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For discussing anything related to a software developer's life but is not for programming questions. Got a programming question?

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GeneralRe: Coke vs Diet vs Zero Pin
jackbrownii13-May-19 5:11
professionaljackbrownii13-May-19 5:11 
GeneralRe: Coke vs Diet vs Zero Pin
Mark_Wallace14-May-19 11:54
Mark_Wallace14-May-19 11:54 
GeneralNeed some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
m444411-May-19 23:22
m444411-May-19 23:22 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Eddy Vluggen11-May-19 23:52
professionalEddy Vluggen11-May-19 23:52 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
m444412-May-19 0:08
m444412-May-19 0:08 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Nelek12-May-19 0:20
protectorNelek12-May-19 0:20 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Eddy Vluggen12-May-19 0:44
professionalEddy Vluggen12-May-19 0:44 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
#realJSOP12-May-19 0:59
professional#realJSOP12-May-19 0:59 
The harsh light of reality:

0) I'm going to go out on a limb here and say no, you most likely won't be "job-ready" in three months, and even at 6 months, it would be a stretch. BVeing a software developer requires a certain mind set and aptitude.

1) If you thought the pay was bad in the architectural business, wait till you try to find a job as a programmer with no formal programming (or even IT) related education.

2) I've been programming for 40 years, and still wonder if I'm "job-ready"...

3) I can't imagine how difficult it is to start out as a new programmer nowadays. You're going to have a rough time of it at first - the pay will suck, the hours will be long, and the job is generally thankless, with clueless managers basking in the glory of your efforts. You'll likely spend YEARS on a given project, only for it to be abandoned or marginalized, but you should look on the coding you did as a learning experience and move on.

Advice:

0) Get an account on Pluralsight. They have training for pretty much anything IT related you can imagine.

1) Develop strong google foo. If you can't google for the info you need, you'll be stuck buying books that will only be viable for a year or so (yes, the industry changes that fast).

2) I think it would be easier/faster to become a SQL developer than an actual application developer, because SQL will always be SQL and changes at a much less frenetic pace than does application development.

3) Even if you don't become a SQL developer, you still need to learn SQL for most jobs nowadays, on top of being an application developer.

4) You HAVE to be willing to write code as a hobby. Many times, you have to learn new tech for something you're going to be doing at work, and managers don't generally want you to "learn" on the job. They expect you to miraculously just know how to do shit that is only a few days old.

Other stuff:

0) The one bright light is that most of the tools you need will be free, so, silver linings.

1) Get decent modern hardware. At least a quad core CPU, a bare minimum of 16GB of RAM (32 would be better), and a SSD hard drive (they're really cheap compared to even a year ago). Beyond that, at least two monitors would be really useful as well.

2) When you think you're ready to get a job as a developer, read this article - Being a Programmer[^]
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Eddy Vluggen12-May-19 1:22
professionalEddy Vluggen12-May-19 1:22 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
#realJSOP12-May-19 2:22
professional#realJSOP12-May-19 2:22 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Eddy Vluggen12-May-19 3:02
professionalEddy Vluggen12-May-19 3:02 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
#realJSOP12-May-19 3:27
professional#realJSOP12-May-19 3:27 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Eddy Vluggen12-May-19 9:08
professionalEddy Vluggen12-May-19 9:08 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Mycroft Holmes12-May-19 14:06
professionalMycroft Holmes12-May-19 14:06 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Eddy Vluggen13-May-19 1:30
professionalEddy Vluggen13-May-19 1:30 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
DerekT-P14-May-19 1:47
professionalDerekT-P14-May-19 1:47 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Eddy Vluggen14-May-19 4:03
professionalEddy Vluggen14-May-19 4:03 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
DerekT-P14-May-19 7:58
professionalDerekT-P14-May-19 7:58 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Eddy Vluggen15-May-19 0:14
professionalEddy Vluggen15-May-19 0:14 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
DerekT-P15-May-19 11:17
professionalDerekT-P15-May-19 11:17 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Eddy Vluggen15-May-19 22:54
professionalEddy Vluggen15-May-19 22:54 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
DerekT-P16-May-19 0:47
professionalDerekT-P16-May-19 0:47 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Eddy Vluggen16-May-19 9:45
professionalEddy Vluggen16-May-19 9:45 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter12-May-19 1:05
professionalKornfeld Eliyahu Peter12-May-19 1:05 
GeneralRe: Need some direction from programmers / developers please! Pin
GuyThiebaut12-May-19 1:46
professionalGuyThiebaut12-May-19 1:46 

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