My Story of Being a Self Taught Programmer (Plus Tips and Advice!)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- My story of how I went from a car salesman to a software developer in a little over a year.
Come join my free software development mastery group on facebook: andysterkowitz...
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I am a disabled Vet. Its never too late. Coding has changed my life.
6 years active duty myself recently separated and I can't find a job making more than minimum wage so I'm teaching myself some programming.
Good to see it worked out for you, bro!
@@MrZak-rf3vq please reply
Even I am unemployed now
@@lungsdetoxification841 I'm 29 right now. Going back to school full time at University of Arizona as well which has been an intense transition.
I m 29 too bro
I am totally new to this programming thing
Amazing story! I'm 2 years into my first software developer job and 100% self taught as well.
Awesome! Love to hear other people are doing this as well.
What programming language did you start with to teach yourself coding?
Jerry Rodgers I took a course that changed my life. It covered the basics from HTML, CSS and then it moved into JS and Python.
The rest I read, watched videos.
@@J0hn.R Do you know the name of those courses that you took? Along, with the videos and the instructor that taught them?
Jerry Rodgers Absolutely my friend. Look up Complete Web Developer Course by Rob Percival, then move on to Advanced Javascript by Andrei Neagoie and also take his Zero to Mastery course.
There is another web developer course available by Angela Yu that can be an alternate to the above mentioned. These are all in Udemy
Good luck! Don’t give up
I am a 39 year old mechanical engineer with 13 years of experience, currently working in Germany and i decided to learn programming, JavaScript + Python and basically start my career from scratch. Hope it will be worth it...
Love your story. I talk about how ridiculous hiring practices are in some of the videos on my channel. Thanks for inspiring people to get into our field! 👍
I am also self taught but worked for years mainly in customer support for a hosting company. Made several attempts to bump up to Development, aced the exams and nailed the interview but they always say I do not have sufficient "experience". I saw this video and said fuck it!, I'm gonna follow this man's advice. Quit my job made some changes to my resume and sent it to potential employers. A week later I got 3 invitations from different companies for a full stack developer job. Fuck Yeah! Andy, my man, I cannot thank you enough.
I am an electrical engineer who switched to software development immidiately after graduating and I felt like absolute crap when I first started. Like a fish in the wrong pond.
I went through book after book because I felt inferior to my peers who studied CS. I have since learned that feelings of self-doubt can be a powerful tool because they push you to strive further.
I'm with you, brother. C plus mainly. Never went to any courses but tutored:) In busyness for 18 years. Still love what I'm doing. All info needed is on the net. ...and back then it was a dialup...
I switched from physics research to software engineering 4 years ago. For 3 years leading up to the transition, I worked evenings and weekends on an educational
application. Although my startup didn't pan out, I landed a junior software engineering job after showcasing my code during an interview. My advice to other self-taught coders is to progress with the objective of joining an established tech company. Don't get stuck working alone doing freelance gigs. I cringe whenever I look back at code from my solo years. Code peer review with a senior software engineer is priceless. In a corporate environment, you're more likely to work on enterprise grade software where you need to seriously think about software architecture (you'll be surrounded by experts with those skills) to ensure scalability,
security etc. You'll get the opportunity to work with web services, APIs, do real work with databases etc, which I doubt a self-taught coder is going to have much experience with. Lastly, you'll use the right tools and are more likely to follow best practices. During my solo years, I didn't bother using a software repository and I didn't do any unit testing because I was too overwhelmed and too much in a hurry to learn how to code.
Thanks for sharing your own experience sir... it's really motivating...
Can you just briefly explain the difference from teaching yourself to being able to bounce ideas off coworkers?
This was really a very helpful video. Thank you so much :)
I loved your video. I appreciated the part about sticking to it and having a sense of urgency. although I like that you will have related variety because the healthier we are the better we think I would change the I will try to have...into these are the three types of educational videos I will have from this date to this date and possibly expand it. If I knew how many videos I would be getting of a cettain subject and a brief description of what it either means, relates to. or entails. seeing as how I am literally reading a kids book about computer science and only listened to/watched a few programs on that and programming I would feel more confident about subscribing because I could tell immediately if it relates to my goals.
🙂 your story is inspiring
What's your advise on someone learning C++ as a beginner? Does one has to be in front of a pc for the whole day like 24/7 to learn C++ and if there are any easy way to grasp the basics of C++ please recommend.
Hey Andy, can I put projects I worked on in with the udemy courses I have completed(the ones where they kinda guide you through the project and have excercises where you implement features on your own)? Or should I solely put projects I have done on my own(which is none at the moment)
hey i guess i was in the same shoes but my case is different i really want to learn how to programe but dont know hw to!
What the best budget laptop to use, in actual features like minimal ram hard drive and crappy old os so I can do c and some other languages for programming?
I need something to use when drinking coffee at the coffee shop away from home
Thanks man
So much great information in the comments what I would add that the key thing you should have is a GIT repository to store you coding examples and when you get an interview talk about the concepts in a way that is really clear and and a ABOVE all relate-table to the the layman. I did an interview with a large TV company and one of the factors that got be through to final face - to -face round was my ability to take the complex topic and talk about it in a simple way. Management said that was what really impressed them about me.
There also great learning platform such as Udemy and I even hired someone on codementor.io to give me a dummy interview which helped me with my interview style.
I watched this video around 2 years ago and it served as an inspiration to me to keep learning about programming, hoping that someday I could make a living with it. As of today, I've been working as a full stack developer for about 6 months. Keep on going, guys : )!
Great to hear!
How did u get the job?
