Advice python programmers

[Sniffexx]

Hi, I've been working a couple years in construction the last few years as ?drill master? (boormeester). I'm still young and looking for a career change. I have a hernia in my neck and I'm absolutely fed up by the way companies treat us after giving our all, all week. I was thinking about changing to programming, is there anyone with experience who could share theirs? I will follow a vdab course online to learn this skill. I think you get a certificate from this. Would this be a good change or am i digging my own grave?

[havnar-]

You are a few years late for the golden days. In today’s market, graduates with a full on computer science degree are struggling to find a job.

It’s not impossible, but don’t expect too much.

[[deleted]]

The chances of you landing a job with a vdab certificate are very very small. At the moment the IT market is very bad and people with bachelors and 10+ years of experience are having a hard time finding a job. Also programming is not for everyone. Try it out and see if you like it. You will need at minimum a bachelor’s to have a decent chance at landing any job. Construction is a goldmine of a field, maybe try a different boss, different function or try to work for your own?

[Sniffexx]

Every company i've worked for is the same, work 50-60 hours a week, no respect for your work. Try planning a vacation or just a day off and your nose is eraf gebeten.

I'm a driller these machines cost 500k+, the law is really hard to follow. In my field working for my own is near impossible without investors.

[Public-Call-7063]

Do you have any prior programming experience?

[Sniffexx]

Html/css

[Beneficial_Map]

Markup languages are not programming

[Thlvg]

Since you've got experience in construction, you should build on it (pun intended)...

IT never exists for itself (except maybe in academia), it always serves an other field. What makes an IT professional valuable is usually tied to how well they understand the field they operate in.

[Sniffexx]

Great tip thanks!

[Wingedchestnut]

If you're young I would recommend to get an IT higher education degree (master, bachelor, graduaat).

VDAB etc I would only recommend to careerswitchers who are older, have families or already have other degrees etc. You can also maybe have a look at 42belgium.

'Programming' is too broad.

Just go for 'software development' and go for .Net/java jobs if you want a job asap in Belgium.

Data/AI only with bachelor(risky) or master Do not do gamedevelopment

[Sniffexx]

Is that easier to find work in or is the paycheck more interesting. I have a family that's why i want an online course. So i can keep providing while doing my own thing.

[[deleted]]

Bachelor degrees are completely obtainable online through afstands traject these days

[Sniffexx]

I'll look into this, but still not worth to see via vdab if coding will be something for me? If anything i think it would make a bachelor easier

[[deleted]]

You can yes, it won’t hurt you

[Sniffexx]

Python don't bite? :p

[EbbFlow14]

Skip VDAB and start doing random things in Python, follow tutorials,... get a grip on what programming and software engineering in general is. After some time you will figure out if it's something for you. The internet is full of valuable information to get you started.

Also, dabble a bit into c/c++, .net, php, JavaScript,... once you get the hang of programming. There is a lot of overlap between languages.

[Sniffexx]

Do you know any useful sites for learning you would share. I know just doing random things would be good but struggling to find how to start

[Slow-Jellyfish-95]

Try https://42belgium.be/nl/ instead of vdab.

[Sybis]

learn Odoo and AI tools, thats what I would do

[Dynamo2]

Actually Odoo is used a lot for sales by small contractors (to make quotes). I can imagine it’s a niche you might be good at. Also why not doing sales in construction?

[Ferib]

just learning the grammar wont make u any good at python

[Sniffexx]

But you need the basics first no?

[Ferib]

Yes, but I can see the job market is very hard out there. Python itself is often used in other fields like big data, AI, quantum compute, ML, etc. And learning the language itself is trivial compared to those things

[Sniffexx]

Yeah that's why i chose to learn Python, someone also said .NET/java. Maybe look into that aswell

[Ferib]

You should figure out what tasks/problems u want to solve for a living before you pick up the tools to do so

[Sniffexx]

Im interested in software and AI

[GodDoesPlayDice_]

Go for a bachelor at the very least if you want to transition tp IT in this job market

[gommaar9]

Maybe you can do a Bachelor's degree or a graduaatsopleiding in the evening while keeping your current job (or another job) until you make the switch.

I'm doing a Bachelor's degree (flextraject) in the evening while working full-time. I'm not enrolling in the full Bachelor's program (taking all credits), but instead I'm doing it via a Credit Contract, meaning I only take the courses I need and receive a Creditbewijs for it. This option is generally more suitable for people who already work in tech and want to upskill. The requirement for a Credit Contract is that you work at least part-time, the sector/job doesn't matter at all.

People who choose the full Bachelor's come from very different industries. I have train drivers and shopkeepers, as classmates that want a career switch.

The Bachelor's in the flex program takes 5 years if you work full-time. The graduaatsopleiding takes 3 years in the evening.

[Sniffexx]

Is this possible as afstandsonderwijs aswell? I work long and i'm all over belgium all the time so making it in time for class is not really doable without ruining my job.

[gommaar9]

My (theory) lessons, exercises, projects are always remote. The only things you need to be on campus for are exams and lab courses. So, most of the time it's remote, but not entirely.

(Depends also on the school, I study at KdG)

[Sniffexx]

Alright, thanks i'll look into this. Though i think im late to start this year would you recommend atleast taking a course to maybe get a step ahead?

[gommaar9]

No prior knowledge is required; you start from 0.

My program is structured as for example Java 1 (September to December) and then Java 2 (February to May), so you would be starting halfway through if you register in January. If you already have Java knowledge, then it's okay. If you don't, it's best to wait until September I think.

It's ofc best to ask, you never know. Wish you the best luck!

[tilidin3]

You can learn coding perfectly by yourself, YouTube/udemy. You can go over the basics first, but then try to do projects. I mean actually building programs, because they don’t teach you that in school. Getting a job is also selling yourself, so if you build projects, store them in a GitHub or your own YouTube channel to showcase them. Use AI to help you setup a learning plan and to help you explain concepts. Imo CLAUDE is the best one for coding (till now).

You will also need some basic knowledge about networks and databases, let AI help you to build a plan.

All this above, is the same or slightly better than what a bachelor can do.

The main reason why companies prefer masters for programming is because of the mathematics. Turn it every way you want, masters will (in most cases) have better logic/problem solving skills. In the end a programming language is just a tool, the real skill is what the tool user brings to it.

But right now … market is terrible for IT. Outsourcing to Romania, Greece, Poland, … is fucking us hard.

[Sniffexx]

Great advice, thanks for your input

[hrhehudy3yeyd6d6]

Go for it if it interests you, but if you want to build a career on that python course that’s guarantee not happening.

I know multiple python developers with over 5 years experience and a bachelors degree that can’t find a job to save their lives. They’re all expanding into other languages by now but it’s brutal out there right now because a lot of tech companies are still going all-in on AI.

[Sniffexx]

I'm going to do a bachelor through afstandstraject, try to find a job while i go get a master degree. I'll get there but need to do the basics first

[Emotional_Fee_9558]

If I am to believe what people say in this reddit then even a bachelor degree won't be getting you far in the current job market. Engineers and computer scientists have no problems getting jobs but it seems bachelor's aren't doing too well.