How Much Do You Need to Know to Get a Programming Job
At Kevel, when someone has been working hither for exactly N years (i.e. every year on the person's "work ceremony"), we take a cue from Redditor civilisation and refer to that twenty-four hours as their "cake twenty-four hours."
Today is my first cake day. This marks not only my first twelvemonth working at Kevel, only my kickoff year working anywhere professionally every bit a software developer.
To say that I am excited to exist working in this field would be putting it lightly.
I get paid to do what I honey, and my overall happiness level has increased dramatically. A year and some months ago, I was still settling for a menial desk-bound job that offered security and benefits, merely not quite enough satisfaction, all the while nervously applying for programming jobs for which I didn't think I was qualified.
Now, after but twelve months of writing code for Kevel, I already experience so comfy doing what I do, it boggles my mind that I always thought I wasn't competent enough to practise this for a living!
How To Go That First Programming Task
If you're reading this and you happen to be in the position I was until a lilliputian over a year ago, you may not realize that being a good software programmer doesn't necessarily crave a calculator science degree or years of work experience in the field.
What it does crave is:
- Dedication
- A passion for programming and all things related to it
- A willingness** to invest hours into exploring problems and seeing their solutions through to completion
These are traits that I believe a lot of programming enthusiasts take, simply peradventure non all of them realize how desirable they are to potential employers.
I sure didn't, until I started my entry level programming task search. I was surprised to notice that out of the companies I was actually interested in working for, non just were most of them non dismissing me for my lack of feel, but a few of them were actually taking me seriously and expressing interest in hiring me.
Prerequisites for programming jobs are overrated
Many budding programmers have the misconception that they need to know Ten language or Y awarding framework in society to get a chore as a software programmer. Others (myself included, at a certain point in my life) may feel like no 1 will consider hiring them because they don't accept a four-yr computer science degree.
Barriers to entry such as these are non uncommon in other industries, just are actually adequately unheard of in the world of software start-ups.
As I was applying for coding jobs, I noticed a pattern. For the about office, larger software companies and corporations would either never get dorsum to me, or they would dismiss me early on in the awarding procedure because they have a hard requirement of a certain level of information science instruction and/or an equivalent number of years of prior piece of work feel in the field.
From what I've read well-nigh these types of companies, the application process is typically handled by Man Resources personnel or hired recruiters, neither of which are really qualified to estimate the merit of a programmer, so perhaps it is for the best that these companies looked me over.
On the other manus, I found that the start-ups I applied to were more flexible about the amount of teaching or experience that a job bidder has.
At my job interview with Kevel, we talked nearly:
- My open-source projects
- What programming languages I liked and disliked (and why)
- How I would approach solving specific bug relevant to ad tech advertisement serving.
I had a similar experience when interviewing with other software start-ups. The software engineers who interviewed me were, for the most part, not concerned that I had piffling to no experience with the databases, languages, or frameworks that they utilise.
They were more than interested in whether or not I was the kind of person who would be interested and driven plenty to learn to use them.
Only y'all have to be somewhat competent at programming too
On the other side of the token, it would be inaccurate to say that there are no prerequisites to becoming hirable as a programmer. At that place are certain things that engineering science teams look for when because a task bidder.
- Some level of competence using the Unix/Linux command line is practically a must-have, since nosotros spend and so much of our time performing circuitous tasks on the control line.
In my case, this was not something that I consciously decided to learn in order to exist more hirable, merely rather something that I decided to learn because it fabricated using my computer easier and more enjoyable. If you haven't already, you should consider reading a good book on using the control line -- if nothing else, it will change the fashion yous employ computers.
- Start-ups also tend to look for people who are enthusiastic almost trying new languages and frameworks. If yous have a GitHub business relationship with at to the lowest degree a representative handful of personal projects where y'all accept tried your paw at building things in a couple different languages, you are probably a shoo-in for a software start-upward somewhere.