You are my inspiration 🥰
Watched this video two weeks ago. Very similar situation. Self-taught, didn't graduate, no experience. I changed my resume after watching this video and have two interviews lined up next week. Your friend is a genius. It's very discouraging when 33 of your applications go unanswered and all you want is just a chance to stand in front of someone and prove your worth. Thanks man, you may have changed my life.
Yes! That’s awesome. Glad to hear it helped.
Did you get the job?
@@theywhoplaysgames6513 I'd also like to know if he got the job.
Same. At my companies, I never cared about if you had a degree, it was if you could build stuff. That's all. With the exception of a brief stint at a big Company with the silly degree and interview requirements, it was about what you had actually done.
PS and nix the wasted space of 'Experience With... this, that, other'. . You are just wasting space and we never look at that seriously. Instead, list what you *did* with this, that, other... then I will buy it. (e.g. Developed a time tracking application in Java with an automated reporting function that improved upon the original manual process, saving 30 hours a week' or whatever).
Did he change it by now? How it is?
Yup same here, a call center agent for 4 years before teaching myself c# and web development. Now I work from home as a full time full stack web developer. It's been 10 years already :)
@Memeorandum of Understanding I think just practice and keep in mind the best practices (usability and readability of codes) and different design patterns (dependency injections, unit of work etc). Have a challenging pet project that you should complete. Good luck and have fun
Freelancer?
@@codelucky yes
@@cybermoja Any guidance on how to start a career as a freelancer? I have couple of friends who are very talented and have excellent hold on programming languages such as JS and Golang but they don't usually get projects on Upwork due to no past records. What do you suggest and what are the other options than Upwork?
@@codelucky Hmmmmn, for me I just try to exhaust all avenues. I just happen to land a client that's actually generous. Upwork, stalk linked in, facebook pages like start up related pages. networking through social media. I think that's it for me.
just started programming a little over 6 months ago and watching this has encouraged me more , inspiring a a guy all the way in East Africa
Keep going, don’t quit, you will get there!!
I'm in South Africa, I'm in the process of learning
Where in East Africa? I’m from there as well.
Safi sana bro! Keep it up!
@Siya Mehlo .... are you planning on going to school or self teaching?
I am also in SA
Finally McGregor changed his path to success through software development! Glad to see!
JOFFREY BARATHEON lol...trying to preserve those precious brain cells!
I thought it was him too!!!
Nah, McGregor seems nice, he didn't swear on this vid like an average Irish guy... Which is suspicious...
damn 😂😂😂
LMFAOOOOOO
Man, I'm a computer engineer with a masters and I can tell you, we are ALL self taught programmers.
Sure learning a few algorithms and linear Algebra may come in handy and having a deeper understanding helps, but when it comes to programming the path is a self improvement process. It's more of a craft than anything else.
Good luck!
I don't think we are using "self taught" in the same way. I understand what you mean and don't really disagree. A good developer needs to rely on teaching themselves as opposed to school or a course.
Diver dude thank you for saying that as an engineer with a degree. I’m in web development (full-stack) and though I’m doing a bootcamp right now I def plan to expand with Java and other languages on my own to become even stronger. I think it’s totally possible not needing to go the degree route!
@dorukpsy Psy I am currently trying to acquire an associates in computer engineering and go up to masters. So my question to you is that after obtaining your masters, you had to teach yourself programming ?
Hello tech guru
I want to learn tech skills which skills should I take
I have accounts job for 4 years
I concur
I'm an IT student and I can relate to what you have said... I have learned more with video tutorials here in youtube, reading some documentation over the internet and by asking in forums to help me out with a certain bugs/error in my code...than just relying on our outdated topics in school. Thanks for sharing your story, truly motivating! 👍
Awesome to hear Jessica! Thanks for sharing.
can i get some guidence from u by having some conversation....... i have lots of doubts in programming
F674u&dd
This. Soon to be third year computer science student, I’ve learned almost entirely on my own, through stackoverflow, documentation, and videos. I wish I would have taken a different route as computer science is very, very different from software development. As a compsci student I spend 75-90% of my school time doing math, (calc, discrete mathematics, linear alg). I feel cheated, I was so excited for school but now I completely dread it.
Jessica Bonzo are there any books you can recommend or TH-cam channel? I'm trying to learn to code myself not sure were to start
Summary:
His story:
- Read Headfirst javascript (book)
- Created portfolio of applications that he could show potential employers
- Went back to school
- Applied for jobs and didn't get a single response
- Changed resume and next day got a call from recruiter
- Took an interview and got a job
Takeaways:
1. Have a target date for employment and set deadlines for leading objectives
2. Really consider whether school is worth it or not
3. Put your projects (open source is good) and show you're passionate
Go all out into coding ... master Python. Don't dive into Java or any other language at this stage. Python is powerful and closest to the way you communicate, there are practically minimal syntax. YOu can learn this language the fastest of any other languages. Plenty of top paying jobs in the market for atleast next five years.
If you have a laptop start with free csDojo Python tutorials on TH-cam - 8 hours, do all exercises. Then go to Giraffe Academy Python Tutorials for the Beginners (less than 5 hours). They both complement each other and MUST go through both tutorials - after you have done this the language will be ingrained into you and YOU will start to think like programmer. Do all of the lesson taught by turning-off laptop and repeat. Once you done with it take a complete course ($9.99) with Udemy in Python.
If you put your mind to it you can do this in 2 months and be set for rest of your life. Make sure to upgrade your skills periodically, you can learn Java after this but I suggest Golang (GOOGLE language).
GOOD LUCK and never take no for an answer. YOU CAN AND YOU WILL DO THIS.
I am ex-Prof .....
