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There seems to be an over saturation of inexperienced/low-skilled applicants. A lot of people are trying to break into the field right now, which puts pressure

There seems to be an over saturation of inexperienced/low-skilled applicants. A lot of people are trying to break into the field right now, which puts pressure on the entry level job market. It's possible to get in, but you need to be above-average in both technical and personal skills. Luckily, in my experience, the average level of both for the lowest level job seekers are not that high of a barrier to overcome. >encouraging people to go into the field on the pretense of a "hot job market" seems disingenuous. Take anyone who doles out this advice with a grain of salt. They likely stand to benefit in some way. >I don't want to spend years of my life and who knows how much money learning a new skillset only to discover I've joined an ocean of low-skilled coders who won't have any serious job prospects for 5+ more years. Be honest with your self about why you want to switch careers. If it's just for a quick salary bump, there's probably smarter ways to do so. If you really are interested in the field, then start self-teaching and go from there. Spending money on boot-camps or a second undergrad degree is a poor investment right now imo. I believe that if you have a) decent real-life work experience in any industry, b) the ability to self teach well, c) patience, and d) realistic expectations (e.g. not 100k off the bat in a big-n), there's still a good chance you can break into the field.

strikelaserclaw 7y ago
i think you nailed every point. best answer in this thread.
karmakaze 7y ago
From the hiring perspective this is further amplified. The more skilled devs are readily hired, the less skilled ones apply and interview for many more positions.
tmm84 7y ago
I 100% agree with having passion/interest in the field. Learning and growing as a programmer requires time. Its like becoming a martial artist in that sense. You'll only get better with practice, patience and time.
potta_coffee 7y ago
It took me about 5 years of grinding to get my foot in the door and earn enough experience to prove myself. It was a lot of hard work but I managed to do it, and now I'm paid really well and do more interesting work. It definitely takes time and effort, but it can be done.

strikelaserclaw 7y ago

i think you nailed every point. best answer in this thread.

karmakaze 7y ago

From the hiring perspective this is further amplified. The more skilled devs are readily hired, the less skilled ones apply and interview for many more positions.

tmm84 7y ago

I 100% agree with having passion/interest in the field. Learning and growing as a programmer requires time. Its like becoming a martial artist in that sense. You'll only get better with practice, patience and time.

potta_coffee 7y ago

It took me about 5 years of grinding to get my foot in the door and earn enough experience to prove myself. It was a lot of hard work but I managed to do it, and now I'm paid really well and do more interesting work. It definitely takes time and effort, but it can be done.