• Post category:StudyBullet-3
  • Reading time:8 mins read


A complete guide to getting your first job as a programmer, even if you start from zero.

What you will learn

Getting the first professional job as a self-taught software developer.

Learning what’s the pros and cons of a software development career.

Misconceptions about a software development career.

Description

It may come as a surprise to you, but many professional programmers are self-taught. And many of them have been able to reach fairly high positions in their career. Therefore, it is not only realistic to get into the software development profession without any formal programming qualifications, but itโ€™s also possible to become successful within this industry.

Software development industry is probably the industry with the least amount of bureaucracy. Once you have some professional experience under your belt, very few companies would care what formal education you have. As long as you are able to demonstrate your programming skills during the recruitment process, you will be able to get a job as a software developer.

And there are many reasons why you may want to be a programmer. Smart technology is everywhere and its amount is only increasing; therefore software developers are in high demand and the demand for them is not going to go down any time soon. This makes a programmer one of the most highly paid professions.


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If getting a job as a programmer is something you are interested in, this course will guide you through the process. It will cover the following topics:

  • Pros and cons of a software development career
  • Misconceptions about being a programmer
  • Which programming languages and technologies to learn first
  • What skills you will need besides the programming languages
  • What are the best strategies for getting your first job
  • How to choose a good bootcamp
English
language

Content

Introduction
Welcome
Your instructor
How to find me
Why many programmers are self-taught
Statistics on self-taught programmers
The benefits of programming career
Why programming salaries are good
Why you will get regular and significant pay rises
Why being self-taught is not a stigma in the industry
Why the demand for programming jobs will remain high
There are many niches to choose from
Why changing job frequently is a widely accepted norm
You can work remotely
Why flexible hours are norm in the industry
Your job will be protected against lockdowns and crises
Summary
Further reading
Why programming career is not for everyone
Youโ€™ll be working in a total silence most of the time
Youโ€™ll be working in a loud and distracting environment
You will need a good ability to focus
A lot of work is repetitive and boring
Having to work with incomplete information and requirements
Some of your colleagues will be annoyingly โ€œreligiousโ€
You will need to be able to take criticism well
You will have to keep updating you knowledge
You will need to have good negotiation skills to earn well
You may encounter toxic sales people
For truly big salaries, forget about personal time
Summary
Further reading
Strategies for getting your first job
The most effective way of getting the first job
Case study: how I got my first job as a programmer
Case study: from law firm to software development
Case study: from tech support to programming
How to get an office job without special qualifications
Summary
Further reading
What skills are the most important to learn
How to choose your first programming language
Why you shouldn’t learn either C or C++ as your first language
Why Python is a probably the best choice
Why knowing the syntax is not enough
Which best practices are the most important
Why you should not neglect soft skills
How to choose online tutorials
Summary
Further reading
Misconceptions about programming
Why you donโ€™t have to be good at maths
Why algorithms and data structures are not critical
Why algorithms and data structures will still be helpful to know
Summary
Further reading
How to choose a coding bootcamp
What is coding bootcamp and how it will help you
What kind of bootcamps to avoid
Signs of a good bootcamp
Summary
Further reading
Wrapping up
You did it!
What to do next
Keeping in touch