Technology and Innovation what about C# is that a good language to learn?
Neil Chattopadhyay Thanks for this so far I’ve learnt the fundamentals of programming as I just recently completed my first year of Uni studying software Engineering
Technology and Innovation I am 15 years old. What would you recommend to me if I want to begin. You seem very experienced. I am interested in codeing and I need your help.
I'm also a self-taught software developer for over 10 years now. It was a passion, and I have clawed my way up over 10 years to now running an entire development team being paid 100k+ a year and barely having a highschool education. Anyone can get in this field, if you are determined, and you actually find the pleasure in building things you can make this happen.
P.S. Anyone who is self-taught developer and looking for a job message me a resume, if you have no work history that's fine we can have a conversation and I'll hire you if i feel you have potential.
This is awesome james thanks for posting. I hope everyone sees this message!
Hi! I'm a highschooler. Do you offer internships?
Over the summer
Hi James, I am a Technical Recruiter transitioning to Tech programming. Currently I am at HTML, CSS and Javascript ( very little javascript)
If you type in Luis Salinas into Linkedin I should be the 1st one to appear (thank you SEO) or If i can have your email and I will send you my resume
That's really kind of you. Maybe we will talk some day :)
your dog is eating the pillow man!! ...and head first is a great series of books for any beginner...
Heh heh.... she was pretty bored. She'll chew on stuff she's not supposed to so that I play with her lol.
And yes! Head first takes a much different approach than a typical textbook does. I personally learn way better through examples and I felt Head First balances teaching and "doing" the best. Also the corny jokes made me giggle.
Rezan moh 😂 first thing I noticed
Rezan moh lol
I was going to say something about that too! My dog will sit there for hours and lick our leather couch.
started scrolling for a comment about his dog lol
Your experience really resonates with me. Almost sounds like a mirrored experience. My resume
Starbucks
Restaurant
Car Sales.
Studying html,css, JavaScript and python
Ha nice! Kindred spirits.
I feel like car sales will help motivate you to find a better career. At least that was the case for me.
I recently joined the self learning coding path, and if there's one thing I know, don't learn multiple languages at same point. Focus and learn one language first completely, then others are much much easier to complete.
Big Sur thats what i heard too. Learning python starting today
@@CarefaceKarl how has it been going?
Move that pillow so we can see your dog please.
Thanks I needed this video. I have really been doubting myself after almost 2 years of self study. I have been worrying that I don’t know enough about this or that language etc. I think what matters most not that you know everything, but that you are willing to learn every day.
The self doubt is really the hardest thing to overcome. It is the thing that holds most people back from making the leaping from self-taught to gainfully employed.
Spot on about being willing to learn. I have noticed that many good developers know "how" to learn and are typically motivated/passionate/enthusiastic about learning new things.
Hello i have the same kind of scene as i learned time to time in 2years and then as im working in a different area got lost everything even having 2 ,3 projects now coming back again if you would like a joint act lets have a conversation and do as a team.
Agreed brotha.. I believe this to be true in almost everything
Impostor syndrome? Best way to overcome it is help people newer to the language/development than you are, and you'll start realising that you know a lot as you help them.
Walking traveller I'm interested now how do i get your email?
Thanks for sharing! So inspiring really. I was in similar situation. Went from garbage man to data scientist in 2 years. I admit I was always (still am) a bit self-conscious or felt like fraud when i walked among fellow programmers. Hearing your story makes me more proud of what I’ve accomplished as ridiculous as that sounds lol. Cheers!
Congrats dude.. I'm also trying to start from nothing, i hope i get to grow as you guys, any tip i can get from you?
Self taught or did you go to school ?
@@MugenASMSi self-taught, but i looking back i wish i would of enrolled in something. I could of cut my my learning curve
@@nigelminor5624 well if you want a quick tip (it's not quick though). assuming you know what you want, and you listened to this video, I would say you should first of all give yourself permission to be obsessive over this (what you want isn't exactly normal to your immediate circle). Find someone that has the success you want, pay them to tell you everything about their success/give you feedback on what you're doing, Then do what they say. I also wish I would of invested more heavily in the beginning like actually paid for a legitimate program like the Ads TH-cam keeps showing you cause you watched this. If I would of done that - AND I got myself some of these "paid mentors" - I could of arrived here in half the time - 100%
Self taught as well. 30 years as a developer and loved every minute of it.
It us good way to earn money?
Who’s watching and reading inspiring comments like me?
Getting double info 👍👍🏼
This video inspired me, after my husband spoke to me about programming. Now am studying python programming. 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
-_-
Me
Meeeee ✋🏾
way to go 👍🏾
Me I switch from physics PhD in physics to Java developer and actually I am learning python for future career in datascience.
"List all your applications." Such great advice!!! I'm working on building my portfolio rn, by learning creating a variety of projects.
Yup! Take a look at my other video where I go over my resume and you'll get an idea for how I actually did it. Thanks for watching :-)
Pro tip, curate a personal API to service your apps, dont build a monolith. I got hired on my 4th try and they wouldnt stop asking me about all of my URI endpoints.
Yoshi this is amazing advice. Do you mind if I "borrow" it for a future video? I'll make sure to reference it back to you. :-)
Coincidence that I keep seeing this comment in other videos....
@Winston Mcgee You probably know but people like you are a disease of humanity
I am almost in tears bro. I have always led a life of self-denial and doubt. Ive always wanted to take up coding but never had the guts to go for it. Your video has changed me! Ive started learning languages seriously with a dedicated timeline. You are changing lives man! Cant thank you enough... God Bless You
Hey, just checking in to see how everything's going.
