| However, just bear in mind that you are not alone in | | | | science in college. At the end of the day, I took my |
| wanting to start your computer programmer career | | | | training and getting well-paying contract programming |
| by studying at home in your spare time. Actually a | | | | jobs within 6 months. An opportunity I knew I would |
| significant proportion of computer programmers are | | | | not have with any other high paying career. |
| self taught. What everyone who has started a | | | | Yes, You Can Get A Computer Programming Job |
| programming career outside the confines of college | | | | Without A College Degree |
| have in common is that they all focused on becoming | | | | After more than 10 years, spent working several |
| as good as or even better than those who attended | | | | software development jobs, I have a lot of personal, |
| college. If they felt dis-advantaged in the beginning, | | | | intimate knowledge of how the industry works. I |
| they ignored that and focused on sharpening their | | | | have worked with talented software programmers |
| technical skills until they became expert, highly skilled | | | | who got into programming with a high school |
| and competent programmers. | | | | education or dropped out of college to begin a |
| Do Employers Value A Computer Science Degree | | | | programming career. So, I am always a bit surprised |
| Over Raw Programming Talent? | | | | when someone that I am coaching or someone who |
| Now, let's get one thing clear. Yes, there are several | | | | runts into me on my blog at tells me they can not |
| careers where your formal education or college | | | | start their programming career because they do not |
| degree will literally make or break your career. There | | | | have a college education or a computer science |
| are also several high paying careers where it's illegal | | | | degree. |
| to practice without going through a formal education | | | | If you are saying this to yourself, then you are just |
| and training system. However, computer | | | | making excuses for not taking action. Let me tell you |
| programming is not like that at all. Computer | | | | that from my experience as a software developer |
| programmers come from all works of life and all | | | | mentor, I have discovered that people make excuses |
| levels of education. There are computer | | | | to themselves because they are not ready to hold |
| programmers with PhDs and there are computer | | | | themselves accountable to results. So, they either |
| programmers with a high school diploma. There are | | | | complain about how old they are or how poor they |
| computer programmers with backgrounds in arts, | | | | are or they complain about the time it will take them |
| literature, music, law and even medicine. However, | | | | to learn programming or complain that they cannot |
| the one thing that programmers have in common is | | | | afford to go to college and study computer science |
| the ability to write program code using a | | | | or complain that programming textbooks are too |
| programming language. This means that successful | | | | expensive and they go on like that. Okay, I am telling |
| computer programmers have mastered the art of | | | | you now that there is nothing stopping you from |
| writing good quality code. So, whether you plan to | | | | beginning your programming career if you really want |
| study and become a computer programmer at home | | | | to and it's not as hard as you think it is. |
| or get trained or enroll in a home study course or go | | | | So, Where Does This Leave You? |
| to college, make it your goal to be the best | | | | This leaves you without an excuse for not taking |
| software developer you can possibly be. | | | | action. I am granting you the liberty to pursue your |
| The answer to the question "do employers value | | | | passion, your dream and your personal excellence to |
| computer science degrees over programming skills" is | | | | learn or master computer programming. As a |
| a NO. This is because it's quite possible to study | | | | software developer mentor, IT Career Coach and |
| programming at a good college and still not be a good | | | | Contract Programmer, I have worked with people |
| software developer. So, when it comes to | | | | who overcame all sorts of personal situations, |
| programming, your career is only as good as the | | | | handicaps and obstacles to begin their software |
| code you write which levels the playing field for both | | | | developer career. On my blog at I coach, mentor and |
| computer science graduates and self-taught | | | | train individuals who want to transition to a software |
| computer programmers. | | | | developer career or become an expert computer |
| IT Is Easy To Study Computer Programming And | | | | programmer. From my personal experience and |
| Get A Job | | | | observation helping programmers from all over the |
| One of the best kept advantages of becoming a | | | | world succeed in software development professions, |
| computer programmer is that you can learn | | | | your success in programming boils down to how |
| computer programming at home and advance your | | | | skilled you are at software development and how |
| skills to the level where you become really good | | | | much experience you have in solving real-world |
| without first getting a programming job. When I | | | | problems. If you gain a lot of practical programming |
| realized this more than 10 years ago, I was excited | | | | skills and knowledge your software developer career |
| that I could just buy a computer, connect it to the | | | | will go into overdrive. |
| internet and learn as much of programming as I want | | | | If you want to improve your programming skills and |
| without having to get a programming job first. Of | | | | take your career to the next level, I recommend you |
| course, I realized that I would still have invest in | | | | read "the street smart guide to computer |
| programming books, invest in buying programming | | | | programmer careers" book which explains how to |
| languages, and invest in training packages that will | | | | master computer programming in as little as 4 |
| allow me to learn programming on my own. However, | | | | months. It will shave years off your learning curve by |
| I figured that the total costs of these investments in | | | | showing you how to learn programming fast, how to |
| my computer programming training would pale in | | | | prepare your resume so you get noticed by hiring |
| comparison to how much I was sure to earn as a | | | | managers, how to prepare for and excel at technical |
| computer programmer and would also pay in | | | | job interviews so you get job offers more easily and |
| comparison to how much it would cost me to study | | | | how to consistently gain the kind of programming |
| medicine or law or engineering or even computer | | | | experience that keeps your career moving forward. |