How to get into programming

How does one get into programming...and get a good opening salary?

I have a BS in Mathematics and a MBA and i took some programming classes as an undergrad but that was over 10 years ago. Now i work an administrative job and i make about 60K but i am bored as heck. I wish i would have gotten into computer science.

I decided to start the BS in Software Development and see if I can finish in a year or a year 1/2 tops. I dont have my transcript evaluation yet so i can't be sure. Anyways is this the way to get my foot in the door (the extra BS)? Or how would you go about it? I am not a kid anymore so getting a very entry level job making $12/hour isn't an option for me. I want to change fields without losing to much money...

Advice???

I should add that i am currently studying java on my own before my term starts March 1st. I find i do remember quite a bit about general programming concepts so it's not so hard.

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Comments

ratbuddy

With a BS in math and some knowledge of coding, you could probably land a 50k+ job tomorrow. If you'd rather wait until you finish the degree, that's understandable, but it might not help all that much. Don't worry about making 12 bucks an hour. You'll make at least double that to start, and probably more. I'm making more than you (context: central CT area), and I only have 6 months experience in the field plus a WGU BSIT-Software.

The most important thing is knowing your stuff and knowing how to sell yourself.

Curchel

That's encouraging. I'll start putting my resume out and see if anyone bites...

creamy_stew

Big Data is waiting uuuuuuu!

Seriously, though, Data Science is getting huge. If you learn R and brush up on some math stat, I'd say you're golden.

https://d396qusza40orc.cloudfront.net/rprog/doc/JHDSS_CourseDependencies.pdf

fuz1on

actuary work? you can make bank! otherwise, i really learned quickly by taking classes at a community college (online classes).

jdancer

Have you thought about getting a programming certificate instead? You may want to start at codeacademy.org and pursue a cert that way. You can also get certs from MOOCs as well. If you really want to get an accredited degree, then a good starting point is Oregon State University BS in CS degree. From there, can pursue a master's at Georgia Tech. I say that's a win-win situation for 100% online degrees.

Betrayal

Dev Bootcamp is a program which offers training to get you started in the field.

bradl3yC

I posed this question to our developers and their responses were to get involved in open source projects, write some code and put it up on github, and find a local meetup for whatever language interests you. You will meet new people and be writing code. Good luck to you.

Curchel

What is MOOCs?

LeBroke

Mostly relevant question:

My dad (50 YO), MBA, worked the last 12-ish years as a daytrader/financial analyst building models. Bachelor's was in linguistics/philology, so not very relevant. He's recently out of a job and decided not to pursue finance anymore. That would force him to move, or compete with much younger people and dick around on the corporate ladder (and he's a super mellow guy). While considering his job options, we've recently come up with programming as something he would probably enjoy doing, especially if he could realistically do it remotely in a few years.

I'm wondering, what his chances would be in pursuing programming as a career, and what steps would he need to take? He'd be fine with ~30-40k a year if it's a flexible work environment so he could trade on the side, and isn't looking to do anything hardcore.

the_Grinch

Ah you'll be just fine with your current plan. I'm swinging into the programming side of things and have taken to self teaching till I start my Masters (if I get in). As for Data Science, be careful. It's a very big buzzword, but in my research I am seeing the field is going to start drying up.

jdancer

Curchel wrote: »

What is MOOCs?

Stands for "Massive Open Online Courses". Some big players are edX, Udacity, Coursera, Saylor, Kahn Academy, etc.

wolfinsheepsclothing

Where are you located?

Curchel

Me? I am in New Orleans.

JamesKurtovich

Curchel wrote: »

What is MOOCs?

A fantastic resource if you want to get into programming.

I'm currently taking Programming for Everbody (Python) on Coursera and it's going very well. Enrollment might still be open. https://www.coursera.org/course/pythonlearn

TheFORCE

LordSevink wrote: »

A fantastic resource if you want to get into programming.

I'm currently taking Programming for Everbody (Python) on Coursera and it's going very well. Enrollment might still be open. https://www.coursera.org/course/pythonlearn

Is this free?

JamesKurtovich

TheFORCE wrote: »

Is this free?

Yes. There's a $50 certificate, but it's optional.

Curchel

LordSevink wrote: »

A fantastic resource if you want to get into programming.
Q
I'm currently taking Programming for Everbody (Python) on Coursera and it's going very well. Enrollment might still be open. https://www.coursera.org/course/pythonlearn

Guess what? Im already in that class. I didnt know that was called a MOOC. I am also enrolled in the interactive python class that starts in 2 days

Curchel

Nersesian wrote: »

So I'm not a programmer by trade, but most of the development oriented courses I took in college were all theory based. I can imagine what my face looked like when I sat for about a week in some XYZ class and was told actual coding would need to take place on my own time.

Codeacademy gets a good rep in my neck of the woods and you can get started today.

- Me? I am in New Orleans.

Well, that makes a difference. Here's what you can do. Attend one of the monthly NolaSec meetings and ask around. It has a security bent to it, but many of the attendees have a significant amount of code experience and some work at the iP building over on Magazine. The meeting is held on the 700 block of Tchoupitoulas at Lucy's. Even if nothing pans out, you get a snapshot of the IT community within NOLA and can at least network with folks already doing what you want to do. If you don't want to hit up UNO cold, its what I would do. Be forewarned, 60k in NOLA is a good salary, so you may want to maintain your day gig while you get comfortable.

NOLASEC: A Computer Security and Forensics Meetup (New Orleans, LA) - Meetup

wow. Thanks for the info.

JamesKurtovich

Curchel wrote: »

Guess what? Im already in that class. I didnt know that was called a MOOC. I am also enrolled in the interactive python class that starts in 2 days

Nice! It's moving pretty slow, but I don't mind. I find the instructor entertaining and knowledgeable. There must be non-beginners taking the course too as I see a lot of complex code being posted in the forums.

xiny

What should you do after you learn a couple of programming languages, with 0 work experience in programming?
I would imagine if you jumped into a Jr. Programming position you would see a lot of coding techniques and best practices that would be confusing.

How do you know you got the languages "down" enough to enter the work force?

Curchel

xiny wrote: »

What should you do after you learn a couple of programming languages, with 0 work experience in programming?
I would imagine if you jumped into a Jr. Programming position you would see a lot of coding techniques and best practices that would be confusing.

How do you know you got the languages "down" enough to enter the work force?

i would like to know as well

CenturionMario

Same here to Curchel and xiny. I have been working hard on getting my programming skills up, and I think I have enough to be able to land an entry level programming job, but I have no work experience (only projects that I have worked on). I'm currently in the process of applying to entry level programming jobs to get my foot in the door.

ratbuddy

Buy this book, http://www.amazon.com/Cracking-Coding-Interview-Programming-Questions/dp/098478280X

Read it, even if you don't understand everything. If you still want a coding job after that, you'll be much better prepared to actually get one

NexusC

I've been in software development for over 15 years. Getting your first job as a programmer can be tough, and you might have to apply for a junior developer position somewhere to get your foot in the door.

I would recommend picking up some development related certs to make yourself stand out from the crowd.

In addition, with little to no professional programming experience, I would recommend opening a github.com account, and just start making things and committing them to source control in a public repo. As someone involved in the hiring process, I love being able to actually look at things people applying have written.