I too struggle with self discipline and self doubt. I'm always easily distracted but we aren't getting any younger!
Udemy sells really good bootcamp coding courses ب
@ب freecodecamp is good
True, this is a great video for beginners to get started.
It's been 7 months, how are you doing?
You hit the secret sauce. You have to love it! I just retired after 47 years in programming/system design as a self taught programmer. I started with assembly language on the DG Nova followed by the MOS 6502 and the Intel 8080. I worked through Delphi Objective Pascal, Foxpro SQL and wound up in C, which became the "love of my programming life". The adventure took me through several management positions including CTO at my last 5 companies. I'm now retired (last year) and love embedded programming on the Esp family, PI and linux. It all started with a love and passion for the technology. Good luck to everyone!!
Hey, replying after 9 months, but your experience spans across multiple eras and that is fascinating Sir. You must have lots of tales to tell from the field. I aspire to be on the technological path, I’m 15 currently.
Hi? I am Edwin from Kenya, am also into embedded systems though it is rough. Could you please advice me on where to start and what i should focus on.
I am currently doing C programming and reading this book called But know it how. Waiting on a reply. Thank you.
I say focus on kicking ass at a single language first, then adventure out...
How did you decide on a specific language to start out?
I have a finance degree and would like to try something new
@@Terryshowedup It depends what you want to do. I wanted to build iOS apps so I learned swift. If you wanna do android learn Java/Kotlin. Python is pretty cool for a lot stuff, like if you wanna build fun terminal apps, or write scripts that run and analyze data. But you're gonna be building a mind blowing front end with python.
@@stanislav4607 Python yes. I started with Java, but Python is best way to start, and I'm only doing Python now (liking it better).
All programmers are self-taught. A college-educated programmer is still self-taught. They don't teach you software development in college, only computational theory, math, and maybe computer architecture. But, that stuff alone won't make anyone a programmer.
Ahmed Yasir. Thx for explanation.
You mean University is a scam?
@@phantom042 Maybe he means that University maybe gives you theory and little bit basic knowledge but making a program need lots and lots of practice. Write a code, figure out what is wrong, what it is suppose to do and how. Also if you want do it as your job (or as a hobby) you need to update your knowledge when something new or improved stuff has been added. Pretty much you get a nudge to get started, it's up to you to improve your skills and get better at it.
The truth had been spoken man!!
I've been an engineer now for 10 years working professionally. Self taught as well. It took me many years of trying to learn programming, but it finally kicked in and I started to get it. Once that happened it took a year of full time self study while working a full time job. It's been the best change in careers that I could have ever imagined.
Amen! Thanks for sharing :-D
@Tom Messig, was the many years before was just fiddling with many programming languages? thats what I did for years, and its only now that I realize I need to put time and focus on one relevant language to put myself on those field...smh...I should have realize this a few years ago
I really have troubles searching for a confiable language + IDE.
C# and Visual Studio by example is a pain, almost 20 gigas of I don´t know what and even you can´t make a Xamarin form
+BlackTop Wich language and IDE you choose?
thats whats wrong with me...I needed to find the BEST language for all.. I always argue with myself for which language I should focus...but I had really limited time due to day time job...because I was unfocused I never really learnt anything because everytime I stop programming for a while(too much work at my main job) I would restart and think which language should I learn... eventhough I have wide general knowledge of programming language I was never even an intermediate level in each language... for now I'm just going to focus on web development , I know not the most reliable path for general software development but I needed something that I can churn through to the end, once I'm able to do "well" in this I will focus on other field or programming language... for that I went with TheOdinProject(it teaches you how to become a developer not just a programmer)(its also free and open source )
Today is my day one of beginning my programming journey, i have downloaded a couple of videos as guidance and this is/was one of them
Good luck
How’s it going?
How's it Going?
How's it going?
Gave up? Or still at it? Itsy first day today.
Your dog must be wondering who your talking to. Thanks for the advice sir! 👊🏻
You're welcome Gnarlyygaming!
I self taught myself last year and I'm working now. It was A LOT of hard work and grind. People don't seriously understand the work you have to put in and the sacrifices you have to make to achieve this goal until you do it. But it is VERY doable.
What changes you made brother in your resume that made so good for you?
:)
I feel a boost of motivation right now ! I'm currently a Computer Science Software Development student right now and this video is really helpful, it makes me believe that I can make it. Thanks!
I used to work as a technical recruiter and there is a HUGE demand for coders who are U.S. citizens or have a green card. You can easily get hired with no degree and skill with two to four languages. It is all about the resume and most importantly, Linked In.
This is stuff people need to hear. The demand is clearly there. Thanks for sharing Justin.
Justin Williams damn how i apply?
"Easily hired". ok.
Greg Meyers: Do you initiate contact with recruiters and hiring managers on LinkedIn? I have gotten jobs that way.
What languages should i learn first if i have 0 experience and want to change my career quickly
What an amazing, honest, insightful video! I love the fact that you did not attend a boot camp and you are a self-taught developer! Your journey is exactly what I'm trying to do. And yup, I already have a goal in mind. I've been self-learning for about 7 months now, I have a portfolio (www.andreasanchez.co) and 2 projects under my belt. My goal is to start applying in 6 months. I think I need to know JS a little bit more. Pushing through!
Wow that is incredibly nice of you to say. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Your portfolio is terrific. That is exactly what I was referring to in the video. It's quite possible you may be closer to ready than you think (just looking at your portfolio). Do you have a link to any of the source code for those apps in your portfolio?
Also I'm curious, what are your specific plans in the next six months that will make you feel more confident to start applying for jobs (maybe learning a javascript framework, different language, etc.)?