Somewhere in the earth, there is a company looking to hire a software engineer, and they're growing tired of wading through applications from figurer scientific discipline graduates who have little experience in whatever language other than (allow's say) Java and little want to learn something new.
If you're the blazon of person who likes to acquire how to exercise new things and you can demonstrate that you've learned a new language or two just for the fun of it, then you may not realize information technology yet, but you have a real competitive reward over these other applicants.
- This may sound similar a no-brainer, but some other thing that software companies look for in applicants is general coding competence. The bottom line is that if you don't demonstrate good coding habits, then you won't wait like a very proficient candidate for a position as a software developer.
Dissimilar companies have dissimilar strategies for assessing your ability to write good code. If you take a portfolio of projects you accept built that showcase the quality of the code you write, then this may be plenty for some companies. Other companies may give you an cess of some kind, either during or as a take-dwelling addition to your interview.
Regardless of how it is assessed, you can improve the quality of the code you write exactly the same manner as you would work on whatsoever other skill: by practicing. Writing code every day is one skillful way to improve the way you code.
Adjusting your programming job perspective
OK, so you've successfully landed your first coding job at a software start-up. What can you look when you start?
Well... it's hard for me to say anything definitive, just I can tell my story. Regardless, I can say this: any your current perspective is, you will surely have to adjust it; a software start-up is a truly unique work environment.
In my example, I came to software development after six years of working for the land government. I dressed conservatively, sat at a desk-bound, and adjudicated claims for eight hours a 24-hour interval. It was very serious, requiring a lot of discipline and ability to adhere to protocol. I wasn't quite certain what to await when I got my new function.
In some ways, I got what I expected: in dissimilarity to the hierarchy and red record inherent in my previous chore, I was immediately:
- On level footing with my coworkers
- In a infinite where management listened to my ideas
- Was treated similar an equal
On the other mitt, the lack of structure took some adjustment.
I wasn't used to having this much freedom!
I was used to being handed tasks and having less command over what issues I worked on or how I felt I should solve them. For some people, not having this degree of freedom at work might be unimaginable. For me, it was all I knew for 6 years. Needless to say, people of unlike backgrounds will have different experiences.
Another thing that surprised me was that my existing skill-gear up from working in a non-programming-related job turned out to be relevant to my work at Kevel.
It turns out that things similar patience, beingness able to piece of work in a squad, effective time management, and attention to detail are all skills that tin help you exercise your job improve, no thing what your job is.
I've fifty-fifty exercised my customer service skills, from time to time when interacting with customers. I had a fear, coming into this, that I might lack some of the chore skills that I need to be a practiced software developer. But this fear was shortly dispelled, equally I was pleasantly surprised to find that I'd already adult a lot of the skills I need from working exterior of the software industry.
Uh, doesn't this only use to start-up entry level programming jobs?
To be fair, the advice that I've imparted here is only really relevant if you are because a programming task at a software start-up. If y'all really have your heart attack working for a larger, well-established company, so perhaps information technology isn't then helpful to market place yourself solely on your work ethic, lust for knowledge, and the open-source projects in your GitHub portfolio.
Only, look at it this way: your showtime coding job at a starting time-up company might just be a stepping stone toward bigger things.
Many companies volition allow job applicants to substitute years of work experience for prerequisite educational degrees. Maybe one time you bag your get-go programming job working for a start-up and you've been there for a few years, your resumé will expect impressive enough to land itself in the hands of the right people at these larger companies.
Or, maybe you'll find yourself addicted to the start-upwardly lifestyle and you'll never want to leave. So far, that'southward been my experience!
Update: V cake days later
On November xv, 2020, I historic my 6th cake day at Kevel. I recently spoke with my colleague Jane O'Hara to discuss some of the ways my task has changed over the past few years — and offer some new advice to those looking for their first programming jobs.
(Article originally published on eleven/15/2015; updated i/14/21)
Source: https://www.kevel.com/blog/getting-first-programming-job/
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