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Thanks for your input. Is there a language or platform that you suggest to learn? I see this Ruby on Rails thing at lot of these boot camps - like I said, I have no idea.
The idea behind coding boot camp is immersion. She would be away from us focusing 110% on learning, getting her portfolio in order and getting a job. Being at home is different than showing up to a class room every day. That is if she can get in of course. My concern with doing on your own, is being confident that what you're doing is going to get you a job.
Ruby on Rails might be a good start.
But depending on where you interview, they are going to maybe ask some "Fizz Buzz" type problems. For example, for each number from 1 to 100, if the number is divisible by 3, print "Fizz," divisible by 5 print "Buzz" and both - print "fizbuzz"
The issue with boot camps is that they may teach you a framework but you don't have knowledge of the underlying theory or problem solving skills. That's more important than knowing the newest buzzwords...
So what's the trick? Something has to give, right? I mean the skills should be applicable to something.
It's very tough but you're going to need to do a few things:
1. I would take some courses, and I would personally lean towards doing them at a brink and mortar college.
2. Network. People are more willing to give you an interview if they know something about you beforehand.
While the problems may be hard to solve by hand, the logic to solve them is quite simple ... and coding, for the most part, is determining logic and then applying a syntax to perform that logic.
This is correct, some of the terms I had to look up, but they seem pretty easy to translate into computer code.
I've seen variations of #1 in interviews.. Easy problems that you don't need to Google (to refresh your mind) but hard enough to weed out anyone who is a bs'er
The question she needs to honestly answer first is 'can she code'? Most people can't and no amount of effort will change that.
I completely agree. A lot of people view software development as a potential panacea for their career decisions.
I view software development like painting. Painting, at its heart, is fairly simple: you are applying some type of color to a canvas. Just a bunch of simple brush strokes. Anyone can paint, but can they create a engaging painting out of these simple brush strokes? An artist has the mindset and eye to understand how to apply these brush strokes. Not everyone has that gift.
Software development is the same. If you look at any of the problems on project euler, you should at least have an approximate path in your brain on how to tackle the problem. Not everyone can. Writing the code is the easy part. How should the logic be? Software is not a trade that anyone can learn. Your brain needs to be configured in a certain way. I wish I could paint, but I can't. I just don't see. Code? I get it.
There are two main types of companies to work for: big ones and small ones. The big ones are going to want to see a degree and experience. Recruiters tend to work for these big companies and all they really know what to do is check boxes. Do you have X years for skill Y? Check.
You will get nowhere with these companies. Looking into small startups. Unfortunately, there are not many startup centers around the country. Join a hackathon, work on an actual team at creating a prototype project, get noticed. Blog about your experiences. Answer questions on Stack Overflow.
If you're late to the IT game, don't bother. The titanic has already sailed on it's last voyage.
Eventually everything in software tech will be outsourced and automated. Simple websites can be easily created by automation and the need for website coders are outsourced to freelance and consulting firms that handles these gigs one job at a time.
I don't recommend it at all. there's a big difference between scripting html, and coding. To be a competent coder, you need to understand things outside of coding that they aren't going to teach you in a 12 week course. You need to understand computer architecture (how the hardware works); you need to understand compilers and such things that you can only get from the first two years of a university program in Computer Science. If you don't learn these things, you are at best only 'approximating' the experience and your abilities as a programmer are limited. If your partner really wants to do it, then I suggest they complete the first two years or so of a degree in C.S.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vision33r
If you're late to the IT game, don't bother. The titanic has already sailed on it's last voyage.
Eventually everything in software tech will be outsourced and automated. Simple websites can be easily created by automation and the need for website coders are outsourced to freelance and consulting firms that handles these gigs one job at a time.
as someone who worked as a contractor at Yahoo, I can tell you this is not the case.
I'm looking for people in the business who can provide some input.
The Computer industry is filled with courses you pay for that will teach you how to learn computer skills for thousands of dollars. Take some very basic certifications like A+, Network+, Security+, you can get an instructor to teach you the material for a few thousand dollars, or you can buy a book and learn it yourself. If your shelling out $3k to learn how to pass a certification like A+, something you should be able to learn by picking up a $30 book and studying it, your probably in the wrong career field.
After all, after the course is over, is the instructor going to show you how to write code for a project if you get stuck? I think not. Teach yourself coding, (or use FREE resources on the internet) if you can't do it, your in the wrong field. While technically it's possible to teach anyone computer programming, not everyone will be good at it, let alone excel. There's just some things you can't teach, no matter how many learning courses you take.
As for how stable the programming field is, a LOT of work is outsourced overseas, your best bet is to try to get a job at a company that contracts for the government. Most of those jobs are a lot more stable, the government isn't going to trust a foreign firm with programming because of national security concerns.
Last edited by TechGromit; 08-08-2014 at 12:59 PM..
as someone who worked as a contractor at Yahoo, I can tell you this is not the case.
You being a contractor at Yahoo proves my point, these days companies don't hire coders like yourself. It is outsourced. Once these Indians learn to speak better English the companies will hire them and Americans will have a harder time competing unless you lower your rate.
It takes you years of work and experience just to make $35-60/hr rates and companies will demand for even lower rates when more Indians are available through H1B programs and only want $25-35/hr.
You being a contractor at Yahoo proves my point, these days companies don't hire coders like yourself. It is outsourced. Once these Indians learn to speak better English the companies will hire them and Americans will have a harder time competing unless you lower your rate.
It takes you years of work and experience just to make $35-60/hr rates and companies will demand for even lower rates when more Indians are available through H1B programs and only want $25-35/hr.
More and more work is contract work. Company can dump people when the project is done without looking bad (or paying for unemployment directly). They also don't have to pay benefits.
I can't tell you how many emails I get for contract work.
If this is true, then why do these places seem to say that there are so many jobs being unfilled, to the point that they will teach you what you need to know for free being paid only if you get a job (as a % of your first year's salary). Or, like I said, the catch is that they take people with experience - although all the websites say that you don't need a coding background at all.
Regarding the unfilled positions. The corporations are making their case to raise the H-1b cap.
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