You're welcome.
Thanks for the compliment on my portfolio, Andrew! It's funny you ask about my source code, that's on my todo list! I'm hoping to add my projects source code to Github this weekend.
Yes, my goals are to be comfortable with JS and to get more familiar with back-end (which I'm currently learning). Once I get that down and create a few JS projects of my own, I think I'll be ready. I'm hoping for less than 6 months. :) Just the other day I thought maybe 4 months. The good news is I'm in Philadelphia so there are a lot of opportunities here. I know it won't be easy but I've been taking a lot of notes from sources like this one and networking.
You sound like you know what you're doing Alexandra. I think everything is said is right on point. Your location is really going to help you out when you first start reaching out to potential employers. If I can help in any way please let me know. You can find me on facebook.
Good luck!
Andy Sterkowitz thanks for your videos I am also self-taught Android Developer and programming since 2014.
Alexandra A gi
It is very easy now, when you have Internet and Google. Imagine how to start programming in 1980.
By reading books
I went to Control Data Institute. Basically, you taught yourself by reading their curriculum. No classes. One instructor per industry. They closed the doors years ago. Now I'm using Pirple.
6:42 have you been afraid of a job ? i am always afraid when thinking about IT jobs because i think i may not be that good for them, i can't complete my tasks but again i say to myself thats why they have tests, if i pass the test ,that means im the right person for that job.
Greetings from Bosnia.
"Wow, how come this video by Andy has SO MANY views compared to the other ones?"
* Sees cute dog in a small sweater biting on a pillow*
"Oh of course, that explains it!" :)
I'm coming from 15 years in autobody. I bought the HTML & CSS Head First book back in October. Finished that late November and I'm already nearly through the JavaScript book you suggested. I'm really enjoying it. Have already started developing a production app for my shop as a challenge/project. Thank you
I start study myself 2 weeks ago I am 38 years old. Feel like too late for to become developer but I am loving what I am study everyday and finely found myself
Thanks for the motivation video
Never too late. Best of luck!
That's great.
The 2K KING Never too late I agree!! I am 48 and I am studying to be a programmer. I know I will be able to get great paying work because of my life / business experience. Merging the two puts you ahead of people coming out of college for work.
@@trailsidecarpentryhandyman9378 Same here. It's going to hard for me to learn code, but im trying my best to master the skill.
good job man hope you reach your dreams
I kinda like the idea of projects that you made especially when you have no experience, thanks!
The whole "DeVry" education thing ruined the principle of being self-taught. Then he says to just apply to jobs without formal education so as to avoid debt, after saying a formal education helped him. What about the folks who have no formal education but are self-taught and have the applications to prove proficiency in the code language?
Devry is trash if you put that on your resume I guarantee you it is see as a down side because of their purely for profit nature.
To me it says fake it till you make it. We all went to college…
I tried self teaching myself for about one year and ended up in frastration because all the materials are so messy and nothing really helped me after the beginner phase. In the end I decided to join a coding boot camp to boost what I learned and I'm happy I did that. I don't think a bootcamp leading to a job, it's more about teaching me how to learn more efficiently and how to know what I need to learn, which was not clear at all when I did self teaching. Another thing is that doing a coding bootcamp in Europe is so much cheaper than in the US!! My friends flew over just to do the bootcamps and they still had amazing experiences from travelling as well.
Do you have a book? I really can recommend taking a book, simply so you have a guide.
Yep in Europe we got also Uni for free but I still don't know whether I should study or not. I mean I did study for 2y but something different and all the materials were so much outdated. Guess its even worse with programming. But also in Europe they most likely require a degree. (which I heard is not entirely true in US where they appreciate more an actual skill)
Hey could you please shed some light to me? I'm trying to teach myself because it's holiday now but I don't even know what to learn as a starting point. 1 week flew away and I don't feel like I've learnt anything this past week. (Currently trying to understand C++ as my first language using some ebook)
@@dimasshidqiparikesit1338 Go all out into coding ... master Python. Don't dive into Java or any other language at this stage. Python is powerful and closest to the way you communicate, there are practically minimal syntax. YOu can learn this language the fastest of any other languages. Plenty of top paying jobs in the market for atleast next five years.
If you have a laptop start with free csDojo Python tutorials on TH-cam - 8 hours, do all exercises. Then go to Giraffe Academy Python Tutorials for the Beginners (less than 5 hours). They both complement each other and MUST go through both tutorials - after you have done this the language will be ingrained into you and YOU will start to think like programmer. Do all of the lesson taught by turning-off laptop and repeat. Once you done with it take a complete course ($9.99) with Udemy in Python.
If you put your mind to it you can do this in 2 months and be set for rest of your life. Make sure to upgrade your skills periodically, you can learn Java after this but I suggest Golang (GOOGLE language).
GOOD LUCK and never take no for an answer. YOU CAN AND YOU WILL DO THIS.
I am ex-Prof .....
@@technologyandinnovation4586 oh thank you so much for answering. Yeah so the reason I start with C++ is because the university here focus on developing logic (discrete math, more math etc) while I'm still in high school trying to figure out what happen in the "world of programming"
So from my research on how to start learning about this, most people on forum and virtually anywhere on the internet suggest start with python, pure math is not really important, and most thing can be learnt through internet.
My purpose right now is to learn those math while learning the language but I can't find the guide to those in python (my ebook is for C++ and is basically a beginner guide to International Olympiad on Informatics in my local language) and since I wrote my comment, I can pretty much do basic calculation and am learning for the more advanced part
So,
1. Am I in the wrong path?
2. What is the use of those pure math in programming? Should I focus on math while trying the language like now or just full language?
