[PhotonFanatic]

Went to the local college today, to talk to one of the teachers about programming classes. And it was all vaguely reminiscent of some kind of bureaucratic nightmare. Not just dealing with the college itself, but to some degree the way she made it feel about getting a job. I'm not real sure that a teacher is the best person to talk to about work outside of a college, so I figured the best thing to do was to come here and ask you guys.

My question revolves around what all is really required to be paid to write code. Some certificate involving a lot of seemingly unnecessary classes? A computer science degree? My knowledge of this is pretty much zero. I'm confused by some of my old high school computer teachers, and to some degree some of my college professors. The computer science 101 teacher, a java programming teacher, and a couple of my high school computer class teachers have all said things which would lead you to believe (if you didn't know any better) that someone who is a good programmer, can simply go out and get a job. Just because they're skilled. I'm talking about someone who really can get the job done.

So these different people have sort of put this idea in my head, that I just need to be good at it. Fine, I can handle that. I actually consider myself "good" at getting good at stuff. I realize a ton of that is learned on the job, and I'm fine with that too. However I don't want to pay for some certificate that has 10 classes in it, if its not necessary to actually land a job. Is it? Seems you can test online for a python certificate:

https://pythoninstitute.org/pcap-certification-associate/

I don't see those classes that the college wants me to take for their certificate, listed in that link. So I guess I'm just confused as to what I should be doing. Again it comes down to money, but also time. I already have student loans I'm paying on, and I don't really want to waste time either. If I can learn python and get the certificate online, then maybe I don't need to waste time and money at the college, taking the classes they want me to take and lining their pockets at the same time. So I'm hoping you guys can shed some light on the job scene for me, in terms of what it takes to just have a steady job programming. When I talked to the teacher today, she also mentioned "getting passed up" or "not ever getting a raise" because I didn't have something the employer wanted me to have. But is any of that even likely, and even if it is likely, should I even be concerned with it? I'm only looking to be a programmer, I'm not even close to being interested in... well anything else the company may have on offer. I just want to write code, I don't want to do other stuff. So how many promotions do I really need? How many raises would I ever really get? Sorry for the long winded post and all the questions, but I hope I'm able to convey my general state of confusion.

 

[The Pook]

Need to narrow your scope a bit. "What do I need to get paid to write code" isn't a question anybody is going to be able to answer for you. What do you want to learn/what do you already know? What jobs require that skill set? Are there jobs near you for that position?

What someone else studied and what certifications they have and what job lead to their current job isn't information that's going to help you unless you're their neighbor, and even then I doubt it'd help all that much.

 

[LeadbyFaith21]

Full time programming will take some various knowledge about writing software and some of the various fundamentals that are taught throughout the course of a CS degree. That being said, a lot of it can be learned by yourself without going through the work of getting your degree. If you're wanting to do this without going through anymore college, having sample code to show the employer is good, it allows them to see how you code and how competent you are at it.

If you already know some of the basics of coding, but aren't proficient at it yet, you could be come a QA tester for software and learn more about how enterprise code is wrote and organized through that with the goal of moving to a development position once you've been exposed to more code and have reach a level of proficiency that allows you to operate as a coder for a business. It is entirely possible to become a developer without having to get a CS degree, you just have to learn how to code by yourself and may have to work your way up from a related position to get to the point of being a developer (though it is possible to get hired on as a developer directly).

For reference, I've got my CS degree, but have worked with plenty of programmers who didn't get a CS degree and instead taught themselves while working their way up from various other positions.

 

[PhotonFanatic]

That is the route I'd like to go. To be a programmer that does not have a CS degree. Because I want to have a decent job, sooner rather than later. Getting a CS degree means that its definitely later, not sooner. Maybe I'll slowly get that degree after I have a job, who knows. I'm not against it. But I want to go the quickest route of actually getting a job, and I'm just trying to work out how best to do that. It seems everyone has a different idea. The college thinks I should have their certificate, which iirc consists of 8 different classes. Some people do say that its best to have a CS degree, I've read it here and there. The next guy will tell you that you really just need the programming certificate (like in the link) and a few logic classes, and you'll be golden.

So its starting to look like what I should take away from this, is that it varies too wildly to actually pin it down. One place may have a lot of requirements, while next door they'd hire me right away with no qualifications, as long as I could demonstrate that I could actually code well.

 

[LeadbyFaith21]

So its starting to look like what I should take away from this, is that it varies too wildly to actually pin it down. One place may have a lot of requirements, while next door they'd hire me right away with no qualifications, as long as I could demonstrate that I could actually code well.

That is completely correct, it will vary company-to-company and industry-to-industry. Overall, it is easier to get a programming job with a CS degree and/or certifications, but it is entirely possible to get a programming position without either of those, it all comes down to the company and your personal skill as to how hard getting the job without either of those things will be.

 

[PhotonFanatic]

Thanks for the replies! It would be nice to know some form or fashion of a statistic, but I guess I won't be able to. Such as, how many jobs are available to people with certificate A. How many jobs are available to people with certificate B. How many jobs are available to people with both certificates A, and B. And have you guys noticed that different schools, have somewhat different classes for their certificates? Man.

I'll start looking around at the jobs available, and see what they want. Any suggestions on which sites to look at for programming jobs?

 

[gregory007]

ohh
Im so tired
I found 2 good jobs but I was not hired because of a bad resume

 

[gregory007]

Ohh, you can’t even imagine how much I am fed up with the bureaucracy and how much I hate it. I have been working as an information security consultant for more than 3 years, and recently my boss said that I had long deserved a promotion and he wants to make me the head of the IT department. I would very much like to get this job, but he said that for a start I have to write another resume because of this damned bureaucracy. After 2 resumes, my boss said that I won’t get a promotion until I write the perfect resume and if it weren’t for samples of ready resumes at https://themoneymix.com, I would still remain a consultant ...

 

[overer]

what? the certificate is a must to make you trusted by company!

 

[Franklin_B]

Thanks everyone for the advice.