Taking English Seriously

Let me be honest with you.

I'm a Brazilian working with no-code, automations, and tools like Bubble and n8n. I’ve built apps, set up workflows, solved bugs, and closed projects. But there’s something that still makes me feel small sometimes.

It’s not a bug. Not a tool I don’t know yet. It’s English.

Not the “read-the-docs” kind of English.
I mean real English.
The English that lets you talk to a client.
Negotiate a price.
Explain your idea.
Or even just understand a joke in a Zoom meeting.

And honestly? It’s shocking how many people in tech here in Brazil still don’t have even an intermediate level of English.

More Than Just Reading Docs

Everyone thinks English is just for programming.
Like, “Ah, I just need to understand the documentation or the error messages.”

That’s only the beginning.

If you want to really grow in tech — as a freelancer, working with agencies, building your own tools, or selling services — you’ll need more than that:

• Talking in meetings

• Sending proposals

• Understanding context (not just code)

• Giving updates in a Slack group

• Writing a quick tutorial for an international community

• Joining a project with people from 3 different countries

It’s not about being perfect.
It’s about being part of the game.

What You Lose Without It

Let me tell you what I’ve seen and felt personally:

• Amazing professionals stuck in low-paying jobs because they can’t communicate in English.

• Friends avoiding remote opportunities because the interviews are “too scary.”

• Talented devs charging way less than they deserve, just to avoid an English call.

• People spending hours translating docs while others are already shipping features.

I’m not judging — I’ve been there.
And I’m still improving. My English is somewhere between B1 and B2.
But the difference it made in my career? Gigantic.

What Changed When I Took It Seriously

Once I accepted that I couldn’t avoid English anymore, I started changing a few things:

• Watching YouTube tutorials in English (even if I missed half the words)

• Writing emails in simple English and asking AI tools to review them

• Reading docs in English without translating every single sentence

• Practicing my pitch in English, just to feel ready for real-life situations

• Saying yes to meetings — and trusting that I could “survive” them

And you know what?
Clients started to appear.
Agencies started to respect my work more.
My confidence started to grow.

No, English Alone Won’t Make You Rich — But Without It, You're Stuck

Look, I’m not here to say that English will magically make you rich.

You still need skills. You still need to deliver.
But English is what opens the door.

In Brazil, too many people in tech are waiting.
Waiting to feel “ready.”
Waiting to have time.
Waiting for a course that will fix everything.

The truth?
You’ll never feel 100% ready.
You just need to start. Bit by bit. Broken English is better than no English.

Final Words (From Someone Still Learning)

If you’re like me — trying to grow in tech, work remotely, and build real solutions — don’t let English be your wall.

Let it be your ladder.

You don’t need perfect grammar.
You don’t need a certificate.
You just need the courage to start.
And to keep going, one word at a time.