Adapted translation of the article “How to become a developer and get your first job as quickly as possible”
Ivan Kaptsov
The developer tells software Sam Williams
Why become a programmer?
If you're considering becoming a programmer but aren't sure if it's a good idea, here's what to help you decide:
- There is a high demand for developers now. For example, for those who develop applications on iOS and Android, the competition is less than 2 people per place. At the same time, the average salary in Moscow is 130–140 thousand rubles, and the maximum salary is 300 thousand per month. The largest competition for the position of data analyst is 4.5 resumes per vacancy.
- The work is very varied and interesting. A developer can work on a huge number of projects: from e-commerce sites to computer games, from mobile applications to artificial intelligence. Almost all skills can be used in several areas, so you are not tied to one job.
- Work can be flexible. Most of the time you will need to read and write code, so all you need is a computer. More and more developers are working remotely - from home or traveling around the world.
How to become a programmer
To develop quickly, you will need effective practice and support from experienced developers.
Participate in bootcamps
“Boot Camp” is a training format that was used for intensive training camps for soldiers: instead of three years, the training lasted only three months. Many Western business schools have taken this format as the basis for their training.
An IT bootcamp is a technical training program that teaches the most relevant parts of programming and relates them to current market needs. Students learn from real projects, from people who successfully work in the industry and have broad practical skills.
This makes it possible not to be scattered, but to focus on the most important aspects of programming and immediately apply your skills to solve current issues. People with minimal or even zero level of technical knowledge can study at the bootcamp.
The only problem is that bootcamps usually last 3 months and are held face-to-face, and can cost from 35,000 to 65,000 rubles. This is a lot of money, especially if you don’t earn any money during these 3 months
Find a mentor
This is the ideal way: you start programming and an experienced developer acts as your mentor. This could be a friend, family member, or just a developer who wants to help you. It's hard to lose your way if someone is checking in on you and what you're spending your time on. Sounds great, but finding a mentor can be difficult. Not everyone knows the developers personally, but even acquaintances may refuse you, and this is normal. After all, for a mentor this is additional work.
How to get your first job
Try to get a job in an IT company before you learn how to program. This gives a great advantage: you work with experienced developers and get paid for the practice. At work, you will discover the business side of life as a developer. After all, there is no point in making a product that no one needs, and you also need to learn how to communicate with customers.
Looking for work
Before you make a plan, you need to define a goal. Your goal is to get a developer job as quickly as possible. The sooner you get your first job, the faster you will learn to program, get support from experienced developers and money.
The easiest way to get into web development. Even if you don’t plan to do this in the future, you can then use a huge number of things from web development in your desired field. Here is a sample list of requirements for the Junior Front End Web Developer position:
What does it take to get a position?
- frontend knowledge: HTML5, CSS3 and Bootstrap;
- ability to debug a site using the inspector;
- experience in creating responsive cross-browser and mobile websites;
- healthy interest in the latest trends and frameworks;
- a portfolio in which you can see your development experience and achievements.
If you have experience working for a company, that's great, but don't worry if you don't - we're more interested in your work examples/portfolio.
What can you impress us with (desired skills)?
- ability to develop WordPress themes from scratch;
- Confidence in setting up and integrating WordPress plugins;
- understanding jQuery;
- experience with PHP (albeit small);
- understanding search engine optimization(SEO).
The most common requirements:
- Frontend knowledge: HTML, CSS and JavaScript;
- Ability to create responsive websites;
- A portfolio demonstrating your experience and skills;
- Understanding version control.
Extra skills:
- Javascript libraries: jQuery, AJAX, Bootstrap;
- Debugging knowledge.
Create a Study Plan
Now we can create a training plan. Try to follow it step by step: complex things are easier to understand if you already know simple ones.
HTML and CSS
These are the building blocks of most websites. You need to understand them well to get a job. Luckily, there are hundreds of free and paid resources to help you learn.
Complete the HTML and CSS lessons
Return to learning HTML and CSS at freeCodeCamp and complete the remaining lessons: Applied Visual Design, Applied Accessibility, and CSS Grid.
Improve your CSS (optional)
If you love design and style development external interface, that is, a cool Daily CSS course that will teach you how to create images only with using CSS and HTML. This may come in handy for an interview.
Learn how JavaScript works
Knowing how to use JavaScript is great, but understanding how it works will allow you to write better code.