3. Is there any guide to those math done in python?
4. How does someone build their portofolio? Where do they get so many ideas? I found some list of project ideas on the internet, but I'm not really sure what kind of thing I should try to put into my portofolio
Thank you so much for your help
Thanks so much for this. I went to an Oracle database bootcamp several years ago, full of excitement. I passed the first 2 of 3 exams for certification, then never took the third because I convinced myself that I would never be hired without a CS degree. Now I am starting from scratch, learning html and CSS to build a foundation. Your resume advice in particular is very helpful and uplifting! Kind regards, a sub, and a thumbs up.
Cheers! Best of luck as you get back into this.
I just got the Head First JavaScript Programming book today... It says if I am brand new, which I am, I should start with their HTML and CSS books first. Should I listen to them or just keep it moving with this book??? Thanks :)
Thank you I needed this. I actually got a call from a recruiter this morning and I'm a little surprised because it's the first recruiter to ever call me and set up a interview. So this will be my first interview and hopefully my first job I've been self teaching for about a year at this point. I seriously am trying to land a job doing this before the end of the year. If you get this in time and think you have any other good pointers off the top of your head you can share I'd really appreciate it!
Awesome!! Crazy how that is exactly what happened to me. Obviously best of luck on the interview. I really don't have any extra pointers or advice aside from what I said in the video. Just be upbeat, positive and eager to learn and I think you'll have a good shot.
I hope you secured a job now 😄
You get the job?
Joey Rivera well? Did u get the job?
Hey man, i want to start coding but i want to know how good at math do you have to be? Like what math is needed on a day to day basis?
Such an inspiring and informative video. Starting a career in IT is very intimidating, especially when you don't have a computer science degree. Thanks for sharing!
You're very welcome and I totally agree. Glad it resonated with you. 🙂
I am also in my way to become self taught programmer since university is tough to enter nowadays.
Amazing video and sense of reason. I'm a self-taught programmer in PHP and I've been busy with code developing standard application for organizations and associations. Following this video gave me reason to stay confident knowing that I'm not alone in this path. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thank you for sharing your story. I've been going to school for business, and realized I really want to be a web Developer. This was really helpful.
YES college is not necessary. However, if you are sociable and humble chances are you will meet many connections with people than can help you get a job.
Yeah I definitely don't think college is not helpful at all. At the end of the day it's a resource for you to use however you want.
Thanks for watching!
Great video. This is great motivation. THANK YOU FOR THIS! I love your honesty about your journey too. I've just started my journey a couple weeks back with Udacity, and love it. I've found what you shared about resumes and job hunting very helpful as my story is very similar to yours.
Awesome! I’m humbled that my story can help you get a little bit more motivation as you move forward on your path. Definitely keep me posted on your progress and good luck.
I’m 23 and I’m feeling lost. Finished my diploma a few years ago and struggling with my college degree. I’m at this point where I should probably pursue a different field or try to self teach my programming and get better at it
I am with you. I am 30 and sick of working in Logistics
and I believe im going to start a new career in Coding/Tech. Best of luck
i am with you to, i am from Russia and i am 23, i stated learn programming and English language)
Same 22 and graduating soon so getting anxious my degree isn't the best fit for too many jobs
I taught myself 7 years before I went to college for programming. I will warn everyone without being pessimistic that programming isnt something you can master or even learn in 3 years unless you are highly specialized. You cant even master it in a lifetime... Thats the beauty of it.
Head First books are my favorite books. After getting them from the library 5 times, I've decided to buy myself the book. I currently own the Python updated version and C#. I'm also looking at the Programming one because I did some reading on that book and noticed the concepts. So now I feel like everything's getting easier to learn because of it.
Go all out into coding ... master Python. Don't dive into Java or any other language at this stage. Python is powerful and closest to the way you communicate, there are practically minimal syntax. YOu can learn this language the fastest of any other languages. Plenty of top paying jobs in the market for atleast next five years.
If you have a laptop start with free csDojo Python tutorials on TH-cam - 8 hours, do all exercises. Then go to Giraffe Academy Python Tutorials for the Beginners (less than 5 hours). They both complement each other and MUST go through both tutorials - after you have done this the language will be ingrained into you and YOU will start to think like programmer. Do all of the lesson taught by turning-off laptop and repeat. Once you done with it take a complete course ($9.99) with Udemy in Python.
If you put your mind to it you can do this in 2 months and be set for rest of your life. Make sure to upgrade your skills periodically, you can learn Java after this but I suggest Golang (GOOGLE language).
GOOD LUCK and never take no for an answer. YOU CAN AND YOU WILL DO THIS.
I am ex-Prof .....
Hey, I’m a senior in high school and I’m just starting to learn code through code academy. I absolutely love learning new things and understanding how everything works. I’ve been struggling to find the right career for me but now after learning a good amount of html I think I wanna continue it. My one of many questions is is it worth it to go to college if I learn enough in the common languages on my own? I’ve heard many different opinions and I’m kinda stuck on the decision.
I love the Head First books, and yes they inject some dry humor into their teaching. Keep up the great work, man! Oh, and I love that little pillow nibbler of yours.
Thanks for the kind words....and pillow nibbler is a great nickname for her haha
Oh wow yeah...that is a little outdated. If I come across any better Java-specific beginner resources I'll make sure to post them.
This video is gold.
Thanks Alexander! Glad you enjoyed it.
What you said about teaching yourself and the next thing you know 5 years have passed, hits home for me. Dropped out for financial reasons and spent too long not following my dreams because of imposter syndrome...
