Onward and UpwardKeith Ward, Editor in Chief, Visual Studio Magazine

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Help My Friend Become a Developer

OK gang, this is a personal request. I've found in my time in the dev space, that you folks are some of the most engaged readers I've seen in my journalism career. So I'm reaching out to you today for help.

A good friend of mine is struggling to find a job in this economy. He's quite talented -- a good mind (math major way back when) and a quick study. He's also a very hard worker, and really personable. In fact, his situation is like so many others out there; downsizing continues, companies aren't hiring, and the current outlook is bleak. He's employed right now, but doesn't expect that to continue. And "employed" in this sense means he has a job, but it doesn't pay the bills.

Because of those things, he wants to learn development, and I'm fully convinced he'll be a great developer. The question now is how best to help him get there.

He has a wife and kids, and can't go to school full-time. He can study and learn on a part-time basis only. He has no programming background, although he does know a little HTML and is very comfortable with computers. He also doesn't have much money to spend on education and training. He's willing to do whatever it takes, however, to learn this field.

What would your recommendations for him be? Should he get certified and look for an entry-level job? Should he buy some books and just start coding, write a few programs, then offer himself to employers? Should he concentrate on a specific area like Web or mobile development? In other words, where do you start, if you're starting from scratch?

If you're an employer, what would your recommendations be to someone in my friend's place? What would make someone like him hire-able by your company? How much do you care about a certification vs. a degree? What should my friend have accomplished before he interviews with you? My friend knows he'd start at the bottom, and he's willing to.

Let's see if we can help my friend out. If we can, I bet that we'll help others out, too. Please send your requests to me directly, or post your thoughts and advice below.

My friend and I thank you.

Posted by Keith Ward on 10/24/2011 at 8:01 AM


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Reader Comments:

Mon, Oct 31, 2011 Greg Cedar Rapids, IA

I just had this conversation with two people interested in making a transition to programming. My preference to get them going hands-on as early as possible and for them to find a mentor to ask questions of. Grab one of the free environments (MS Express tools, Java, etc.) and the many free language books and tutorials out there. Sit down with purpose, and walk though the teaching. Do the examples and try to expand on each one, just a little bit, to drive the concept home. Now, with some basics under their belt, step back and ask, "Is this for me?". "Do I 'get' this?" If so, then consider some formalized training at a community college or vocational school.

Thu, Oct 27, 2011 Fred

Maybe learning MS LightSwitch could be a good start.

Wed, Oct 26, 2011 Michelle Marcus St. Louis

I strongly believe in getting the basics down in a certificate program. Here in St. Louis, we have two universities that offer "continuing education computer training" at night. Yes, they are pricy, although not at the same cost of real tuition. It'd be worth taking out a loan. With that certificate, you then have something to put on a resume and then you should continue learning on your own. Here in St. Louis, we also have GiveCamp which is a volunteer coding weekend and another great way to get experience.

Tue, Oct 25, 2011

I am in a very similar boat to your friend except I don't want a job as a developer. I just want to learn for myself. I started by following the Java Tutorial that Sun created. It was great, up to a point. It was free, it worked with a fully functional, rich, application development language that is highly marketable, it taught all different kinds of projects, and everything was fully documented and easy to find. I understand that C# is similar with MSDN, but I never found a free tutorial that was as good. Also, Java is so similar, that if you learn one, you are pretty much learning the other. The Java Tutorial covered everything, but for everyone I ever talked to, there seemed to be that sticking point where you needed someone with experience to ask questions. I really haven't found anyone I can count on, but I strongly suggest he get a mentor if possible. That will go a long way when you get stuck. Other than that, just code, code, and code some more.

Tue, Oct 25, 2011 Fred

I would agree with Pete, experience is the best teacher. Also books are good but videos are better. PluralSight is one of the best training sites out there. I pay $50 a month and it's priceless! Certifications are really (IMHO) a waste of time. I passed the ASP.Net 2.0 cert back in 2007 and I'd never built an a website in my life! For me passing a cert just let's me know 2 things about a candidate - they're smart and disciplined. But I don't give any more credence to them than that. They don't hold a candle to experience. I have no doubt your friend would make a good dev but he needs experience - in our industry thats what it boils down to - not a degree (dropped out in my junior year - best move I ever made), not a cert - experience! So he needs to take up some pet projects that he can show off during interviews. Go into a mom and pop shop and offer to do an app for them for free - just to gain the experience (he should be sure to stress to them to be patient during the process since he's new). As Pete said charities are another good approach. Bottom line - when he goes into an interview he needs to know his stuff and have something to show to prove it. I was a bill collector for a local ISP during my freshman year of school and I was writing apps in my spare time to automate any and every kind of task in my dept. I became the defacto IT guy for the billing dept. After about a year and a half I was hired on by the same company into a development position and that started my career 15 years ago. No one asked me to do those apps - I made it happen. I wanted experience! If I saw we were using a spreadsheet or access for something, I would ask myself "how can I automate that?". There's opportunity everywhere - probably at his existing position. Don't wait for an opportunity - make one!

Mon, Oct 24, 2011 Keith Ward

Steve, the "way back when" refers to his college days in the late 80s/early 90s, I think. I was using a bit of teasing hyperbole. He's now in his early 40s. Peter -- excellent suggestions. I'll pass them along. Thanks!

Mon, Oct 24, 2011 Peter Vogel Canada

I'd recommend getting any training possible--night school at the local college, books, Safari, surfing the net. But experience matters here. YOur friend needs to work with what I think of as "charity clients"--people who will let you build stuff for them, knowing that you don't (yet) know what you're doing. These are often charities but it might also be an internship with some local Web developer who does have some paying clients. This will also let your friend discover what parts of the field he has the most aptitude for and gets the most satisfaction from. As he gains that insight, he can also figure out what skillset he can put together that will make him most attractive for a particular set of employers.

Mon, Oct 24, 2011 Stevelev

Interesting post...somehow the reference to math 'way back when' would indicate back in the 1950's and 'wife and kids' means he is much younger. This would indicate to me the post is fictional. Most guys i know use the moniker 'developer' on marketing blurbs but deep down they are geeks who live 'programming'.

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