To gain a deeper understanding of JavaScript, I recommend the You Don't Know JS book series. The first two books will help you understand JavaScript basics and lay a good foundation. They can be read online for free or purchased in print.
Create projects
Another way to improve your skills is to create projects. This could be anything, your goal is to practice using tools you have little experience with. Bad with arrays? Create a shopping list app. Do you doubt whether you have a good understanding of styles? Try to make an exact copy of the real site.
Projects are supposed to improve your skills, so if they are too easy or difficult, stop and start the project at an acceptable level.
When creating a project, you may need new skills. You need to be able to learn on the go.
How to pass an interview
And now you have finally been invited for an interview. Time to shine. It’s only the lazy who didn’t write about interviews, so I’ll focus only on the most important ones.
- Know your resume.
- Know about the company.
- Practice
- Arrive early, be polite and confident.
- Ask questions.
- Follow the progress of the interview.
You will have a good chance of getting a job with these tips. If you didn't get an offer, be sure to find out why and use it to do better in your next interview.
Conclusion
If you want to become a developer, you should strive to get a job in an IT company as soon as possible. A good option would be the position of Junior Frontend Developer. To get a job you need:
- learn HTML, CSS and JavaScript,
- create a portfolio of projects.
Once you do this, you can look for a job.
Prepare well for interviews and continue to study while you wait for a job offer.
Every time, with difficulty overcoming life’s obstacles, I want to take and reshape this world for myself. Unfortunately, we were not born the creators of this universe. For those who want to satisfy their creator's ambitions, only the virtual world remains.
Although to create here you will need not so much magic and knowledge of runes as knowledge of the basics of programming. Therefore, for all aspiring creators virtual reality we will tell you how to learn to program.
What a teapot needs to know
As much as I would like to admit it, in reality programming is not such a magical thing. Creating code can sometimes be compared to walking barefoot on a seabed covered with sharp rock fragments.
To become a programmer, you need to be not only smart, but also patient and persistent. Learning to program is always accompanied by headaches, red eyes from lack of sleep, and a distant look. This is how you can easily recognize a programmer.
Many beginners consider writing code to be almost the most romantic profession. The number of people wanting to learn programming has especially increased after watching the movie “The Matrix”. It was the main character of this picture, Neo, who pushed many to take the path of comprehending software sciences:
But most of those who start studying give up after a few weeks. And the main reason for this is the wrong direction of study, methodology, or even a programming textbook.
After the collapse of the USSR, all domestic universities for a long time did not even try to reshape their education system to the needs of the modern market. Technical universities were no exception to this rule.
Programming as a separate branch and specialization did not exist as such. Its fundamentals were taught only as a link to other engineering disciplines. And even those crumbs of knowledge that were given to students in this area did not meet modern standards and lost their relevance 20-30 years ago.
In the countries of the former USSR, the main programming language taught in technical universities was BASIC.
The situation has not changed radically even 10 years later. Only a few educational institutions, sensing the trends of the new time, began to reshape their education to world standards at the beginning of the 2000s. And only from that moment on, programming began to be perceived as a separate profession and specialization of training:
At the same time, various specialized commercial courses and educational institutions began to appear. But the quality of teaching and the knowledge provided was at an extremely low level. There was a shortage of competent professionals capable of teaching newcomers not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical programming skills.
And this is the most important aspect in the profession of a programmer. Therefore, most of today's gurus of the Russian IT industry began their programming training from scratch on their own.
To some extent, this trend continues to this day. Although in our time the number of professionals involved in teaching has increased significantly.
Which language should I start learning programming from?
Comprehension of software sciences is characterized not only by hard training, but also by its beginning. It is sometimes difficult for a beginner not only to start learning on his own, but also to decide on the coordinates starting point process. Therefore, we will try to help you get around all these difficulties:
Before you break your teeth on the granite of science, you should decide where to start learning programming. At the first stages it is very difficult to decide on a specialization. Therefore, let's start with selecting the first language.
Most often the choice falls on the C programming language. This is where most beginners around the world begin their training. The majority of programming languages have been created based on C, and in many ways they inherit its structure and syntax.
By learning C, you learn the basics of not just one programming language, but several.