Good news is that I'm in the final stage of the interviewing process and they invited me for a meet and greet next week. Can't wait...
Btw, GREAT content man👍
Such a great video! This video felt like it was made for me. I started off selling cars as well and when I realized it wasn't for me a friend recommended me a coding course and I'm loving it so far.
This video just feels so HONEST. Great advice! Subscribed.
I am teaching myself to be a programmer as well and I really enjoyed this video. I had to watch it twice though, as the first time I viewed it, all I focused on was your dog eating the pillow!
Lol she is just as distracting in real life.
I'm 29 cnc machinist and started with JavaScript few days ago. I hope that in few years I'm programmer.
This video was really helpful for me as a master of computer science, it clears what you have to do, timing and some valuable tips. Thanks man.
It’s 2020. Would you still recommend the Headfirst books for a fresh beginner? I’ve heard.... “some languages aren’t worth learning nowadays.” Thanks!
Crazy how a simple video has inspired a lot of people. Including myself.
After being in the Army I was lost looking for a fulfilling career. Ended up in Logistics. Which this career has been fruitful, but in order for me to get up and go to work is dreadful. I have always loved technology and just lacked the courage to restart my career and do a complete switch. Funny, someone that’s been to Afghanistan twice lacked the courage to change his life. Simple answers are comfort and responsibilities.
After watching this video I dove in Head First. Literally the only book in my life that I have finished and enjoyed in all of my life.
I guess what I am trying to say is, thank you, Andy.
A really old but effective method of learning something is by teaching it. If you must, create an imaginary person and pretend you are teaching the subject to that person aka talking/reading about loud whatever you are learning. This goes to programming as well. It also helps you stay awake and focused. The best part of this pretend teaching is that it really makes you realize what you know and what you don't. So, if you are unclear or dubious about any part of the subject, it becomes clear so you can look it up on the fly.
Another common mistake people do, as I have done too, is to learn many things and/or learn fast. Andy mentioned he picked a recommended language (JavaScript) and focused on that. He didn't question or wonder about the selection. Once you learn one language, just the fact that you know one language, will help you learn another easier because you at least know the process and what needs to be done.
As an IT guy, I have done scripting for quite a long time. It was fun and helped me realize that I want to learn actual programming. After procrastinating a while, I started tackling Python.
If all goes well, I want to tackle C++ next. For all thinking about programming or fairly new to it, here is an excellent site for self-taught programming: www.freecodecamp.org/
Good video Andy. Thanks for sharing!
I have found that this channel (where I have taught some programming concepts) has accelerated my learning on the topic that I am teaching. It is a great approach to learning.
And yes! regarding trying to learn everything at once...I am trying to stress that point in my future videos. It's not about learning every language but about focusing on one at a time and not getting distracted by the sexy new programming language or framework. You can learn everything in due time.
Thank you for the well-thought out comment and sharing the resource! Let me know how C++ goes as it's something I've been looking to get into for some time.
Congratulations to you! I'm a network engineer for about 20 years and I'm converting my career to coding html/css/JavaScript and I'm using some online schools. They are very reasonably priced and I love the self-paced aspect of it.
Thank you Jeff. It sounds like you're on the right track. I have two former coworkers who both started as network engineers before basically self-teaching themselves how to code. :-D
Hey Jeff I just was curious about your decision. I am a recent CS graduate and I am deciding between being a network administrator or a software developer. Why is it that you want to switch to programming? Based on salary and being able to be promoted with more ease, it seems that being a network engineer is a lot more promising of a career. With software development it seems the pay will be far greater when you begin, but there are only so many places to go from there as far as advancement. On the network side it seems like a very steep hill, but once you get closer to the top (like becoming a network engineer) there are a lot more possibilities and far less people qualified in that certain area. Also it would be easy to transfer over to information security from there which is one of the most lucrative jobs in IT. Your statement is just so relevant to what I am contemplating right now I wanted to hear your reason for trying to switch fields. I only have heard these things based on research and not experience must I remind you. Anyone else who has any advice also please chime in!!!
Hi Blake, first congratulations on your CS degree!! I guess you find yourself in that "Well now what?" situation. It's an exciting but somewhat frightening choice to have to make. One of the industry trends right now is moving datacenters to the "cloud". That can be AWS, Azure, Google, etc, etc. Our company is moving to AWS and I looked into what AWS is and what it can do and it interested me...more so on the DevOps side. I went and got two associate level certs for AWS and I am now a member of our cloud team. The networking aspect of AWS isn't complicated at all and once it's in place and secured properly, there isn't much more to do with it. The DevOps side of AWS is where the "magic" can happen and where the $$ savings can occur. I chose javascript as my primary language because so much of scripting in AWS and data exchange is done with JSON. So, for example, JSON scripts can be created and used to fire up a disaster recovery site(s). There are many applications with JSON within AWS. Aside from that, browsers are really getting quite powerful and that intrigues me. I'm amazed at the things that can be developed in a browser nowadays. Also, I was bored of what I was doing. I mostly did Cisco VoIP and Routing and Switching. I was unmotivated to recertify. I decided to get out of my comfort zone and reinvent myself basically. I would strongly recommend you look into cloud technologies as a career path because actually it may choose you. :-) Being a cloud engineer with coding skills opens up a lot possibilities. My 2 cents. More questions? Don't hesitate. :-)
Thank you Jeff! And you are so right about me being in the "Well now what?" situation. I was very interested in getting into the networking side of things, but you hit the nail on the head from some of the insights I have been getting. I have been hearing so much about the "programmable age" of networks and also how powerful AWS is becoming. To start trying to get into the field of cloud computing would you recommend not getting traditional cisco certs like ccna, ccnp, etc... and just going straight for some of the entry level AWS certs instead? Also I will keep in mind javascript contributes to a lot of the scripting for AWS that is great advice. Any other tips you have for trying to get into DevOps I would also love to hear. Again thank you so much, you have no idea how much this helps me and I really appreciate it.
