According to the statistics, in 2020, we have 26,4 million developers in the world. Moreover, the number is expected to grow to 28 million in three years. We can see that this profession is extremely popular today. More and more programs and mobile apps are needed every day. Therefore, the demand for professional developers is also growing. However, if you want to become a coder, there’s no need to have a college degree. Even if you are 30 or 40 years old and you are stuck in a career you don’t like, becoming a software developer is a good idea.
When you read the article, you’ll learn more about the best and probably the most effective engineering practices. In this post, we’ll tell you what you should do to become a qualified and demanded software developer. We hope that our pieces of advice will help you achieve your goals.
Main Steps to Follow to Start a Career of a Developer
Entering a new career path is not always easy. But if you feel like you want to change your life, get a better job, and increase your income, it is high time to take some measures. The below-listed steps will be tremendously helpful for you.
Be honest with yourself and don’t be afraid of changes
It is really hard to make the right choice and drastically change your life when you have many years of experience in an absolutely different niche. You live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. No matter the specifics of your dream, you have to be committed to your goal.
Decide what software engineering language you need to learn
You know that the area of software development is too broad and you can’t be an expert in absolutely everything. Take some basic courses about the most popular development languages (Python, Ruby on Rails, Django, etc.) and choose the one that you’ll study more thoroughly.
But there’s one thing, you need to be aware of – if you learn one language, it will be easier to learn the other one. For many newbies in this niche, Ruby is an excellent way to start your career. It’s an easy to learn and very efficient language that allows you to understand the fundamentals of software development. Moreover, this language is flexible and is widely used by many companies. So, you’ll definitely find a job.
Do an internship
After you complete your education, it is time to practice your skills. The main benefit of an internship is that it allows learners to get the real-world experience. You’ll expand your skills and see the development process inside out. There are lots of companies that offer free internships for students. It usually lasts for three or four months and allows you to improve your skills and see how to work on specific projects.
Use powerful software development tools
When you’ll be practising your skills, you need to be very attentive to your work. Talk to senior developers, see what tools they are using, ask lots of clarification-seeking questions. This is very useful as a way to make yourself familiar with coding. Check what hardware and software they are using, how they work with these tools, what stages of software development they follow, etc. This will help you adjust much faster to your real job.
Search for entry-level employment
When you understand that you know the theory inside out, and now you want to delve into the details of programming as a matter of actual practice, it is time to pursue entry-level career opportunities. You are probably dreaming of being a part of Google, Amazon, or Facebook team, but you should restrain yourself from rushing things. Prospective coders usually start with small companies. Seek out career opportunities in your city. Remember that experience is the main tool for career advancement.
Learn code created by other developers
This is a crucially important issue that allows you to become an expert in this field. It would help if you learned to understand the code that was written by other developers. The easiest way to do this is to browse through GitHub repositories and check the documentation. In some instances, you may find mistakes in the documentation, but the thing is that code never lies. When you finally master this skill, you’ll learn how a program is running.
Sometimes, beginning software developers neglect this skill, but in fact, it helps in learning the ins and outs of the project. When you see how senior developers are working, it will be easier for you to create your code.
Become a part of the software community
Finding a software community is a superb solution for beginning developers. Here, you’ll find support, motivation, and like-minded people. Choose a community depending on your language of programming.
Following our recommendations, you’ll definitely become a professional developer. The market demand for qualified and experienced developers is evident. Good specialists are always needed!
