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I've always been terrified of anything with software development because I hear it's a hard job. In college I loved it but struggled with it. I was shocked to see many companies including IBM are looking for software developers with only a high school diploma. I didn't think that was possible, it's entry level, but still. I've been curious about working as a software developer but I've been afraid since I am not familiar with programming (only took one class). I do have an associate in computer information technology and a couple of certificates. I am wondering are those entry level program development positions hard? Can someone like me with minimum programming knowledge survive there for 6 months? I am not crazy about the money, I just want something that teaches me new stuff and better for my future.
Software development is a skilled labor trade just like carpentry. You don't need a lot of education. You just need experience to get good. Just like carpentry, getting good at software development is a struggle. You're going to struggle at first... but when you get it down, it's rewarding.
If you want to work as a software developer in certain industries, such as computer science or physics, you'll need an advanced degree or be an exceptionally intelligent person (we're talking bill gates type here).
That is really what most programming employers are wanting now - no degree. Just some familiarity with some aspect of the programming being used by the employer. It is about money, a person with advanced technical degrees is costly in the short term thinking though in long term may contribute more but eventually. A person who just likes tinkering around programming can be hired at a fraction of the cost but in the long term they may not know about the systems being developed and so on but it doesn't matter for the current project at hand. But the employers don't care, it is all short time frame thinking. They have something simple and want that done. There are plenty of people making a living in programming now without any education at the college level. I think most are in IT and so on, though I have seen jobs that say even engineer but say HS diploma too which is unheard of almost but anyway that is the way it is.
Are these jobs hard? I would imagine that a developer with 30k salary would have an easier job than those of 60K-80k. I want to be able to make up to 50K-60K eventually like 6 years down the line, but I don't know if it's possible without a bachelor's degree
Software development is a skilled labor trade just like carpentry. You don't need a lot of education. You just need experience to get good. Just like carpentry, getting good at software development is a struggle. You're going to struggle at first... but when you get it down, it's rewarding.
If you want to work as a software developer in certain industries, such as computer science or physics, you'll need an advanced degree or be an exceptionally intelligent person (we're talking bill gates type here).
There are plenty of tech companies out there that are hung up on degrees, mine being one of them. I have programming experience from projects at my current employer, from side projects at home, and from previous (albeit limited) employment, and yet I won't be eligible for any software engineering positions. This is because they pretty much only hire MS comp sci candidates, regardless of what you can do and how well you write code. I've written Java, Python, and tons of SQL in my current position and have been told by my boss that no hiring managers would consider me for a software position without the MS degree. YMMV, but I just wanted to give you a heads up. On the other hand, I'm sure there are plenty of smaller companies out there that really only care about what you can do and what makes you tick. I write code because I LOVE to do it. I can't get enough of it. Many small companies would probably love someone with a mindset like that. If you enjoy what you are doing, it isn't work and you are more likely to succeed and give it your best.
Also, there are more and more MS comp sci graduates flooding the market these days because the degree is becoming more commonplace. That means employers can demand the degree and get the candidates they want.
I was just surprised it didn't require a college degree since I always thought Software related jobs are the hardest in the computer field. Although, I've also heard many Software developers exaggerate the difficulty of the job.
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