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Lately I've been wondering about getting a job as a software engineer. I'm trying to figure out what I could do for work and how to get there. If any part of this post seems half-thought-out, it's because I just started considering this and need more information. First, a little background on myself. I'm 25 years old and have worked in the instructional technology industry (higher ed) for 3 years, longer if you include student work. I have an above-average knowledge of computers, but no formal education on the subject. I have a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field (anthropology). I have always loved video games, and I decided to finally get around to programming. I took a Python course on Coursera.com and made a few simple games, then made another basic game on my own. I have by no means mastered Python, but the course was a good introduction to programming. It was challenging at times, but nothing I had to stay up all night for. This has gotten me to thinking, "Why am I not pursuing what I love?" If I want to design games, why am I not taking steps to get there? Now we get to the software engineering degree. It seems like this education would give me the skills I need to pursue my passion. More importantly, it opens up other more realistic job opportunities. I keep hearing that jobs for software engineers are growing and don't show signs of stopping. They also provide a decent salary. Correct me if I'm wrong on any of this. If I want to get a job as a software engineer, I need more education. I doubt that I could get by with professional certifications on top of my existing bachelor's degree. It seems that I need a bachelor's in software engineering or computer science. From the looks of it, a master's degree is not necessary at this time. So, how can I get this degree? Since I'm already 25, I would prefer an all-online degree. It's possible for me to physically attend a school, but it would cause a huge strain on my financial situation (I would probably have to leave my job) and on my relationship (my girlfriend would also have to find a new job). What concerns me about the all-online degree is that there are so many fake schools out there (DeVry, University of Phoenix, etc). I would want to attend a reputable school - the higher ranked, the better. It would also be great to do some kind of accelerated degree because the thought of putting my life on hold for another 4 years is unsettling. I'm hoping that my existing bachelor's degree would fulfill some basic requirements to assist with this issue. If I were to pursue a degree in software engineering or computer science, what pre-requisites should I have (both officially and just for my own knowledge)? Would I be able to use MOOCs like Coursera to fulfill these? Finally, I have two big fears about all this. The first is that I'll start a degree and realize that I hate the work. My other fear is that I'm just not smart enough. These fears could apply to just about anything or anyone though. My current job situation does not allow for much progression. I make enough money to live comfortably, but not enough to really save for my future. I'm also not picking up any major skills that I can use to market myself. I can either keep the status quo and make a meager salary for the rest of my life, or I can take a risk, challenge myself, and be rewarded for it down the line. Thanks so much for reading my giant post. To sum up my questions:
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Jul 23, 2014 15:03
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 20:50 |
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http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3376083 There is already a very good thread about most of your questions in The Caverns of COBOL. As for online schools, I believe University of Oregon has a fast track CS program. WGU has one that starts in the fall but I believe that focuses on Java.
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Jul 23, 2014 16:07
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Stanos posted:http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3376083 Wow, you aren't kidding. That does answer a lot of questions. Thanks!
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Jul 23, 2014 19:49
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Stanos posted:http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3376083
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Jul 23, 2014 20:37
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You are correct, that was the program I was thinking of. My bad!
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Jul 23, 2014 20:55
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If you can go through the Django tutorials and launch a few sites populated with some fake data (Faker/Lorem Ipsum), you'd be ready to start work as a junior dev inside of a few months with no real upfront cost to you. I work in SF and most of the people I work with don't have CS degrees, just experience and drive. I would run through a few of the online hits like codecademy, codeschool, and the Django tutorials and build a nice portfolio/github. Practice coding challenges and you'll be good to go!
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Jul 23, 2014 21:44
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egoslicer posted:If you can go through the Django tutorials and launch a few sites populated with some fake data (Faker/Lorem Ipsum), you'd be ready to start work as a junior dev inside of a few months with no real upfront cost to you. I work in SF and most of the people I work with don't have CS degrees, just experience and drive. I would run through a few of the online hits like codecademy, codeschool, and the Django tutorials and build a nice portfolio/github. Practice coding challenges and you'll be good to go! This is good advice and it seems like I should do this whether I get formal education or not.
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Jul 24, 2014 14:25
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 20:50 |
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Squack McQuack posted:This is good advice and it seems like I should do this whether I get formal education or not. Yes. While an education will help you get past the HR filters, what I look for as a manager are things that indicate that the resume I'm looking at is from someone who would program even if they wouldn't get paid for it. Someone who didn't necessarily think that it would be a 'great career' and who enjoys it. Doing side projects means I pretty much want to talk to that person over someone who just lists projects they had to do as part of their college degree. If over 4 years you can only talk about 3 projects like that, I won't even bother asking them to come in.
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Jul 24, 2014 15:20
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