and teaching diving, with experience that most junior developers have yet to gain.
Her journey proves that starting in tech is possible from any background; your previous experience becomes your main competitive advantage.
We studied Eliana’s public posts on Twitter, her Substack newsletter, and her LinkedIn profile to understand how she made the career transition, what mistakes she made, and what actually works when launching a bootstrapped startup solo.
From Danone to Software Engineer in 2 Years
The Unexpected Background
Eliana’s path to tech began far from Silicon Valley. In 2015, she worked as a commercial director for Danone in Ibiza, managing sales and developing commercial strategies. She then held a position as Community and VIP Manager, where she first encountered digital marketing and SEO.
In 2019, she earned her PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor certification and spent nine months teaching divers in Cairns, Australia. Simultaneously, she worked as a freelance social media manager, creating content and managing social media.
2022: The Decision That Changed Everything
In early 2022, Eliana decided to entirely change careers and enter IT. With no technical background or prior development experience, she was determined to learn.
In less than two years, she went from intern to full-fledged engineer. According to her posts, she studied 3–4 hours every evening after work, did pet projects on weekends, and watched endless tutorials.
But in September 2025, she made her riskiest move: she quit with only $100 MRR.
Why Code Doesn’t Sell Itself: Eliana Jordan’s $0 Lesson That Changed Everything
It was the decision many called madness.
In September 2025, Eliana left a stable software engineer position. She already had four SaaS ideas ready to launch:
- SEOZast.com: SEO automation for indie hackers at $5.99/month
- PeerQuik.com: A Next.js boilerplate for fast SaaS launches
- BeUnderwater.com: A platform for divers
- ScubaReputation.com: Reputation management for diving businesses
It sounded ambitious, but a painful lesson awaited.
The Most Important Discovery
In one of her most honest posts, Eliana shared:
“Spent 2 years building. $0/month. Spent 2 months marketing. $100/month. “
— Eliana Jordan, Founder of SEOZast
She was convinced that a perfect product would attract users automatically. She spent months adding features: AI content generation, GitHub integration, and beautiful dashboards.
Result: Zero users. Zero sales. Zero feedback.
Development vs. Marketing: The Reality
Only when she started building in public, talking to users, and sharing her journey did the first customers appear.
Five Lessons That Led to First MRR and 11K+ Followers
Lesson 1: Your Story is Your Competitive Advantage
Eliana’s bio could have read “Indie hacker building SaaS” like thousands of others. Instead: “Just a dive instructor who learned to code.”
“I quit my job… with $100 MRR. Yes, you read that right.
From scuba instructor → CEO of 4 SaaS.
Next chapter: growing my MRR to $10k.”— Eliana
This unique positioning helped her grow from 0 to 4.8k followers without X Premium and later to 11 K. Her unconventional background became her personal brand.
Lesson 2: Cost Optimization: From $40 to $7 per Month
Eliana was tired of paying $40/month for expensive tools and found cheaper alternatives.
This allowed her to offer SEOZast at $5.99/month instead of $50+/month like competitors.
Lesson 3: Discipline Beats Talent
“Consistency beats talent. Discipline beats motivation. Keep showing up, even on Saturday.” — Eliana
“At the start, nobody cares. Zero traction, zero likes. That’s normal. I showed up every day anyway. Even when I was traveling, I scheduled at least one post. Consistency compounds.”— Eliana
She posted even when her content got zero engagement. She engaged with others first, and she kept showing up when results were invisible.
The reality: Growth took months of “invisible work” before momentum kicked in.
Lesson 4: Less Code, More Marketing
Eliana’s formula: “Build less. Sell more.”
❌ Before:
- Striving for 100 features
- “Just one more feature before launch”
- “First development, then promotion”
✅ Now:
- MVP with 3 key features
- Launch in 4-8 weeks
- Marketing from day one
- Talk to users BEFORE coding
Lesson 5: Virality Doesn’t Equal Money
When her post got 11 million views, it generated only $87 in revenue.
“As Eliana Jordan put it: “Turns out going viral on X pays less than babysitting. 11M impressions. $87 revenue.“— Eliana
What works better:
- In-depth content for narrow audiences
- Email newsletters to interested users
- Direct outreach
- Active community participation
Main takeaway: The first 10 paying customers beat a million views.
SEOZast – Creating an Alternative to $99/Month Tools
The Problem
When Eliana started building her products, she needed an SEO tool. But professional solutions cost $99–$999 per month.
SEO Tools Price Comparison
For an indie hacker with $100 MRR, this was unrealistic. She only needed to find keywords, generate SEO content, and deploy to a Next.js blog.
Eliana realized: if she needed this, thousands of solo founders did too.
How SEOZast Works
Tech Stack: Next.js + React + Python + Supabase + VPS ($6/month)
Main Features:
- Keyword research from real sites
- AI content generation with proper SEO and GEO structure, optimizing for both traditional search and AI engines like ChatGPT and Perplexity, so your content gets cited in AI responses, not just ranked on Google.
