Page 1 of 1

How to become a programmer?

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 4:32 pm
by Dm7
Hi,

I considered becoming a programmer while I am studying in graphic design major... BA degree... I'm wondering what I need to do to become a good programmer.. in fact a good one that they'd just attack me :lol: ... okay... well you know what I mean. I'm considering taking those cheap online training courses called "guruischool" in order to get the certifications to prove that I know stuff, but I'm not sure if it's good one. I'd like to have your suggestions so I could get a job as a programmer while I study for graphic design....

So... in simple way... how do I make myself look good for level-entry programmer (with no school on that yet... I'm programming as my hobby right now and I just learned how to do it few weeks ago :oops:) and I found that I'm really enjoying it so I wanted to mix that knowledge with my art skills and yet still be able to choose either one just in case (I don't like static so I could work as a programmer for few years, then change to graphic designer, then back to programmer... maybe permanant this time, but... you know what I mean so I'd like to have 2 careers to be able to choose from... or even mix them into one career). I'm looking for a job right now and I'm building my portfolio at my site (I can give you the address if you are curious.. no spamming here :)). It still have a long way to go; nevertheless, I programmed my own gallery and integrated it to my site... and it's about 80% completed for art section. I haven't completed other 2 projects which is for graphic design section and programming section.

So will those certifications help me getting a job faster? Is there a better school that you recommend? Is there any suggestions that you need to let me know? I know there are hardcore programmers out there hanging out in this forum and I'd like your help in order to get myself a head start in programming career. I just don't know where to start. Sorry about babbling on. Thank you in advance, I'm looking forward to hear what you have to say. :)

P.S. Other problem is... I have absolutely no work experience. :/ So I have to make myself look better somehow... any tips/tricks?

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 6:06 pm
by Chris Corbyn
If you say you only started a few weeks ago give it some time to let the "high" settle ;)

If you still really want to push this into a career then what you should start building up a portfolio of code (and design-work if you like).

I actually started out just like you... I did a chemistry degree at university but while I was studying I created a website with polyphonic ringtones composed by a friend as a hobby. That lead me into PHP since it was difficult to maintain otherwise. I then started moderating here and now have a full time job in PHP -- nothing like what I studied at university.

Most employers are not interested (in my experience applying for jobs) in what qualifications you have, but more what you can do in the "real world". In other words... try to show off a little with a portfolio.

If it web-based programming you're looking for it might help to have expertise in several areas (for example JavaScript/AJAX, PHP, Perl, CSS) but just knowing the PHP can be quite suffice.

One thing to remember. You only started a few weeks ago. I started over a year ago and I still learn new things regularly in PHP alone. I'm now also learning non web-based languages (C++ & Java) but I guess I'll never actually know all there is to know (and that's what makes it fun for me.... I'm always learning) :D

Good luck... no hurry ;)

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 8:16 pm
by Dm7
Lol, well my first programming language was in mirc.. mwhahaha. :oops: and I still love it... even though I haven't programmed anything for a while (they scared me and for some reason I had A LOT of bad luck with them)... now apparently I'm learning at a fast pace. Lol, I'll let my "high" to settle down a bit, but that programming interest haven't faded out since I got into it by mirc. :) *shrugs* lol

That's what I'm doing.. building portfolio... whew.. a lot of work. :o I think it took me entire 1 month to design and program everything... and it's not even 75% finished. :S (not to mention 3 months of design concept). Is it just me, or am I taking too long with my portfolio? LOL

Thanks for suggestion though. :) And yeah I'm considering trying to get into other languages especially with javascript... but I'm not sure where to start.. it's hard to find organized courses to learn unless you pay :/

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 4:19 pm
by taldos
I agree with d11wtq. in the real world certifications mean very little. Demonstrating even one functional application/tool carries more weight with an employer than certifications. The mind set of the industry is that anyone can get a certification. As to what programming language it depends on what you want to do. I started off with Actionscript and moved to PHP & mysql just because I wanted the ability to control data. Now I am trying to move completly to the database management side and get involved with more complicated projects.

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 5:59 pm
by onion2k
d11wtq wrote:One thing to remember. You only started a few weeks ago. I started over a year ago and I still learn new things regularly in PHP alone. I'm now also learning non web-based languages (C++ & Java) but I guess I'll never actually know all there is to know (and that's what makes it fun for me.... I'm always learning) :D
I started coding about 15 years ago and I'm still learning.

Today I learnt ebay's developer website doesn't work.