How to get a programming/developer job without a degree

[Sam Harlo]

Can also get programming work on Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer dot com. Might be hard to compete with all the programmers from the phillapenes though

 

[synergy1]

Can also get programming work on Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer dot com. Might be hard to compete with all the programmers from the phillapenes though

To echo this - the competition for freelancing is pretty fierce. If you want the higher end jobs, these jobs are fairly demanding, and there are a lot of specialized developers who can deliver a great product for a reasonable price. To repeat myself from before, I think the best bet is to become specialized in doing something really well, and finding the market for it. To add to that, the few guys I know who have been successful with the freelancing say to develop clientele before jumping in. Not saying one cannot, but thats what they recommended to me.

 

[Stephen89]

Just to update, I've been developing complex android and iOS apps and I'm seeking for sub-contractor, contractor work in the next few months.

Ideally I'm seeking to work for myself in the next 2-3 years.

 

[Stephen89]

I've landed myself a C# software developer interview next week.

If you read synergy1's and my posts on this thread, without experience or a degree, you too can land yourself a job.

 

[synergy1]

I've landed myself a C# software developer interview next week.

If you read synergy1's and my posts on this thread, without experience or a degree, you too can land yourself a job.

congrats buddy. Good luck

 

[Stephen89]

I just had my phone interview, it was easier than I thought.

They asked me:

1) What attracted me to this job
2) What my strengths are
3) What my weaknesses are
4) My exposure of SQL
5) If I've developed large data in SQL
6) What services I have developed

I answered well to everything but the last. I don't think I've gotten onto the 2nd face to face interview stage.

Anyway, I'm glad I had the interview, I'm applying to more C#, Java, Python, C++ jobs and sure enough I'm confident I'll get into more interviews.

 

[Stephen89]

Also if you're struggling to think of and create projects you could do them from Team Treehouse, Pluralsight, Udacity, Lynda and use their projects in your portfolio.

 

[Stephen89]

Also you can contribute on various c#, Java, Javascript, Python open source projects which will help significantly in helping get interviews.

 

[Stephen89]

I've had an agency phone me for a software developer role which they were impressed with my CV/Resume which I've also worked part time facing the public.

The client was impressed too and they given me a programming challenge to complete which may lead me to a software developer interview.

Just to re-iterate:

Develop 5/6 solid projects in your chosen languages, this could be a command line game, mobile apps, a piece of software such as a project/content management system software/EPOS system, web apps. For Java, developing android apps since they're Java centric will get you through the door.

If you're struggling for projects, you can use team treeehouse, pluralsight, Lynda projects as your own projects.

Learn and be competent in test driven development, object orientated programming, SQL, no-SQL, aws, Linux. These skills are very important to employers and you will use them. Plenty of resources on Google.

Study and also develop projects in Javascript, Angular, node, react.

 

[Stephen89]

Also do web apps projects for people (paid or voluntary) or even by yourself. This and all the other things I have stated can help get your foot in the door.

It's more to do with high quality projects and have the right skills.

 

[synergy1]

For my business, I have gone the web app route. Its been helpful because you piece together a lot of the key pieces - server/computers, the front end, data, and cloud infrastructure. As you go through developing a fully functional application, you'll find what you do like and what you do not. I suggest you leverage the former.

For example my skills seem to fall in infrastructure and data, so machine learning ( a natural extension of my masters degree) coupled with infrastructure aught to be a good target. I am also getting pretty handy with the Django Framework. Of course there are better out there, but my suggestions is to find a project you want 100% and make it happen with any language you can. Finding a solution is more attractive to employers ( and better for you) than picking the perfect language.

Word on the street is folks who can build AWS cloud infrastructure are highly sought. Dev Ops is on the rise too, so if you can script and manage the cloud, those jobs are dynamic and the remuneration is excellent.

As always, good luck to ya man. cheers

 

[Cambridge]

Nobody is going to hire you without a degree. Get real..

False. We hire people without degrees all the time.

All you need is a couple of high quality projects(video games, apps, some software) and knowing TDD, web technologies, databases, version control and you are in.

False. You need to learn TO CODE and know that you are great coder. Everything else is gravy.

Pick ONE relevant popular language (c++, java, python) and start coding. You need to do several types of activities (contribute to a mature project, build things from scratch, competitive programming) while taking courses to learn the fundamentals (cs math, computation, data structures, algorithms) to reach the goal of "can code".

When you've really learned to code with a language you should be writing answers mostly in stack overflow instead of reading.

 

[marmel75]

Nobody is going to hire you without a degree. Get real.

Unless you are so incredibly talented that they cannot do without you, which is that case, makes YOU incredibly rare, and likely not a blueprint that normal people can follow.

