So you want to be a programmer...

[Deon6]

Ok, starting with little or no programming experience, how would you go about becoming a successful programmer that people want to employ?

Where would you study? What would you study? Which languages? Which certifications would you do? Where would you look for your first job? How long would it take you to get where you want to be?

 

[nfbs]

How long is a piece of string? Start with Hello World and expand from there

Some of your background would help. Age, qualifications, HG math mark, what computer do you have.

 

[Necuno]

Be really sure it is what you want to do... FIRST

So You Don't Want to be a Programmer After All

 

[Beachless]

If you enjoy programming you will be programming for fun in the evenings and weekends.

You need something to showcase your skills it can either be a degree, certification(preferably not the CTI etc type), open source projects and own projects etc or hopefully a combination.

Maybe be a bit more detailed about where you are career ect wise and where you want to be then people can be more specific.

 

[NeonNinja]

There are your .NET Microsoft certs.

 

[CamiKaze]

Just googling words like polymorphism and OO fundamentals and you sorted for any interview. lol joking.

You need to read and practice a lot. And I mean, A LOT. Only then will you be able to be comfortable with various types of technologies and jargon that interviewers might test you with.

Where would you study: CPUT? or any University. (I do however feel like Bsc. Com. Sci. students are meant for something "greater" like Architecture, probably gona get flamed for this comment).

What would you study: Bsc. Computer Science.

Certifications: Java or some .Net thing.

Where would I look for a job: Anywhere after varsity to get experience

How long will it take: I dont know what your goals are...I always wanted to be where I am today...and yet...it feels so...I need a new goal.

 

[Baxteen]

Where would you study? TUKS of NIKS!
What would you study? BCS IT via a B:ed bursary
Which languages? lets see, I did C#, Java, VB,C++, SLQ and basic html. now I work in coldfusion, because the real world is not a textbook.
Which certifications would you do? none, experience is worth more than silly pieces of paper from ripoff schools (personal opinion)
Where would you look for your first job? honestly, as a waiter, because you need to eat while you study, First Programming Job came much much later, someone took a chance on me and here I am 5 years later finishing off massive projects that people said could not be done.
How long would it take you to get where you want to be? if you get to where you want to be your life goals are not thought out properly, even Richard Brandson still has goals (it took me 6 years to get my first programming job)

 

[Deon6]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I didn't finish school, got st.9, 74% HG maths, started fixing PCs, worked as a techie, call out techie, got a job as an IT administrator, and promoted to IT manager (for the last 3 years). So no paper qualifications except the odd short course. I'm 28 years old.

I'm reading "Head first JAVA" which I'm quite enjoying. So the main idea of the thread was I'm wondering if I were to change career directions to programmer, what would be the best way to go about it? Finish my book, make stuff, finish more books, make more stuff, and get Sun certified? Or what would you guys do?

 

[Chevron]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I didn't finish school, got st.9, 74% HG maths, started fixing PCs, worked as a techie, call out techie, got a job as an IT administrator, and promoted to IT manager (for the last 3 years). So no paper qualifications except the odd short course. I'm 28 years old.

I'm reading "Head first JAVA" which I'm quite enjoying. So the main idea of the thread was I'm wondering if I were to change career directions to programmer, what would be the best way to go about it? Finish my book, make stuff, finish more books, make more stuff, and get Sun certified? Or what would you guys do?

Start here:

www.w3schools.com

 

[BaronBuffoon]

I thought of learning to program a couple of times with a view to earning more at work, so my boss suggested that I get a book and teach myself from there. The fact that I didn't make it past chapter one suggests that I lacked genuine passion for learning this skill, and was probably just grumbling about my job. [Probably the point my boss was making.]

 

[Deon6]

Start here:

www.w3schools.com

I've been through there, have built a website or 3. But I'm correct that their certifications are not worth going for right?

 

[nfbs]

Since you didn't finish matric your further education is limited. The self study route seems to be the way to go.

 

[Deon6]

Since you didn't finish matric your further education is limited. The self study route seems to be the way to go.

That's what I was thinking. So just finish a few more Java books, try building some things, and go for the Sun certification? Good idea?

 

[sp4ceman]

ways to become a programmer in descending order of desirability :

go to varsity and get a degree. this is good because even if you decide you don't want to code for the rest of your life you will have enough skills to sidetrack into some other IT field. it gives you a great grounding in theory and practice.

do some or other short course. this normally skimps a bit on theory and focuses more on practical. not bad, but normally you end up not as well rounded as you could be. because maths etc aren't normally taken, algorithms are skipped or not understood. i know a dude who can code like hell thanks to a short course but still doesn't know or care about why he might have created a general order or logarithmic sort. most day jobs don't really need this though in day to day work...

online courses / ms certifications.
the problem with these is they are really narrow in focus. its a good place to start i suppose, but some courses recommend having some experience. and for good reason. some of the courses can take you quite deep into dotnet and without a working knowledge they can quickly be confusing. also, once again the focus is on a particular implementation of a solution rather than the abstract logic that goes into the solution, and they can obviously be biased. ms courses will rave about ms products, sun courses will rave about java. university courses will remain unbiased and tell you to use the right tool for the job.

teach yourself.. most people i know who've taught themselves have varying levels of expertise. they're all good at what they do, and will have a tower of knowledge, but they're always missing random bricks along the way. for some this has become costly, others seem to do just fine without them. its obviously not as great as a set course.

 

[zippy]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I didn't finish school, got st.9, 74% HG maths, started fixing PCs, worked as a techie, call out techie, got a job as an IT administrator, and promoted to IT manager (for the last 3 years). So no paper qualifications except the odd short course. I'm 28 years old.

I'm reading "Head first JAVA" which I'm quite enjoying. So the main idea of the thread was I'm wondering if I were to change career directions to programmer, what would be the best way to go about it? Finish my book, make stuff, finish more books, make more stuff, and get Sun certified? Or what would you guys do?

You should finish school....

Its possible without you having finished school, but the majority of agencies won't even pass your cv onto a prospective employer. Closes a lot of possibilities, not having at least finished school.

 

[semaphore]

Since you didn't finish matric your further education is limited. The self study route seems to be the way to go.

Or he can finish his matric then try make head way from there...

 

[semaphore]

Where would you study? TUKS of NIKS!
What would you study? BCS IT via a B:ed bursary
Which languages? lets see, I did C#, Java, VB,C++, SLQ and basic html. now I work in coldfusion, because the real world is not a textbook.
Which certifications would you do? none, experience is worth more than silly pieces of paper from ripoff schools (personal opinion)
Where would you look for your first job? honestly, as a waiter, because you need to eat while you study, First Programming Job came much much later, someone took a chance on me and here I am 5 years later finishing off massive projects that people said could not be done.
How long would it take you to get where you want to be? if you get to where you want to be your life goals are not thought out properly, even Richard Brandson still has goals (it took me 6 years to get my first programming job)

Ouch coldfusion that's about as much as classic asp.

 

[kripstoe]

That's what I was thinking. So just finish a few more Java books, try building some things, and go for the Sun certification? Good idea?

From the other thread, you asked about MSCD cert. In this thread, Sun cert. Do you enjoy programming/development? That's a more important question that which cert to go for. Start with the fundamentals.

 

[InvisibleJim]

Have a look at http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkapjava/html/index.html.

 

[McSack]

You should finish school....

Its possible without you having finished school, but the majority of agencies won't even pass your cv onto a prospective employer. Closes a lot of possibilities, not having at least finished school.

Best advice in the thread.... Bite the bullet and get it done already.
Then get an IT related degree.
Then look at doing all the self-teach / cert type training