Programming - Advice?

[mgellan]

Start out building some web sites in HTML5, PHP and Javascript with Netbeans. Learn some Java. Then, get the free version of Visual Studio and learn some C# and build some sites in that. If you find you enjoy coding and debugging / testing, then take some courses. Do some sites you can use for a portfolio to show potential customers.

As for bullshitting your way through interviews, I'm a programmer with 30 years experience and now at a Director level, so I'm the guy across the table from you at an interview. It will take me 10 seconds to figure out if you're full of shit. In fact I've probably made you write a test before you ever get to sit at the table.

If you want to try to freelance feel free but you're competing with 1,000,000 Asian people who charge $6/hr. The good news is they generally have some communications challenges, don't have high quality, and are in timezones diametrically opposed to North American customers. So if you provide good service have good references and sample sites, you can probably get some customers freelancing. I just paid a firm in India $1200 to do some work on the GLPI help desk system and it wasn't particularly a positive experience, I'd pay $3000 to a North American I can talk to on the phone and who understands a simple spec... I'm talking about work coming from sites like eLance.com versus locally obtained work of course. If you have some way to get in with a few customers locally all the better, I certainly started out that way.

Regards,
Mg

[mgellan]

Originally Posted by Cave Troll [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

pick 1 thing get a cert and get an entry level job immediately

Wow, dunno where you are, but I give entry level jobs to University or Community College grads, not guys with one cert under their belt... I've worked in industry as well as government, it's the same. No shortcuts, get at least a 2 year Community College certificate so you know more than one thing badly.

Regards,
Mg

[paulgiamatti]

It depends on so many different things. You're not going to get a job at Google with only certifications, but at the same time if you know what you're doing and can demonstrate that in an interview or a skills test, you might not need anything else (or anything at all) to get a halfway decent job at a startup. I would know - I landed my first job at a software startup with nothing except retail and tech support under my belt.

[maskedmelonpai]

Thanks guys, it helps ^^ ill take a look at c# and java and take my search to google. I just knew we had a number on f people experienced in the industry mulling around here and was just looking for some direction. Thank you ^^

[dafier]

Just questioned a Web Developer Manager for what languages he uses and here is his response:

C#, Java (for some legacy apps), JavaScript and we use JQuery, CSS, HTML,
HTML5, Knockout, Angular, SQL, Oracle, MySQL, and sometimes I have to dig
into little C++ to get some things done.

[entruil]

Don't get into programming unless you have an extreme passion for it. If you don't have an extreme passion for it, watch office space it will cure your itch.

Wish I would of had this tutorial series when I started, they are game oriented but I think it applies to programming in general for the most part.

https://unity3d.com/learn/tutorials/...playlist=17126

Originally Posted by The best game dev advice (and a bit of the worst).

 

We asked our Twitter friends:
@gamasutra
Game devs! What's the best game dev advice you've ever received? The worst?

Here's what you had to say (most responses were regarding the best advice, which is dandy):

@gamasutra @Official_GDC - best game Dev lesson? Fail early, fail often, recover quickly.

@gamasutra 'Don't be afraid of failure, that's it.' As told to me by *edit*


Sensing a common theme here...


@gamasutra be fast, be bold, break things and fail early

@gamasutra fail faster, by @ExtraCreditz

@gamasutra Best: Fail Fast, Fail Cheap. Also, don't be a jerk, the industry is small.

@gamasutra Best: "Don't be afraid to suck." - just do it, fail if needed, iterate always

Don't forget to KISS.

@gamasutra Keep it simple, stupid.

@gamasutra @Official_GDC Keep it simple. Move towards the mountain. Listen. Question. And whatever *edit* says.

@gamasutra *edit* once advised me to 'get design ideas playable, in the game, as soon as possible".

@gamasutra Best: Test early, often and always. Worse: Don’t publish anything short of perfect.

Some of you emphasized finishing something.

@gamasutra best advice ever was "just finish a project". Good advice too. Makes a huge difference to know you can see something through.

@gamasutra @___discovery Worst: "Use tool/language/software XYZ or you won't succeed" Best: "Just finish something, then finish more things"


Others stressed that ideas don't mean terribly much on their own.

@gamasutra A designer's job isn't to have the best ideas. It's to find them and then champion them. #BestAdvice

@gamasutra Best advice: "Execution is infinitely more valuable than ideas. Don't tell people about things, show them."

@gamasutra "The most important thing in making a game is a great idea." - Worst.


Speaking of execution...

@gamasutra Best #gamedev advice: if you have to explain what you presented, you need to work on its execution.

And sometimes you just need to do it.

As for freelancing and contracting I don't really have much experience, however (maybe above posters will shed some light on it), I read about companies bringing in freelancers to hamstring their employees... not able to find the article atm sorry ... some Good answers about freelancing vs salary here.


maybe type more later... gl hope it is legible.

[bigjerry]

freelancing = competing with indians for wages

contract work is the first world equivalent

[paulgiamatti]

Well it's kind of important to define the term. I was thinking of freelancing as something separate from working by trade as an independent contractor - less official gigs that don't involve a written contract, etc. - but most people just mean independent contracting when they say freelancing. And yeah, tons of people do that, but if you aren't totally confident in your marketability you can just work for a contracting agency which will hook you up with jobs too.

I think a good piece of advice especially in the world of game development, though I feel it applies to all programming, is to avoid taking on one-person projects; don't set out with the goal of making a large-scale thing singlehandedly. The real magic happens when you're working on a team with like-minded developers, designers, and project managers, as opposed to the lone wolf programmer that stays up through the night endlessly toiling on a product. Working on a team will help you learn faster and avoid making mistakes; you'll be able to bounce ideas off other people and have bad practices corrected early on. Challenging yourself is good, but working with others who consistently challenge you is even better.

[paulgiamatti]

There is no one-size-fits-all path to success in any industry, but IT is one of the few industries where pursuing a 2/4-year degree will actually pay off, even if it's not completely necessary. It will get your foot in the door, and it will embellish your resume making you much more likely to land an actually good salaried position at a reputable company. Personally, I'd rather take less pay and have less job security at a company that's just starting out and trying something new and innovative than join the ranks of an established business. There are just tons of factors that play into it and each person's ideal scenario is going to differ.

[Naethyn]

The best way to learn how to code is to use it to solve a problem. Creating a solution to solve a problem is the best driving force to learn that I know of.

I recommend staying away from a formal education. It is one of the few high paying fields out there that you will see college education or years experience. Unless you want to go into radar signaling or something that requires high level math. The most important class you can take in college is Composition Writing. My entire life people told me I'd need math to be a programmer - it isn't true. Composition writing will teach you to write in a concise way that results in the clearest possible message. This is relevant because your code should be written in the easiest possible way to understand.

Working remote becomes a possibility when you find yourself no longer learning from your peers. It is possible before then, but it is far better to learn from a master in person.

It is also very important to know that you do not need a "killer idea" before you start learning the tools. In fact, I'd argue that just about every good idea comes from knowing the tools very well. "Once I come up with a great app idea I'll learn to make it" (don't think like this)

tldr; Find a problem to solve and fix it.