How to Become a Computer Programmer

In this article I will show you how to become a programmer without going to college. You can learn computer programming in your own home and begin an entry level programming job. College is a wise choice, but if you cannot afford to spend a lot of time in college before you begin your software developer career, you can study programming from experienced developers or from programming textbooks, training courses and or mentoring programs.

Do You Need A College Degree?
On a resume your qualifications or programming related degree will stand out and get you noticed, but prospective employers are really looking for people who have the ability to write good quality source code. There are many programmers that have developed their programming skills without spending any time in college and got a job in the programming market without a computer science degree. It’s up to you to figure out if you want to get programming qualifications or a programming degree.

What Do Employers Want?
You’ve made over your resume, submitted it and begun preparing for programming interviews; but you should slow down and ask yourself “What do the employers really want?” Are they looking for a diploma, certificate, bachelor’s degree or master’s degree? Or real world experience with C#, Visual Basic.Net, SQL? No matter if you taught yourself programming from home or learned it from college or a correspondence training course, employers want to see good competent software development skills and interpersonal skills more than anything else. They are also placing more emphasis on newer object oriented languages and tools such as C# and Java. After you are hired your employer will expect you to be able to document and design software applications and write good quality code regardless of where you learned the skills. They will also expect you to keep up with the changes in technology and continuously update your development skills and technical knowledge.

Learn a Top Paying Computer Programming Skill and Get a Tech Job Easily
In any job market, no matter what type of job you are trying to get, having knowledge and experience with a particular skill can get you a job relating to that skill. Programming is not any different, if you have working knowledge of programming and experience programming you can get a job programming. Knowledge of programming can be gained from many sources. College is the first source that comes to mind, but the alternatives are to learn programming on your own or from a subject matter expert. Now days, you can read up on just about anything on the internet and it’s free; but you should probably invest in many different programming books that go into more detail so you can advance your skill level. Programming experience doesn’t strictly have to be from a previous job you have had. You can gain experience working with software development tools or from hands on training.

How to Learn Programming and Get Hired without a College Diploma
You will need to show your prospective employer that even without a college degree you are an asset to anyone who hires you. Emphasize your software development skills and the applications you have designed. Show that you have programming knowledge and experience using the programming languages that the employer is looking for. In order to get the same job that people with a college degree are trying to get; you will need to show the prospective employer that you are just as knowledgeable. Talk about the books you have read and the list of programming projects you have worked on. Tell about any web sites you have designed or project you plan to work on in the future. Overall, show the hiring manager that you can solve real world programming problems.