@@blakereagan3418 I would not sway you from doing networking or cyber security. There's still a big need for it. If it turns you on, go for it! Every IT career decision is a steep climb...there's so much to know whether it's networking, development, cloud computing, etc. If you enjoy it you will be successful at it. In addition to JavaScript, Python is another one that is popular and fits into cloud computing very well. Because you're in a decision mode, I strongly recommend that you look into being cloud architect/developer as a possibility. I went through Linux Academy. It's cheap and well put together education site. Udemy.com is another to get inexpensive training site with awesome video lessons. Codecademy is where I'm learning coding but again, many others out there. If looking into networking, check out Cisco Nexus and iWAN as possible end games for you...it's cutting edge software defined networking. This will sound cliche, but be true to yourself. The money will come in due time. You'll have to grind but you have a great foundation to grow from. I'm grinding now too. :-) Try to enjoy the journey and have fun with it. We are very lucky we get these opportunities.
Thanks for the video Andy. I am still on college now and still in 7th term. I am taking Computer Engineering now and I really need this kind of motivation. i really so nervous to face the job circumstance and my programming skill is still not so good but i do try to focus learning and trying to get internship one day. Now i am focusing on web development still on catching HTML, CSS and javascript fundamental and later on i want to focus on ruby on rails. Wish me luck and i hope i can consistent and persist to learn this programming !
Im currently living in my car unfortunately, but I need a change in my life and I've been trying to figure out what programming language to learn first and I think I'm definitely going to start with JavaScript. My Goal is to build projects and have my portfolio ready in 3 months, that's my goal anyway, even if it's unrealistic I'm still pushing for it.
Did you build your portfolio?
Once upon a time, say 30 years back, I had a degree in electrical engineering from a good college, during which I learned some Fortran programming and some maths. Never used any of those and forgot EVERYTHING. I'm 53 now. Can I walk this path and go the AI/ML way?
Thanks for this video! i'm currently in the process of career change, self teaching and going back to school for some certifications. Great motivator!
If you had an Irish accent you would literally be Conor McGregor. Great vid though!
Haha thanks!
LOL.
Your story is extremely inspiring! Thank you Andy for sharing your story with us. I'm planing also to do software development.
Thanks Ola :-) Keep me up to date on your progress. Let me know if I can help in any way.
Us Computer Science majors see software developer jobs as a low-middle class job. We look for the high end, computer engineering/software engineering/computer research jobs in Google, Nasa, Apple, and even federal agencies like the NSA, FBI, CIA. No, you do not need a degree to be a software developer but yes, you will need a degree if you want to enter is a computer scientist for AI at google in which your competition is the 4.1 GPA Harvard Graduate.
Did you get your first job only knowing Javascript? Is it possible to get a programming job after learning only JS? Otherwise which other languages did you learn before your first job? Thanks.
Honest advice:
Want to do basic application building/ website building - Don't need to go to school.
Want to work on A.I, Big data, blockchain, data science, etc, - School will help you big time.
Also, for advance applications and websites that uses alot of theoretical tools, school will also help with that.
I'm also a self taught programmer and been working now for 4 years. You don't need a diploma in Computer Science to be successful developer.
Preach!
Even with a degree it's not easy :/ thanks for the tips on this video I'm starting to take this approach to finding a job.
I'm 53 and ready for a career change. I'm immersing myself in learning Java. I don't care what it takes; I'll even start with Java for Dummies. I want to understand everything. I was on the internet when it was first invented might as well jump in. I waste hours online watching videos, shopping, researching, etc. Let me stare at a computer and learn something so I can get paid and be productive on the PC. I'm in desperate need of money and I'm too old to go back to school.
About 2 years ago, I watched this video. Last week, I got a job offer for Test Automation Engineer position. And the job is remote. I can't believe I did it.
I have been self learning Python for 1 week. I'm 17 years old and I just realized that there is so many educational courses online. I am also learning electrical engineering from youtube.
Janno JJ I’m 20 years old and today is my second day learning Python!
Dude electrical engineering really need practical man ....come on be sincere
For those who decided to not go to school, it does not mean you don’t need a mentor. You technically don’t need it, but having a mentor would make your learning curve smoother.
Well said!
Thank you so much for this video. I am from Kenya and I have always wanted to be a programmer. I am a self taught python programmer for two years now. I needed this as a reminder of why I'm doing this in the first place. I also have interest in Java and C++.
Yo! From Kenya pia, nataka anza pia kujifunza seems like I'm lucky unaeza nisaidia pia
Getting yourself into $50-$100k in debt as you say by going to school may not be the answer but you can sure as hell bet that you'll be stuck in the same position making $45k a year with no chance of ever moving up to a senior or executive position without a degree. That piece of paper does matter if you want to move up
A good way to learn java from completely no experience is with codegym (not a scam or promotion, just helping out budding coders) and it's free
This video made me feel way more reassured that I can turn my life around anytime. I needed this thank you!
Hi Andy, I’m in the same situation and still trying to figuring out my route to become a software developer. Thank you for your video! Very informative and inspiring.
Glad I could help out a future developer. Let me know if there are other topics I can cover that would help you along on your journey. Good luck!
Thanks so much . I have been in IT for 10 years and now teaching myself daily c# for applying for game dev position