Let's look at the features of this language that make it optimal for learning:
- An easy-to-understand basis - some of the built-in capabilities of the language are included in separately plug-in libraries for simplicity. These elements include most of the mathematical functions and methods for working with the file system;
- Optimally tailored type system - thanks to a simple set of data types and strict typing, the risk of making errors in the process of writing program code is reduced;
- The focus of C on the procedural type of programming, in which a clear hierarchy of all code elements is observed;
- Access to machine memory using pointers;
- Minimum number of supported keywords;
- Name scope support;
- Support for custom data types ( associations and structures).
Simply put, C is where a beginner should start before learning to program in other languages.
Programs (compilers) for programming
To learn programming, it is not enough just to have a desire and a computer with Internet access. To write programs in C, you will need specialized software - a compiler.
Compiler – special program, translating program code into a computer-readable form.
Here are some specialized compilers that support the C language:
- Microsoft Visual Studio is a professional tool that supports many languages, including several server languages. Suitable for beginners, if you take it “for growth”:
- Borland C++ is a free compiler ideal for beginners. Unlike the previous tool, it has a clear and understandable interface. Therefore, mastering it will not cause any particular difficulties even if you independently master the basics of programming:
- Code::Blocks is a free development environment that supports writing code in multiple languages. Medium difficulty option:
As for specialized literature, we will not recommend books by certain authors. Here, as they say, choose what you want. Because in most cases, choosing a programming tutorial is an individual process. Use the source that is most suitable for you.
And you can find a lot of information on the Internet. For example, on our website an entire page is devoted to specialized literature on IT topics.
Hello! Today we’ll look at what it takes to become a programmer from scratch. You won't master this in a couple of months. You need to know too much to become a good specialist.
I am no stranger to programming. C, Pascal, JavaScript, HTML, CSS - this is just a partial list of programming languages that I had to work with to create small algorithms and, of course, websites. There are different successes in different directions, but this is not about me now.
Let’s return to the main topic and consider the 5 stages from preparation to employment as a programmer. In fact, it turned out to be a short plan of the “from scratch to result” format.
How to become a programmer and choose profitable jobs to your liking?
There are different specialists in this field. Some write accounting programs, others write websites, and others program microprocessors. Hundreds of examples can be given. You can't master everything unless you're a genius.
On initial stage It is important to decide on the specific types of work you plan to do.
The first can be potentially profitable, the second can simply be liked (a business “to your liking”). From my own experience, I will say that maximum returns can be achieved by combining both.
To help everyone who has decided to become a good and in-demand programmer from scratch, I will give a few of my observations on profitable areas of employment. These are programming and maintenance:
- 1C accounting and related programs;
- sites with standard and mobile version;
- mobile applications.
To begin with, we choose one of the proposed or another direction of future employment and master it “inside and out.” The phrase “I can do this, but I don’t know that” is not professional at all.
Of course, it’s impossible to know everything. However, a good and sought-after specialist must be able to independently and quickly find and study information that he does not know, and apply new knowledge in practice.
Selecting significant programming languages to learn from scratch
Based on the choice made at the previous stage, the programming languages that should be studied are selected. How to do it? Elementary - search on the Internet. Ultimately, good professional must be able to find, assemble, study and analyze new data even if it is scattered across numerous sources.
As an example, let’s say sites are selected as future work. Then from scratch you will need to at least master HTML, CSS, JavaScript and work with related software. I think it’s clear that the ability to work on a computer and use popular programs- this is the default.
Self-paced and professional learning
How to become a programmer from scratch on your own? The first steps have been taken, we have decided on our goals. In terms of training, four main options can be distinguished:
- vocational education in educational institutions;
- additional education in educational institutions (courses);
- electronic courses from masters of their craft;
- remote training programs with theory, practice and technical support from professionals.
If you don’t have a diploma yet and have a lot to learn in life, then the first two options are suitable. I don’t consider them, the situation is standard.
For me personally, the paid versions of the third and fourth options are of particular interest. Do you know why?
Only achieving a good result brings pleasure. Only demonstrating excellent results brings good money. And with the help of these options this can really be achieved.
Yes, you can try to learn everything on your own and for free. Didn’t you think that in 5-10 years a simple realization might come - “if I hadn’t saved on my education and immediately studied with a professional, then...”? Think about it.
