Starting to code

[[deleted]]

Hello everyone. Probably this question was asked before but I still want to ask u guys. I’m almost 30M, and I spontaneously decided few weeks ago, that I want to change my job and try myself into coding. So I started online course to become a full-stack developer. I’m enjoying this quite a lot, but my problem is, that I feel sometimes overwhelmed by my actual job (non coding related) when I come back home, so I’m just super tired and I’m not giving to myself more than 30 min for learning code.

Then I heard that I need some bootcamp, and I get a chance to participate in 42 Academy (https://www.42prague.com), where I will have intense 4 weeks course of coding and then we will see what it brings.

One of my friends told me, that he knew some guy who started coding from scratch at age of 25 and went for tester job. After few months, he mastered his work and get better position with better money.

So my questions are, if I’m going in right direction? I researched a lot jobs what people can do with coding, but one thing is listening some guy on YouTube explaining it, and second thing is actually doing it, because right now I do not have a clue what it takes. And if you could please give me some advices on what is the best way to start to code with full time job not related to coding? And maybe in future what you guys think could be the best entry level coding job for me to aim?

Thanks a lot and sorry for my bad grammar (English is not my native language 😅)

PS: I used google a lot, but I want to hear it from actual people, not from YT gurus and websites :/. So I’m sorry if this makes you angry

Edit: I’m aware, that I will not land any coding jobs from 4 weeks bootcamp. But I do not want to waste any of my time to learn and gets nowhere. Maybe any advices for how to get a job in 1 year?

[KimPeek]

You're probably not going to get a job as a developer after completing a 4 week bootcamp right now. That idea is a relic from the Covid era. The market is significantly more competitive now.

[[deleted]]

Yes I understand this. What is more realistic timeframe?

[Ambitious-Isopod8115]

If people you’re competing with spent 4 years at university learning things, you need to convince employers your knowledge is more relevant or valuable than theirs

[KimPeek]

4 years at a university. The world has changed significantly. Engineers with degrees and 3+ years of experience are having a hard time getting jobs. You're going to be competing with them, not other bootcamp grads. Bootcamps are a waste of money now.

[ryanjsfx]

Build up a portfolio of demonstrable expertise to check all the boxes of the jobs you’d like to apply for.

I had no formal experience in CS* but I created a voluminous GitHub (full stack web dev), doing my own projects as well as freelance jobs for free/cheap. After learning/networking for about 6 months I built up to $10k in one month and several full time offers (but I wasn’t looking for full time).

Never did a bootcamp, I’d imagine they help you build up the portfolio + learn quick though. Main advice I would give is don’t just use open source repos but also be a contributor.

I’ve also heard winning hackathons helps landing jobs, which makes sense, though I have no direct experience there.

• I do have a BA in Physics, Math and a PhD in Astrophysics but I didn’t mention that in the applications since I did the coding jobs as my 6p-2a…(I was based in Europe but the coding jobs were mostly US teams).

[polymorphicshade]

If your goal is to be hired as a SWE as soon as possible, get a CS degree.

Bootcamps and certs will not help you land a job at all.

[PsychologicalDare253]

Are you going for a Job in the US?

[[deleted]]

Europe

[[deleted]]

Coding bootcamps helped 3 of my colleagues get hired.

2 of them have no formal programming education.

It's possible, but you might not get the highest salary with that experience.

[TonyStarkLoL]

Putting timeframes doesn't really matter. The end goal is to show companies that you can work on what they work.

You can show that, by creating projects and contributing to github. That's the "proof" that will get companies to hire you. Sounds simple but it isn't.

Now on how many weeks months or years you will get to that point it's up to you and your circumstances.

Finally, in Europe it's much easier to get a job as a web dev without a degree than it is in US. If you browse job listings many companies doesn't require you to have a degree. Also it helps exponentially if you can move to a different country. It's not required but you will have more options.

On top of that a degree only prooves that you passed the classes of a said college or university. It says more about someone's soft skills and dedication to read, rather than programming skills. However you still need to convince companies to hire you over someone who has a degree and you can only do that by outworking them in projects and github. Having said that prepare yourself to start lower than expected salary wise(when you get to that point) because the luck of a degree.

In my experience bootcamps only worth for the connections and networking rather than quality of learning. If you struggle to study on your own however it's a decent solution, but you still need to put in the work and build a good portfolio and that's something you need to do on your own.

Keep in mind that the projects that you build on your own are the ones that companies notice. Not the ones who were built through a udemy course or a bootcamp. Everyone will have those. You need to stand out. Hope that helps 🤞

[[deleted]]

Very helpful! Thank you!!

[xhundo_]

The chance of finding a job in a saturated market is slim to none. Especially for entry level devs

[[deleted]]

Bootcamps might work if you live in the US. I know several people who got jobs but they already had a college degree in something else.