Programming and software development, is it a career worth going into? Can you get into it without a CS degree?

orographic · 2016-08-28T16:41:09+00:00

You hear a lot of success stories of people getting jobs without a degree but you're seeing survivor bias. It's a lot harder than you think. And tbh is only still possible because tech is a super hot market right now. Getting a programming job is much easier with some kind of formal CS education with a bootcamp at a distant second then self taught. I've yet to hear anybody I know in tech actually hire a bootcamp grad and they've all had bad things to say about their interview performance. I think there is a lot of bootcamp propaganda out there. I know there are a few online MS programs and Oregon state even has an online post-bacc program. Those are probably your best bet.

W_O_M_B_A_T · 2016-08-28T21:51:45+00:00

Step 1) Get an associate degree (AAS) in CS. Bachelor's is probably a waste of time as what you learn in college will only apply to future jobs in general ways. It's likely that a few years into your career, you'll be working on something that you only briefly covered in school, while much that you studied will be obsolete at that point.

Step 2) get some part time internships. look for paid ones.Always ask about the specific hiring policies for interns in the interview.

As always, get it in writing.

frequentlywrong · 2016-08-28T15:35:39+00:00

My question is, is it a career worth going into?

Do you find programming interesting and enjoyable on the whole? Otherwise do not bother.

I've heard there is a big demand for it

Yes.

Can you get into it without a CS degree?

Plenty of companies will hire on knowledge and experience and no degree. Google may not as they have academic roots, but Facebook for instance does not really have any issues with hiring someone without a degree.

but then I also hear the horror stories of H1Bs and outsourcing.

Generally only the low ends. The shit jobs anyone with some experience can do. If you're not lazy and make it a point to keep in touch with what is going on in the industry and get as much experience and knowledge as possible, you will not have problems.

Horror stories are often a result of people being naive, lazy and letting others take advantage of them.

Another possible career option is data scientist. They are in crazy demand and no one is able to find enough people.

Title	Programming and software development, is it a career worth going into? Can you get into it without a CS degree?
Author	[deleted]
Upvotes	1
Comments	5
Date	August 28, 2016 3:05 PM UTC (9 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/4zzqo6/programming_and_software_development_is_it_a/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/programming-and-software-development-is-it-a.184353 https://theredarchive.com/post/184353

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