Becoming a proffessional programmer

Hi all,

I've be programming for about a year now for the company i'm in at the moment. but its not my job i just do it to earn extra cash really - besides i find it fun. my job is actually nothing to do with computers but i built a quote system in vba and am doing a contract managmenet system in vb.net for them.

having already done a degree in communction (socialogical not computer related) and being 23 i wondered what the best way to become a proffessional programmer?

would i have to go back to university and get a degree in software engineering or are there any other routes? i would gladdly go back to university but the tution fees have recently gone up in England to £3000 a year and i can't really afford to add £10,000 to my debt. but will if i have to.

So is there any other way to get into this industry/ will employers only hire someone with a degree?

any information gratefully recieved!!!

Thanks,

Jon

A degree might improve your chances with some employers, but it's not necessary. The main thing you should aim to get is a wide range of experience; you're more likely to get a decent programming job if you can demonstrate that you know a variety of technologies and are easily adaptable.

One year's worth of experience is not a lot. Doing a 3 or 4 year degree might help if only to get more experience under your belt. Otherwise, you might be able to find a job that doesn't require a large amount of experience, and use that to start your programming career.

Whichever option you choose: good luck!

:( Now i am worrying again, so a degree is not necessary? I am looking at a course next year (Software Development) and it goes for 3 years 5 if you do IBL and Honours. If i do that my chances will increase quite significantly no?

And sorry for the following personal question, but do you have a degree of some sort?

Me? I'm doing Software Engineering, first of four years.

How much a degree improves your chances depends on the area. In some places the majority of employers require one. In other places not many do. My point is that you can get a job without one and lots of employers prefer real-world experience over academic results.

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Originally Posted by penagate

... and lots of employers prefer real-world experience over academic results.

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That indeed is the reality [unfortunately] but education never hurts either and when employeer has to choose between two similar candidates your education may play significant role in getting you a job.
So, if you can afford to study then go for it whithout the doubt.

If you have a combination of education and experience, then you should be in good shape.

If you only have one, then most employeers would prefer the experience.

I was an English major, with a minor in History. My first job in IT was as a mainframe data input operator. The only qualification for that job was the ability to type.

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Originally Posted by Jonn1s

Hi all,

I've be programming for about a year now for the company i'm in at the moment. but its not my job i just do it to earn extra cash really - besides i find it fun. my job is actually nothing to do with computers but i built a quote system in vba and am doing a contract managmenet system in vb.net for them.

having already done a degree in communction (socialogical not computer related) and being 23 i wondered what the best way to become a proffessional programmer?

would i have to go back to university and get a degree in software engineering or are there any other routes? i would gladdly go back to university but the tution fees have recently gone up in England to £3000 a year and i can't really afford to add £10,000 to my debt. but will if i have to.

So is there any other way to get into this industry/ will employers only hire someone with a degree?

any information gratefully recieved!!!

Thanks,

Jon

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You're going to have to start out at a small company for low pay.

Positions at major companies are usually filled by College Interns who had 3.5 GPA + and a Comp Sci major.

But becoming a programmer is much easier than say getting a Chemist job (where an official Chemistry PhD is almost a requirement).

So if I were you, I'd brush up on my skills, try out for every job possible, and accept jobs from companies that will hire me to get me started.

Experience is the most important thing in the industry. So you need that to start.

And since you have some college degree, and a little experience to begin with, I think you'll be in good shape.

I was hired in my first job when I was able to correctly spot a piece of C code printed on a paper. It was kept between different kinds of papers. Like a newspaper, a technical document for operating a pressure cooker and a sccript for a play.

You have to get educationally qualified before you can code.

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Originally Posted by abhijit

I was hired in my first job when I was able to correctly spot a piece of C code printed on a paper. It was kept between different kinds of papers. Like a newspaper, a technical document for operating a pressure cooker and a sccript for a play.

You have to get educationally qualified before you can code.

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Somebody had a silliest "hiring contest" I guess... :)

My degree is in Business Admin with a minor in Art. Not exactly Computer Science. I started selling mainframes (that's all there was in 1977) after college and discovered that I was not too terrible at the technical stuff. My career wound up eveloving from machine sales to software sales to technical support to software consulting to I.S. Manger.

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Originally Posted by RhinoBull

Somebody had a silliest "hiring contest" I guess... :)

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I am saying, that was the extent of qualification required to get hired as a programmer. Now days you need to understand a lot of things.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by abhijit

I was hired in my first job when I was able to correctly spot a piece of C code printed on a paper. It was kept between different kinds of papers. Like a newspaper, a technical document for operating a pressure cooker and a sccript for a play.

You have to get educationally qualified before you can code.

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What was the C Code?

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Originally Posted by capsulecorpjx

What was the C Code?

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I don't recollect. It was printed on a dot matrix printer. That was a dead give away.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hack

I was an English major, with a minor in History.

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That's almost as useful as a Bachelor's in Philosophy. :)

(Says the guy with the EE signed with a dinosaur footprint. But 32 years of paid programming experience helps a little too.)

Are you sure you want to be an employee? Perhaps you could create your own projects and market them yourself. That's what I'm in the process of doing now. I think it's more interesting working on a project that you dreampt up and created than doing programming that an employer assigns you. You might like the kind of work they assign you and you might not.