By the way, just look at what amazing courses and training programs can be found in electronic format. Examples:
- JAVASCRIPT and JQUARE for beginners;
- Modern PHP;
- Turnkey online store;
- Joomla 3 – professional website in one day;
- School of bloggers with practical training via the Internet.
What do you think of the examples? Honestly, I just don’t know how many months, not even years, it takes to acquire this knowledge on your own using ordinary textbooks without any help.
Preparing for employment or starting a business
So, let’s say the training has just been completed. It's time to get down to business.
What results are you ready to show immediately after training so that you will be given a well-paid job in a highly competitive labor market?
Look, during training examples of work appear. The successful ones should be collected into a classic portfolio. Only this may not be enough.
We still live in modern world where many people use the Internet. For individual professional programmer It is advisable to create your own website, preferably a blog. If you are wondering how to do it, I gave a link above good school for bloggers. So, on the site, among other things, you can post your electronic portfolio with visual examples of your work.
Such a site will have two serious advantages:
- it can be shown to employers as proof of your qualifications for employment in Good work;
- with its help you can attract clients if we are talking about your own business.
I haven’t yet said that a good blog can generate income from advertising. In general, there are actually a lot of advantages.
If you are applying for various vacancies that require you to provide a resume, I also recommend that you think about filling it out correctly. Previously I told you to stand out from all the applicants for the position.
Employment and first orders
If the four stages described above are completed correctly, then you now have the necessary knowledge and skills, a good portfolio, resume and personal website. Do you think that now many employers will be able to refuse such a specialist after an interview?
In parallel with the search for classic vacancies or instead of them, you can start looking for customers using your blog or on special remote work exchanges. To begin with, you can pay attention to.
This concludes the article. If you have free time, you can scroll through the materials on this blog. It contains a lot of interesting information about programming and making money on websites and without them.
Subscribe to project updates through the special form below, or in in social networks. See you later.
What could be more difficult than choosing a profession? We are always afraid of making mistakes and ask ourselves the question: can I achieve success in my chosen field? Our subscriber shared his doubts by writing to us:
“How do I know if I can become a programmer?”
We turned to our experts for clarification, and we present the answers received to your attention.
The first thing to do is to check the basic level of logic. Find the Shmurdiki test, pass it and score at least 27 points the first time. Managed to give all the correct answers on the third attempt due to understanding - well done.
Let's move on to the next stage. Install a development environment for C++ or C# or some other language. You managed it and every successfully completed step gave you pleasure - a good sign. Move on.
Find a description of how to create the first application, Hello World, in your installed environment in the language of your choice - it's a classic. Did? Great.
Now write your own calculator that adds, subtracts, multiplies, divides. If you did it and enjoyed it, you can become a programmer.
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Anyone who is willing to work hard and develop themselves, read specialized books and solve difficult but interesting problems can become a programmer. To become a programmer, you don't have to pass difficult exams or study for many years at university. It is enough to loudly announce to the world that a new programmer has been born, and at the same time work a lot and persistently. On the other hand, you can have the lifestyle of a programmer: do not put off the code editor when you return home, continue studying, get rare material on the Internet, study new technologies, brush up on mathematics and study, for example, ML.
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What defines a programmer is the desire to write cool code. But it’s hard to surprise anyone with just working code: it should be short, fast and understandable even to a schoolchild. Well, you can write perfect code only when you truly love this activity.
You also need to love learning new things and improving in old ones. Knowledge of Django is also difficult to surprise. The technology stack changes and evolves daily. It is not enough just to know that a tool is available. It is important to understand how it works and why it is needed. To do this, you often have to dive into basics that are not directly related to programming. And to make learning fun, you need an inquisitive mind.
A programmer must have developed systems thinking. He always needs to consider several solutions and choose the best, look at the problem from different angles, offering non-obvious, but effective solutions. Study ready-made tools so as not to reinvent wheels.
A programmer must also be moderately stubborn and ambitious. If the text you read is not clear the first time, you need to read it again, or ten times, until it becomes clear. Or if there is The best decision, then it’s worth trying it out, and not giving up, saying that it will do just fine. In any business, you should strive to become the best, develop, share knowledge, and argue. When faced with a challenge to knowledge or skills, it will be difficult for a programmer to pass by.
Well, and, of course, you need to be able to build communication with people and adapt to different circumstances. Gone are the days of bearded geniuses who hacked the Pentagon alone from the basement and wrote Windows 3.11 and Facebook from scratch. Now the programmer is a member of the team. The success of the entire team depends on communication skills and flexibility.
