Our generation appeared in the reality of rapid transformations. The world moved to digital quickly, so did many professions. In the new reality, there appeared a new set of essential professions, such as developers, digital marketers, and many more related to the organization of life online.
Meanwhile, the global academic infrastructure was not ready to support students with the new set of skills. There is still a lack of academic programs in many countries that can prepare specialists corresponding to the modern market demands.
A developer is one such example. There is much demand for code specialists and few universities where interested students can gain up-to-date knowledge.
However, there is another tendency to compromise the situation. Accelerated courses, both online and offline, prepare individuals for certain professions in up to 6 months, providing a significantly quicker and more cost-effective option for upgrading to a new profession.
Long story short, if you imagine the developer’s profession is a good fit for you, but you’re unsure where to start, this article is for you.
Below, we will figure out the answer to the question “How to become a developer?”.
What does the developer do, and what skills do you need to acquire to become one?
Software developers or programmers utilize their coding skills to create different computer programs. Those programs may vary among a wide range of options. For example, a developer may create robotic systems, information databases, web and mobile applications, etc.
As a programmer, you might need to learn a specific chain of operations for a particular program or system, which will allow you to support a part of the programming work. Also, you can learn how to develop a program from scratch, creating a unique product with customized features.
The standard division of a developer’s profession includes front-end developer, back-end developer, and the combination of two full stack developers. Understanding the scope of each is vital before you start the preparations toward your dream new profession.
- Front-end developers work on creating the visual interface of the websites. They convert the data of the website into a graphical interface, which helps users better navigate and interfere with the program’s proposed features. The common languages used by front-end developers include HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Back-end developers work on the mechanism that works behind the front end. They build the functionality of the website and the main elements that later allow users to carry out all the actions. The skills needed for back-end developers depend on the functions they want to create for their website, so they might need to learn C#, .net, or PHP.
- Full-stack developers work in both directions mentioned above. They can manage and implement the full range of procedures related to programming jobs, such as interacting with APIs, user interface, user experience, quality assurance, and many more.
- Mobile developers work on developing programs and applications that exclusively operate on mobile platforms. The programs needed for them include Swift, Kotlin, Java, etc.
Where to acquire those skills?
There are two types of sources you can learn programming from. You can either learn by learning or learn by doing. Both theoretical and practical parts are equally crucial for becoming a good coding specialist. You should firstly fully understand the probable features and opportunities that a specific programming language can give you. However, if you do not imagine how you can utilize those opportunities to solve real problems of a project, that does not cost a thing. Therefore, try to learn to code in a combination of theory and practice.
Get courses, online or offline
Specialists with up-to-date practical knowledge who are willing to share their expert tips are one of the valuable sources to learn something. The world is switching to this tendency with accelerated rates.
Therefore, do research, find specialists who organize courses, research their biography and working experience to make a careful choice.
Otherwise, trust the choice of courses to professional platforms. In this case, you should simply make up your mind on what programming language you want to learn. Further, you should choose the collection of courses for each programming language already developed and presented to you by the platforms.
Below, find some of the popular courses you can find in very handy at the beginning of your career:
Start an internship with an experienced mentor
Developing courses usually include practical assignments, where you learn to write full programs or some separate parts of programs. However, those kinds of experiences still lack to provide you with an opportunity to test your theoretical skills in practice fully.
Meanwhile, plenty of coding companies are willing to welcome newbies who can help them with their ongoing projects. Internships are great for acquiring new knowledge and skills because the learning experience here has a solid backup of practical, real-life projects. Besides, that’s a great opportunity to find a job immediately after completing the internship, as you have chances to demonstrate your skills and working potential in front of employers directly.
Start freelance projects
Freelance platforms like Upwork are a great starting point for new professionals. Here, employers usually post small, short-time projects and have a lower limit of required qualifications for hiring a specialist.
For you, as a newcomer into the industry of programming, that’s a great chance to utilize your skills and build a portfolio. Further, you can use your freelance portfolio to apply for jobs in offline life and build your dream career as an established professional.
To sum up
If you want to start a journey into a new profession of programming, the most challenging choice is to decide which language you wish to master. Further, there are plenty of opportunities in online and offline realities where you can get accelerated training and practical experience. Double-check the primary classification of programming languages given above and links to programming courses to not lose a second!
