Not everyone can afford to spend years in college before beginning their programming career. You can gain knowledge of programming from experienced developers or teach yourself computer programming using reasonably priced textbooks, training courses and or coaching programs. Becoming a computer programmer by going to college to study computer science is a wise choice, but in this article I will show you that you can gain the same knowledge without having to invest a fortune in a college education.

Do You Need A College Degree?

On a resume your qualifications or programming related degree will stand out and get you noticed, but prospective employers are really looking for people who have the ability to write good quality source code. There are many programmers that have developed their programming skills without spending any time in college and got a job in the programming market without a computer science degree. It's up to you to figure out if you want to get programming qualifications or a programming degree.

Do You Have What Companies Are Searching For?

So, you have prepared a resume, sent it over to hiring managers and are now getting ready for your technical interviews. Have you thought about what those employers are looking for? It's essential to your programming career to be able to answer that question. In the programming job market, employers want to see that you can apply your skills to real business problems. They are looking for competent software development skills and to see if you can write good maintainable code.

It Is Easy To Study Computer Programming and Get a Job

One of the best kept advantages of becoming a computer programmer is that you can learn computer programming at home and advance your skills to a competent level without first getting a programming job. When I realized this more than 12 years ago that I could just buy a computer, connect it to the internet and learn as much programming as I wanted without having to get a job first, I was excited. Of course, I realized that I would still need to invest in programming books, software development tools, and invest in training packages that would allow me to learn programming on my own. I figured out that the total cost of my investments in computer programming training would pale in comparison to how much I would earn as a programmer and how much more time it would take me to study medicine or law in college. I took my developer training and got a well-paying contract programming job within 6 months, an opportunity I knew I would not have had with any other high paying career.

How to Get a Computer Programming Job without a College Degree

What you need to emphasize when looking for a computer programming job is your software development knowledge, coding skills and any programming experience that is related to the job you are interviewing for. If you don't have a college degree emphasize the other skills you have attained, like your ability to learn technology quickly, how you keep up with technology or solve real programming problems. In other words, you have to prove to prospective employers or hiring managers that you can do the job well if given the chance. Make sure your prospective employer sees the list of programming projects you have completed in a short time, web sites or software programs you have built and a list of books and future projects you are planning to work on. Show your prospective employer that you have a beautiful mind and make the case that you are an asset to any one who hires you! If it turns out that you are having trouble getting a programming job because of a lack of experience, you can build experience by working as a programmer trainee or participate in an internship or even consider volunteer work. Also, keep an eye out for various job postings of interest to you. Even if you are not qualified yet it will give you an up to date idea of the skills and abilities that companies are looking for in the programming job market.