Ask HN: How do I get into programming?

#1

Post by Noel_V » Mon, Jun 17, 2013, 6:40 PM UTC

I'm thirty years old, I work in the fast food industry, I'm pretty good at HTML and CSS and can put together a pretty website. I'm learning PHP and Javascript slowly and for the past couple of years I've spent my every spare minute coding something. Yet, I haven't got any work experience in the industry and I want to be a programmer. How on earth do I break into the industry?

Responses would be appreciated

Re: Ask HN: How do I get into programming?

#2

Post by throwaway420 » Mon, Jun 17, 2013, 6:45 PM UTC

If you don't have a formal CS education or working experience, you can still get a job by demonstrating competency with personal projects or open source contributions. Create some kind of website or tool or project that people can see use and get a feel for your abilities. Fix some bugs in open source projects and let people check out your Github profile.

Re: Ask HN: How do I get into programming?

#3

Post by cryptoz » Mon, Jun 17, 2013, 6:49 PM UTC

Find simple problems that you or your friends have, solve them with code, open source your code, blog about it -> Job.

Re: Ask HN: How do I get into programming?

#4

Post by ianstallings » Mon, Jun 17, 2013, 7:01 PM UTC

Easy actually. You continue doing what you're doing and showing the world you can program by writing open source projects of value, having a github profile with examples, writing articles that help others, chiming in on places like stackoverflow, keeping up by reading places like HN, and generally just constantly keeping active by doing things you love. Understand the process of building software inside and out. Not just software, but the process. What tools, what steps.

After you have a little portfolio of work you then create a nice small resume where you are honest but show your ambition. Put your projects on there. Put the articles you write on there. Craft it well.

Next step is to target companies looking for juniors. Search every job hunting website you can find. Establish relationships with good recruiters. Explain what you want to do and have them help you find a good spot to start. You'd be surprised how important this is. Recruiters, love them or hate them, are the lifeblood to new ventures. Find good ones and stick with them.

When you arrive at the interview be ready to show you are looking to learn. When hiring junior developers I look for that trait first and go from there. Show them you know how to build software by demonstration of your projects. Show them you can work with tools.

Once you do all this you are in there. It's just more and more of the same throughout your career. I know because I broke in myself with no college degree and no experience.

Re: Ask HN: How do I get into programming?

#5

Post by adamtaa » Mon, Jun 17, 2013, 7:01 PM UTC

This quote right here, "Create some kind of website or tool or project that people can see, use, and get a feel for your abilities" - throwaway420, will serve you well.

This is called the never ending or perpetual side project. It represents your capability at any given time if you keep it current. Add new technologies to it. Make new versions of it all of the time. I have personally had interviews succeed on the strength of this project alone, based on my ability to talk about its structure.

Build any project for anyone who will let you(any brochure website is great), using the skillset you wish to develop. If all else fails, build some apps for android or ios. All the challenges of real programming(because it is) with the potential for some actual side money(just a bonus, not the reason to do it).

Finally, it takes time and perseverance. Persevere in the path towards gaining and being able to demonstrate practical and conceptual knowledge. Giving up is the quickest route to failure.

Re: Ask HN: How do I get into programming?

#6

Post by beat » Mon, Jun 17, 2013, 7:10 PM UTC

What sort of working conditions are you looking for? Do you want a steady, corporate job, or is it working on programming that matters most? It might be possible for you to latch onto a startup. Look for cofounder dating meetups in your area. Lots of business people who don't know programming at all have ideas that need to be turned into software.

Another thing, and this is big... where do you live? The programming side of the IT industry is strongly concentrated in certain urban areas. If you don't live in a major city with a real software industry, you may need to move for opportunities. This doesn't mean you have to live in Silicon Valley, but you have to live somewhere that the jobs are - cities like Minneapolis, Denver, and St Louis all have substantial software industries.

Re: Ask HN: How do I get into programming?

#7

Post by kennethkl » Mon, Jun 17, 2013, 7:57 PM UTC

Keep doing what you are doing; stay passionately curious.

Once you think you are good enough, help out at an open source project. Or start your own little project. One step in front of the other.

Then show case. Create a Show HN thread of what you built.

Build your online presence: Help out others on StackOverflow. Use twitter to tweet what you've learnt. Create a personal website with the projects you've worked on. It becomes your resume.

Re: Ask HN: How do I get into programming?

#8

Post by jfaucett » Mon, Jun 17, 2013, 8:14 PM UTC

What I love most about this industry is that its still open and accessible for anyone. In my experience (unless you go for an interview at google, or ibm or any big coorp) all you need is to have a great portfolio and just show what you've done. How do you get industry experience and "break in"? Well, just hop on github start contributing to projects that interest you, build one of your own project ideas, I'm sure you know people that would like to have a website, you can offer to build one really cheaply or even for free, just to get the experience. Once its online, you have another little spot for your portfolio.

As soon as you feel you have a couple really good examples send off your resume and your ready to go :)

Some really good things to know/have for getting a job in the industry:

1. Version Control (i.e. Git) - if you are really familiar with github and git merging, rebasing, commiting and working with other developers this is a huge plus. The great part is that its really easy to get involved on github and there are tons of resources for learning git.

2. Having good examples of your source code to show (again github)

3. Having completed projects / websites to show

wish you best of luck!

Re: Ask HN: How do I get into programming?

#9

Post by jamesjguthrie » Mon, Jun 17, 2013, 8:15 PM UTC

Build something. Build something else. And something else. Upload said things. Find people who build these types of things. Ask them if they need any help, even temporarily.

Job done.

Re: Ask HN: How do I get into programming?

#10

Post by ulisesrmzroche » Mon, Jun 17, 2013, 8:32 PM UTC

Hussle beats talent. All companies have too many projects in the pipeline and not enough people who can deliver. Remember that people pay for improving revenue or decreasing costs and just follow the money.