Maybe not without a degree but my degree is in marketing, not computer science. I worked very hard for 8 years learning via tutorials, edx.org classes(which are excellent btw), MVA classes, code challenges via sites like CodeEval, HackerRank, CodeWars, etc and creating an open source project that I am still working on today even after being hired as a programmer over a year ago now. Oh yeah, I was also 41 when I got hired for my first programming job. I've probably written over half a million lines of code in that time...I was prolific..I programmed, programmed and did more programming. Actually obsessed would probably be a better word to use....

That being said, I had become much better than the average person they would hire out of college for a junior developer role. In fact, they were almost shocked at how good i was and told me I was much closer to a senior developer than a junior developer. I earned the nickname RAID because of my prolific ability to kill bugs. Am I rare? Maybe...but I don't think that rare. I am gifted intellectually and have always been involved with computers so this was a logical thing for me to be involved in...people actually wondered why it took that long. Learning programming comes very easy to me, like a fish swimming. I know 7 languages and am actually taking classes to finish my Computer Science degree now(even tho I don't need it) and will be learning my 8th this semester, C++...

So, it definitely can be done, and if you are serious enough at it and treat it like a side job doing it for long enough you will blow 95% of the college kids out of the water that are graduating.

Always remember that understanding the big picture and concepts are what is important NOT memorizing code. I don't give a crap about memorizing things like Bubble Sorts. Why? Cause I can go on google and look it up in 20 seconds and find 100 of them to use. I do know when to use it, why to use it, when I see a pattern that matches what I would need a bubble sort for etc...That is what is important...memorizing something does no good if you don't understand what it is and when to use and when not to or the logic behind it. Become good at solving problems at diagnosing what the problems are and the various solutions to them along with the pros and cons of each method, don't memorize code.

 

[Stephen89]

Thanks for your input guys, appreciated.

I've developed a few web apps in angular.js, node.js and react.js and I've been offered an interview as a junior JavaScript developer.

 

[synergy1]

Always remember that understanding the big picture and concepts are what is important NOT memorizing code.

From my limited experience this seems to be very true. Of course I have applied this to my other career in engineering and it helps greatly. At my new job, you have two basic types - those who want to understand and those who want to do the job to get a paycheck. The former always seem to be able to finish their work, while the later keep having the same problems over and over. I only started in this field this year, and already have been tasked with teaching people our software. one person ( who isn't there anymore) insisted on writing everything down and trying to memorize it. When I told them that they have to understand it, they became very defensive and even angry. it was as if it was too much to ask of them. But they were ineffective that their job, and ended up quitting due to frustration.

Im no pro coder yet, but I am learning the basic patterns needed to get stuff done. I know where to find the information and how to apply it to make something work. There are better coders than me for sure, but the method of understanding why seems to be helping when compared to some of my peers.

 

[190cmofcancer]

Always remember that understanding the big picture and concepts are what is important NOT memorizing code.

From my limited experience this seems to be very true. Of course I have applied this to my other career in engineering and it helps greatly. At my new job, you have two basic types - those who want to understand and those who want to do the job to get a paycheck. The former always seem to be able to finish their work, while the later keep having the same problems over and over. I only started in this field this year, and already have been tasked with teaching people our software. one person ( who isn't there anymore) insisted on writing everything down and trying to memorize it. When I told them that they have to understand it, they became very defensive and even angry. it was as if it was too much to ask of them. But they were ineffective that their job, and ended up quitting due to frustration.

Im no pro coder yet, but I am learning the basic patterns needed to get stuff done. I know where to find the information and how to apply it to make something work. There are better coders than me for sure, but the method of understanding why seems to be helping when compared to some of my peers.

im also pro coder dude. been learning for less than month but im already coding games in it.

 

[marmel75]

Thanks for your input guys, appreciated.

I've developed a few web apps in angular.js, node.js and react.js and I've been offered an interview as a junior JavaScript developer.

Learn ASP.Net it's widely used as a backend and will enhance your job prospects longterm

 

[Stephen89]

I've got a C# developer interview tomorrow.

This is without experience and without a degree (where I'm competing with people with degree's/some experience), all I've done is a 5-6 projects making video games, asp.net websites etc using these projects from websites such as Lynda, Pluralsight etc.

Funnily enough, the last time I applied for developer jobs was back in early august almost 2 months ago and they've just recently got back to me now.

If I don't get in, I'm looking to do freelance work on those freelance websites.

 

[sosousage]

My opinion on this:

You absolutely CAN get job without a degree in this field.

Check what employers in your area require.

For me, 5 out of 6 offers in my city required degree.

So basically you can find a job without degree, but is it worth it? If you move to other city and/or change job, you will very likely struggle to find a new one.

I suggest picking easiest university you can find and doing a IT degree there.

Employers usually dont differentiate which University is good and which one is bad, and you have a degree, so instead of one job offer per city, you get 6 offers.

 

[Stephen89]

You are correct by saying university name doesn't matter, it really doesn't.

I live in the UK and in my local city and other cities within 90 minutes away, 70 % of these junior/entry level programmer, developer jobs don't require a degree.