Finally, ask yourself: “Can I become a programmer”? If your answer is “Yes, I can,” then nothing will stop you.
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The answer lies, rather, in the area of human qualities and mentality. Of course, if you initially have a high level of theoretical training, for example, a fundamental mathematical education, then learning will be easier, but in general it is a matter of practice.
To become a successful programmer you need to be able to understand basic principles programming and think by the criteria of the language in which you are going to write code, but you cannot say that this is some kind of predisposition. You need to be patient and work hard, no matter how trivial it may sound.
Therefore, a person who is capable of constant learning, primarily self-learning, can become a programmer. A programmer learns every day and this applies even to experienced developers. If you have difficulties with your own motivation and perseverance, this is a wake-up call for the programming profession, which is more important than a lack of basic knowledge.
Another necessary character trait is stress resistance and planning skills. The programmer gradually gains an understanding of how to optimally approach the task; the code becomes cleaner and clearer. The programmer begins to think ahead and works out all the options for the expiration of events, which generates stable code, regardless of external factors.
If in doubt, I would advise you to first try related professions, for example, testing. They do not require a deep technical base, but at the same time they require a similar mindset and character.
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First, you need to understand what is considered a programmer profession. Programming has long ceased to be the preserve of a select few who are able to think in byte codes and mentally monitor allocated memory. There are many in the world today modern languages, the syntax of which is as close as possible to simple English. For example, User.find_by(name: "Vasya").destroy in Ruby (on rails). Knowledge of these commands is enough to write small websites, blogs, and online stores. If you want to work at this level, then you just need to choose the dynamic object-oriented language you like (Ruby, Python) and take a course on it, or read a book, there are quite a lot of them for each language. You can also try yourself in front-end development, learn JavaScript and then master frameworks for it.
If you want to write more complex systems, you need knowledge of abstract logic; you can get it by studying higher mathematics at the institute (ideally discrete mathematics, but, in fact, mathematical analysis also develops the brain quite well). You can read books on discrete mathematics and algorithms (Stephen Skiena “Algorithms. Design Guide”, Thomas Cormen “Algorithms. Construction and Analysis”, Rod Haggarty “Discrete Mathematics for Programmers”, J. Anderson “Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics”) and just practice programming. It would also be very useful to learn a low-level language, for example C (Kernighan, Ritchie “The C Programming Language”) - for a general understanding of the principles of program operation.
If your goal is to engage in machine learning and data processing, you will need to master mathematical statistics and linear algebra. All these sciences have one thing in common - they can be learned. Therefore, the main idea of understanding your own capabilities in programming is this: “If you can learn on your own, then you can become a programmer. You don’t need to be a mathematician, but you need to be able to become one if necessary.”
There are also many channels in Telegram, several for each programming language, I also advise you to search.
If we talk about the simplest development of web sites, then there should be no doubt that everyone can handle it. If you want to go further, but at the same time you think that mathematics and logic are not for you, then you can try gaming sites for developing algorithms:
https://www.codingame.com/
https://www.codewars.com/
On them you need to solve the simplest (and not so simple) algorithmic problems in any programming language you like. I can't say it's very useful for learning real programming, but if you enjoy these games, you'll definitely enjoy doing serious development.
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If you asked yourself this question, there is definitely a chance. After all, the main thing is to have the desire and desire to fulfill it. But for real success in programming, you need to think systematically: understand what is connected to what and how, see system processes and algorithms for solving them in the world around you, and also be able to find approaches to solving problems. Perseverance and the ability to concentrate on a task are important.
A programmer’s patience won’t hurt either, because coming up with a solution to a problem and writing the algorithm code is only half the work. Then comes testing, finding and eliminating errors, customer corrections - all this requires the lion's share of patience. But with such innate stubbornness in achieving a goal, it is necessary to maintain flexibility of mind, be able to look at your work through the eyes of users; sometimes it is very difficult to abandon your decisions in favor of the customer’s decisions.
Don’t be afraid to study to become a programmer, because even if you don’t like programming, you can work as analysts, testers, technical writers and even project managers, and IT education will only help in this.
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Today it is difficult to find a profession that is more promising, technologically advanced and financially stable than that of a programmer. At the same time, even despite high salaries (several times higher than the “regional average”), the industry is experiencing a personnel shortage. As Adam Smith said, “demand creates supply” - but it’s not that simple.
