Are you frustrated in your current job due to lack of progression?
Maybe your current job is at risk due to the current financial climate?
You really want a career change, and have an interest in tech?
Considering transitioning your career to become a software developer?
Here’s 7 things you should know before you decide to start your journey to become a Software Developer.
1) You need to be constantly learning – technology changes so fast and to keep up to speed you need to make time for continuous learning to keep your skills and knowledge up. Focus on one language and learn it well, and the rest will be easier to pick up as u go on. There are plenty of free resources out there to help you learn a lot quicker.
2) You need to be constantly coding – the best way to learn and improve your coding is to code. think of a personal project that is helpful to u or resonates with u, and put what you have been learning into practice. Also can make use of some of the coding challenge resources out there to sharpen your skills.
3) It’s a marathon, not a sprint – The journey to transition your career into tech can be long and hard, but it is doable. Remember there are no overnight successes. You need to be consistent in your efforts and persevere over the obstacles and setbacks (they will come). Documenting your journey will help you to see how far you have come when the going gets tough, as you start to doubt yourself. Just keep going.
4) You need a community – you can achieve this goal of becoming a professional software developer alone, but we are better and faster together. Find a supportive community or group of like minded people, who will support u, keep you accountable for the things you say you are going to achieve, and celebrate your successes when you hit your goals.
5) You need to showcase a portfolio of your work – You’re working on personal projects, but hiding them from the world. Nah luv! Github must become your friend. Having your own simple website with a portfolio of personal projects is even better.
6) U need to shout about ur achievements – you’ve built your first webpage, tell someone. You’ve designed ur first app, shout it from the rooftop. Got your first tech opportunity, spread the news. There are no opportunities gained when staying quiet. Share ur achievements with your family, work colleagues, ur community, on social media. Shout about it with pride.
7) You need to build a personal brand and raise your profile – there are hundreds and thousands of professional software developers out there. How are u going to stand out from the crowd and attract opportunities? Start as early as possible in your journey to build ur personal brand and raise ur profile. Share ur journey so far, share what you’ve been learning, share your personal project milestones, share the opportunities that have come your way. Share the good and the bad. There’s a lesson to be learned from every success and failure.