- One-click GitHub deployment
- Multi-format export (Markdown, Word, TSX/JSX)
Philosophy: 20% of features that deliver 80% of results. No enterprise bloat.
SEOZast helps creators and startups stay visible in the age of AI-driven search.
In 2025, Eliana optimizes for both traditional SEO and AI search engines (GEO) — because “visibility = SEO + GEO.”
How to Replicate This Path
Proven Tech Stack
Frontend: Next.js + React + TypeScript
Backend: Python (Django) or Node.js
Database: Supabase (free tier)
Hosting: VPS $5-10/month
Payments: Stripe
Advantages: Great docs, large community, fast development, minimal costs.
8-Week MVP Launch Plan
Building in Public Strategy
Eliana’s growth to 11K+ followers wasn’t accidental:
Early Stage (0-1000):
- Post in relevant communities
- Engage with others BEFORE posting your own
- Schedule at least one post daily
Growth Stage (1000-5000):
- Reply to every comment
- Share behind-the-scenes process
- Post metrics honestly (including failures)
Monetization Stage (5000+):
- Promote through storytelling, not direct selling
- Create video walkthroughs
- Build trust first, sell second
The engagement formula:
- Comment on 5-10 relevant posts
- Then publish your content
- Reply within 24 hours
- Visibility follows engagement
“Six months ago, I joined X.
Now:
- 3.4k followers
- Moderator in the Startup community (the best one here)
- Building 4 SaaS in public
- Made my first dollar online
- Started a YouTube channel (two months old and already got a sponsor—will share soon!)
The internet is wild. I’m just getting started.”— Eliana
How to Monetize X Without Verification
Eliana reached 4.8k followers before X Premium. She only upgraded for monetization.
Her approach was simple and powerful:
- ❌ “I built this app; here’s the link.” (Direct spam)
- ✅ Tell the story and show how it helps.
Example: She created video walkthroughs of SEOZast, explaining how it solved her own problem. It felt like part of her journey, not spam. This authentic approach built trust and demand before she ever asked for a dollar.
5 Rules for Growing on X as an Indie Hacker
Based on Eliana’s journey from 0 to 11K:
1. Own Your Unique Story
“Dive instructor who learned to code” beats “Indie hacker building SaaS.”
2. Consistency Over Perfection
Post daily. Schedule when busy. Compound effect beats viral attempts.
3. Engage Before You Post
Drop 5-10 comments on others’ posts BEFORE publishing yours.
4. Build Community, Not Just Audience
Reply to every comment. Help others. Community converts; audience watches.
5. Sell Through Story, Not Spam
Share your journey. Show, don’t tell. Video walkthroughs > announcements.
Bottom line: Build trust first, sell second.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you really start an IT career with no tech background?
Absolutely. Eliana started with zero coding experience and became a software engineer in less than 2 years. Your previous professional experience in business, marketing, or other fields often becomes a competitive advantage when building SaaS products.
How long does it take to learn coding from scratch?
Eliana went from zero to software engineer in 18–24 months while working full-time. She studied 3–4 hours nightly. Intensive learning can get you job-ready in 6–12 months.
What’s the minimum viable tech stack for SaaS?
Next.js + React, Python or Node.js, Supabase (free tier), VPS for $5-10/month. Total: under $10/month.
Conclusion: When “Non-Traditional” Experience Becomes an Advantage
Eliana Jordan’s story proves that diverse professional experience can become your main competitive advantage.
What Pre-IT Experience Gave Eliana
Danone (Commercial Director) → business, sales, negotiations
VIP Manager → customer service, expectation management
Social Media Manager → marketing, content, audience understanding
PADI Instructor → discipline, patience, teaching
Software Engineer → technical skills to build
Each stage added tools that now help create and promote SaaS products.
Three Truths About Career Transition to Tech
1. Non-tech experience is an advantage.
Experience in business and people skills is what many developers lack.
2. You don’t need years of preparation.
Eliana went from intern to engineer in 2 years. With focus, it’s achievable.
3. A “strange” career trajectory is a personal brand.
A SaaS founder who was a dive instructor gets remembered.
Eliana Jordan’s journey proves that you don’t need a tech degree or millions in funding to build something real. You need discipline, a willingness to talk to users, and the right tools to scale without burning out.
At NovaExpress.ai, we’re building those tools.
Like Eliana, we started with $0 MRR. Today, we help indie hackers, startups, and agencies turn conversations into customers using AI-powered email that writes, designs, and sends for you.
No per-contact fees. No complex setups. Just unlimited sends, AI-generated content, and full delivery control so you can focus on your product, not your email infrastructure.
Whether you’re launching your first SaaS or scaling to $10k MRR, your story deserves to be heard. Let us handle the rest.
👉 Try Nova Express today. Start free and grow your SaaS without limits.
Eliana’s Resources and Products
Try Her Tools
🚀 SEOZast – SEO automation for $5.99/month
⚡ PeerQuik – Next.js boilerplate for fast SaaS launches
🌊 BeUnderwater – Platform for divers, scubareputation.com.
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