> I love coding: for me HTML/CSS and code have never been anything more than tools to get whatever was on my mind into the real world.
This is a red flag for me. Working for someone as a programmer is often about getting what is in someone else's mind into the real world. To excel, you need to love the process of designing and developing software, not simply seeing the end result.
All of the best programmers I know love programming for the sake of programming. Conversely, some of the most dangerous and careless programmers I've met are the type to only be into it if they're making exactly what they want to make (and often if they can make said thing quickly).
I may be alone on this one so take my comment with a grain of salt!
This is a red flag for me. Working for someone as a programmer is often about getting what is in someone else's mind into the real world. To excel, you need to love the process of designing and developing software, not simply seeing the end result.
All of the best programmers I know love programming for the sake of programming. Conversely, some of the most dangerous and careless programmers I've met are the type to only be into it if they're making exactly what they want to make (and often if they can make said thing quickly).
I may be alone on this one so take my comment with a grain of salt!