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And a follow-up. How did you get your foot in the door? (I'm trying to get my first job as a programmer after teaching myself and building things over the last

And a follow-up. How did you get your foot in the door? (I'm trying to get my first job as a programmer after teaching myself and building things over the last year to year and a half.)

Someone1234 12y ago
It is all about a portfolio. If you have a proven track record of work, that is good enough for a lot of companies. So I'd go set up a GitHub or similar, and start getting your code available to Google. When people type in your name (or read your CV/resume) they should be able to find your work (either code or web-sites you've developed). This same advice applies to college grads too. You can have a degree but be totally unemployable as what you learned at college isn't really 1:1 applicable to the real world. So upcoming grads should also have a portfolio that shows off their talents. Honestly a really good portfolio where they can go to your sites and play with them, or even read your code is almost better than a great employment track record for lower level jobs (since there ARE people who were employed as a "programmer" previously who simply cannot code).
tokenrove 12y ago
Write code, ship products (especially open source), meet people (at user groups, conferences, et cetera) and be active in your local technical community. A friend you meet at a conference doesn't have to be a senior person; if they would like to work with you, they will refer you to their company for hiring, which is the first foot in the door. A history of strong work, which luckily in our industry does not mean a history of employment, will open the door the rest of the way. Participating in user groups is also not to be underestimated; it's a chance to present projects you're working on, and to demonstrate your soft skills, which are (almost) as important as the technical side. I have been hired on the basis of each of those at one time or another, and I have hired people on a similar basis. BTW, this doesn't mean you shouldn't know CS topics (on top of practical programming), it just means you don't need to have a degree to acquire that knowledge.
notduncansmith 12y ago
So, to answer the original question: I'm a self-taught hire, and currently performing very well (I'm told) at our company. After a bit of a learning curve, it's working out splendidly for everyone involved, on both the finance and happiness scales. To answer your follow-up: I got lucky. They took a chance on me, being pretty decent with front-end dev and a quick study. I think the company culture here may have had something to do with it as well. Being a consultancy, our primary concern (wrt developer talent) is the ability to write maintainable software on a deadline. As long as you can do that and get along with coworkers/clients, little else matters. It's as close to a true meritocracy as I've ever found, and that's the kind of environment where autodidacts like us tend to thrive. Make sure you have the chops or are an extraordinarily quick learner, have decent social/teamwork skills, and find somewhere that prioritizes your ability to perform in a work environment over what may or may not be printed on a piece of paper, and you'll do fine.

And a follow-up. How did you get your foot in the door? (I'm trying to get my first job as a programmer after teaching myself and building things over the last year to year and a half.)

Someone1234 12y ago

It is all about a portfolio. If you have a proven track record of work, that is good enough for a lot of companies. So I'd go set up a GitHub or similar, and start getting your code available to Google. When people type in your name (or read your CV/resume) they should be able to find your work (either code or web-sites you've developed). This same advice applies to college grads too. You can have a degree but be totally unemployable as what you learned at college isn't really 1:1 applicable to the real world. So upcoming grads should also have a portfolio that shows off their talents. Honestly a really good portfolio where they can go to your sites and play with them, or even read your code is almost better than a great employment track record for lower level jobs (since there ARE people who were employed as a "programmer" previously who simply cannot code).

tokenrove 12y ago

Write code, ship products (especially open source), meet people (at user groups, conferences, et cetera) and be active in your local technical community. A friend you meet at a conference doesn't have to be a senior person; if they would like to work with you, they will refer you to their company for hiring, which is the first foot in the door. A history of strong work, which luckily in our industry does not mean a history of employment, will open the door the rest of the way. Participating in user groups is also not to be underestimated; it's a chance to present projects you're working on, and to demonstrate your soft skills, which are (almost) as important as the technical side. I have been hired on the basis of each of those at one time or another, and I have hired people on a similar basis. BTW, this doesn't mean you shouldn't know CS topics (on top of practical programming), it just means you don't need to have a degree to acquire that knowledge.

notduncansmith 12y ago

So, to answer the original question: I'm a self-taught hire, and currently performing very well (I'm told) at our company. After a bit of a learning curve, it's working out splendidly for everyone involved, on both the finance and happiness scales. To answer your follow-up: I got lucky. They took a chance on me, being pretty decent with front-end dev and a quick study. I think the company culture here may have had something to do with it as well. Being a consultancy, our primary concern (wrt developer talent) is the ability to write maintainable software on a deadline. As long as you can do that and get along with coworkers/clients, little else matters. It's as close to a true meritocracy as I've ever found, and that's the kind of environment where autodidacts like us tend to thrive. Make sure you have the chops or are an extraordinarily quick learner, have decent social/teamwork skills, and find somewhere that prioritizes your ability to perform in a work environment over what may or may not be printed on a piece of paper, and you'll do fine.