Should I learn to code?

10:10

10:10

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Right now, I work and capture data for the boss, but this job will not last much longer.

Are there coding jobs, and can anyone truly learn to code?
 
Yes, you really should learn to code.

There are jobs right across the spectrum for developers, so it’s definitely worth a shot. My default suggestion is to do a CS degree if you can, for the most bang for buck, but even 6 months of online video tutorials by yourself could open quite a few doors.
 
Also have a look at no-code options, like bubble.io, I have seen an increase in interest for candidates with these type of skills. You won't be building complex products but also a nice way to enter the market.
 
Brawler said:
What do you want to code and why do you want to do it?
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My motive is to earn a living. I have a strong work ethic, I do work long hours. The "what" part I can't say, I don't know the business. Perhaps you can tell me what is in demand, being in the business?
 
Romy Hedwig said:
My motive is to earn a living. I have a strong work ethic, I do work long hours. The "what" part I can't say, I don't know the business. Perhaps you can tell me what is in demand, being in the business?
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There are many fields in IT, dont believe that programming is the only option.
Networking, Repairs, Cloud computing, Project Management, Website development, Data analytics all require different skills.
If you are looking to stay in the IT space, work your way through youtubes on each field.
Once you find something that interests you, buy a udemy course on it (like R200) and see if you still enjoy it.
After that go for professional certifications or degrees.


Heres a free 6 hour course on python to see if you enjoy programming.
 
Romy Hedwig said:
My motive is to earn a living. I have a strong work ethic, I do work long hours. The "what" part I can't say, I don't know the business. Perhaps you can tell me what is in demand, being in the business?
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Here's my unpopular opinion on this; because I have had people ask me this a few times, since I am a developer.

If you have no interest in programming / coding - don't do it. You'll either:

- Give up before you even start
- Be mediocre at the job and might give it up as a career
- Really hate the job

Coding isn't for everyone. I've had friends ask me what they need to do to get starting coding, and I've see it time and time again, they all gave up before making a proper go of it, because their only motive was money and they quickly lost interest in the idea.

However...

Do give it a try, and see if its something you actually enjoy. If you find it boring and don't like it after a few months of giving it a go; seriously consider something else.
 
I'm not a coder, I just write a lot of code in my job.

I think it's something you have to enjoy, otherwise you're not going to enjoy a job doing it.

I started writing code when I was 12 years old or so, I just wanted to make my computer do things that it wasn't able to do at the time.

When I look back at working code that I've written it really makes me happy, I appreciate the beauty of how it's laid out and structured and the way it all flows together.

I think that you asking this question shows you have at least some interesting, I'd say give it a shot, try a free resource first and just fiddle around on your own, if you think you'd enjoy it then take it further.
 
Romy Hedwig said:
My motive is to earn a living. I have a strong work ethic, I do work long hours. The "what" part I can't say, I don't know the business. Perhaps you can tell me what is in demand, being in the business?
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Think about becoming a pentester, literally become a hacker. Sounds a little more exciting than it is because you write more reports and sit in more meetings than actually break into systems.

The dev space is crowded and because of this you can't demand as much as you could before. I have also worked at 3 banks and the people making decisions aren't building in house anymore because the coders go way over time and budget so they buy. The devs are just maintaining a few systems.

Some will disagree but this is my perspective.

As a pentester you have to be able to read code and manipulate code but you don't often write large portions of code. With https://www.offensive-security.com/pwk-oscp/ you can expect a starting salary of 300k-500k depending on the "in" you get and your BEE status, with a year experience this salary increases exponentially. The course is hard extremely hard and if you take the 3 month option you will need to have a lot of background in Linux or have run through all hackthebox or tryhackme before starting. Yes you will need to cough up R25 000 (minimum) but it's worth it, from there every other course you do will be paid for by whatever company you work for and you will have like 12 certs in no time.

You are also on the top 10 skills in basically every country worldwide so if immigration is something you want to do this is also good.

Look into if it interests you but I can tell you it changed my life and I came from a civil engineering background where I was part owner of the company earing ok money to a pentester earning more than most.
 
Pentesting is more than just a course.

You need to know the OS, network, code etc - if you're going to hire someone based off a X month course, you're going to have a bad time.
 
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shadow_man said:
Pentesting is more than just a course.

You need to know the OS, network, code etc - if you're going to hire someone based off a X month course, you're going to have a bad time.
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Yeah it's just the way in getting your oscp, opens the door. After that it's plenty of hard work but the oscp gets you up the curve.
 
Scary_Turtle said:
Think about becoming a pentester, literally become a hacker. Sounds a little more exciting than it is because you write more reports and sit in more meetings than actually break into systems.

The dev space is crowded and because of this you can't demand as much as you could before. I have also worked at 3 banks and the people making decisions aren't building in house anymore because the coders go way over time and budget so they buy. The devs are just maintaining a few systems.

Some will disagree but this is my perspective.

As a pentester you have to be able to read code and manipulate code but you don't often write large portions of code. With https://www.offensive-security.com/pwk-oscp/ you can expect a starting salary of 300k-500k depending on the "in" you get and your BEE status, with a year experience this salary increases exponentially. The course is hard extremely hard and if you take the 3 month option you will need to have a lot of background in Linux or have run through all hackthebox or tryhackme before starting. Yes you will need to cough up R25 000 (minimum) but it's worth it, from there every other course you do will be paid for by whatever company you work for and you will have like 12 certs in no time.

You are also on the top 10 skills in basically every country worldwide so if immigration is something you want to do this is also good.

Look into if it interests you but I can tell you it changed my life and I came from a civil engineering background where I was part owner of the company earing ok money to a pentester earning more than most.
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me thinks you talking abit of kaka ..... You should only be allowed into Security when you have a high level of networking , sys admin , cloud , firewalling,some coding experience.Its the reason why companies are getting hacked left right and center ;).Lots of bullshitting noobs getting into security without having a solid foundation.
 
Romy Hedwig said:
Are there coding jobs, and can anyone truly learn to code?
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1. Absolutely. 2. Of course. That said, 10x engineers are driven by passion. If you're passionate about coding you can quite easily make 10s of millons doing it for profit as your career. Entrepreneurs/corporates/VCs are all keen to drop $$$ on anyone who can produce real world outcomes, even during "recessions"
 
Don't just take a job for the money. Do it becasue you love it and then the money will soon follow.

I've seen so many people taking a job as it pays tons but they hate the work. 6 months later they quit. Remember money comes with experience. If you are young you probavly have another 30+years of doing this job.
 
ubercal said:
me thinks you talking abit of kaka ..... You should only be allowed into Security when you have a high level of networking , sys admin , cloud , firewalling,some coding experience.Its the reason why companies are getting hacked left right and center ;).Lots of bullshitting noobs getting into security without having a solid foundation.
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What am I talking "kaka" about?

As a senior pentester yes you need all the above but by the time you are considered senior you have 5 years experience and many certs.

I can see from what you have written you know nothing about security or working in a security team.
 
Udemy seems to be all the rage these days, not sure how they are seen by employers but I think those certs are still valid credentials. Obviously a degree will yield the greatest return on investment, but it doesn't seem like you have the funds for it.

Why hasn't anyone mentioned WeThinkCode? They give you an NQF Level 5 qualification after completing 2 years and it's FREE! https://www.apply.wethinkcode.co.za/ Best of all they do industry placements once you finish studying.

My friend, that institution has changed many lives. Go look on linkedin at the people that came from nothing and who have now become very successful in their careers. And NO requirements to enter, you just need to pass some online games which is very easy. They will train you from scratch, no programming knowledge required.

@Romy Hedwig
 
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