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From Secretary to Software Developer: The Hard Way

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Re: From Secretary to Software Developer: The Hard Way

#2
Another good example of someone learning to program on their own because they wanted to and then leveraging that experience to get a job doing it professionally. The big secret to learning to program is that there is no big secret. It's basically a glorified trade job and everyone already has the tools in front of them.

Re: From Secretary to Software Developer: The Hard Way

#5
A bit of background: in Austria, many people do an "Apprenticeship" ("Lehre") instead of going to high school. You work at a company and visit a vocational school (about 20% of time).

This is great for practical people -- less theory, more real world experience. But there is a major downside: If you didn't go to high school, you are not allowed to go to university without first completing preparatory courses that can take years.

There is also an upside: If you've worked for at least 4 years, and are under 30 years old, you automatically qualify for "Selbsterhalterstipendium", which is around 700€ per month to cover your cost of living while studying at university (you don't have to pay this back, and there also is no tuition)

Re: From Secretary to Software Developer: The Hard Way

#6
post #3

Ok. So I started reading this and just couldn't. Too many -comments and I just couldn't follow the article flow. Kudos to this person for putting in the effort to do what they want. I just can't get over the writing style.

Yes, there are also quite a few grammar errors. Makes it hard to read.

Re: From Secretary to Software Developer: The Hard Way

#7

Another good example of someone learning to program on their own because they wanted to and then leveraging that experience to get a job doing it professionally. The big secret to learning to program is that there is no big secret. It's basically a glorified trade job and everyone already has the tools in front of them.

It certainly is, but like any trade job, it requires motivation to learn it. And it evolves at a rate no other field ever has, so you have to be mentally invested for the long run to succeed long-term. It's a bit harder to be a one-trick pony developer (although it's possible).

Re: From Secretary to Software Developer: The Hard Way

#8
post #6
post #3

Ok. So I started reading this and just couldn't. Too many -comments and I just couldn't follow the article flow. Kudos to this person for putting in the effort to do what they want. I just can't get over the writing style.

Yes, there are also quite a few grammar errors. Makes it hard to read.

She's from Austria, so English is not her first language. Guess a mistake or two in regards to grammar is the price you pay for broadening your horizon ;)

Re: From Secretary to Software Developer: The Hard Way

#9

A bit of background: in Austria, many people do an "Apprenticeship" ("Lehre") instead of going to high school. You work at a company and visit a vocational school (about 20% of time). This is great for practical people -- less theory, more real world experience. But there is a major downside: If you didn't go to high school, you are not allowed to go to university without first completing preparatory courses that can…

Sounds like along with Germans, Austrians have the right idea of pushing alternatives to four-year colleges.

Re: From Secretary to Software Developer: The Hard Way

#10
post #6
post #3

Ok. So I started reading this and just couldn't. Too many -comments and I just couldn't follow the article flow. Kudos to this person for putting in the effort to do what they want. I just can't get over the writing style.

Yes, there are also quite a few grammar errors. Makes it hard to read.

English is not my first language, sorry for the grammar mistakes, I tried my best :-) I asked a native speaker friend to help me to fix it ASAP. I will pay more attention to this in the feature! Thx!
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