The shortage of personnel in the market is no longer what it was ten years ago. The IT sector has matured very much and has gone through a stage when Enikey people were hired for serious positions. Future programmers face new, complex challenges - the range of “primary” tasks of this profession is becoming primitive, and with the development of technology, it is increasingly being given over to artificial intelligence and automation.
Professional “hunger” takes on new characteristics. To succeed, you need to have a fundamental base: a high-quality algorithmic foundation, strong mathematics, be responsible and ready to constantly learn. If you have all this, Google, Amazon, Facebook and Attack Killer are ready to invite you for an interview right now!
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Let me start with the fact that software development is now a huge industry with a wide range of tasks and the skills required for them, which employs tens of millions of people. The variety of companies and projects is so great that the answer can be reduced to a simple one - “Yes, you can definitely become a programmer.”
But it’s better to rephrase the question as “can I become a good programmer?” In my opinion, you can become a good programmer if:
1. Love programming and feel satisfaction from the very process of thinking through and writing code.
2. You like high-quality and convenient software products, and you want to develop just such.
3. You are interested in IT development, even if you don’t like all the trends.
4. Possess developed critical thinking and analytical abilities.
5. You can work in a state of flow and concentrate on one task for hours.
6. You care about what you do and what people you work with.
7. Are ready to work in a team to achieve a common goal, even if you don’t like communicating with people.
Programmer is a specialist who develops algorithms and computer programs based on special mathematical models. The profession is promising and in great demand all over the world (median value). You can become a programmer at any age. The profession is suitable for men and women with interests in programming, mathematics, languages, as well as good analytical skills and developed logic (can you pass the test to see if you can become a programmer). There are also colleges that teach programming, but you can learn it on your own; as a rule, programmers with skills are valued higher. Exist . The profession has its own. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in computer science (see choosing a profession based on interest in school subjects).
Varieties
In programming, not only practical skills are given first place, but also the ideas of a specialist. Programmers can be divided into three categories depending on their specialization:
- Application programmers They are mainly engaged in the development of applied software - games, accounting programs, editors, instant messengers, etc. Their area of work also includes the creation of software for video and audio surveillance systems, access control systems, fire extinguishing or fire alarm systems, etc. Their responsibilities also include adaptation existing programs to suit the needs of a particular organization or user.
- System programmers develop OS, work with networks, write interfaces to various distributed databases. Specialists in this category are among the rarest and highest paid. Their task is to develop software systems (services) that, in turn, control the computing system (which includes the processor, communications and peripheral devices). The list of tasks also includes ensuring the functioning and operation of the created systems (device drivers, bootloaders, etc.).
- Web programmers also work with networks, but, in most cases, with global ones - the Internet. They write the software components of websites, create dynamic web pages, web interfaces for working with databases.
Features of the profession
Based on the analysis of mathematical models and algorithms for solving scientific, technical and production problems, the programmer develops programs for performing computational work. Draws up a computational scheme for a method for solving problems, translates solution algorithms into a formalized machine language. Determines the information entered into the machine, its volume, methods for monitoring operations performed by the machine, the form and content of source documents and calculation results. Develops layouts and schemes for input, processing, storage and output of information, conducts desk checks of programs.
Defines a set of data that provides a solution to the maximum number included in this program conditions. Conducts debugging of developed programs, determines the possibility of using ready-made programs developed by other organizations. Develops and implements programming automation methods, standard and standard programs, programming programs, translators, input algorithmic languages.
Performs work on unification and typification of computing processes, participates in the creation of catalogs and cards standard programs, in the development of forms of documents subject to machine processing, in design work to expand the scope of computer technology.
Pros and cons of the profession
Pros:
- high profit payment;
- relatively high demand for specialists;
- sometimes you can get a job without having a higher education;
- is primarily a creative profession.
Minuses:
- you often have to explain the same thing a lot, since what is clear and obvious to the programmer is not always clear and obvious to the user;
- work in emergency mode (sometimes) in a stressful situation;
- the profession leaves a specific imprint on the character, which not everyone around him likes.
Place of work
- IT companies and web studios;
- research centers;
- organizations that include in their structure a staff unit or departments of programmers.
Important qualities
Programming is a rapidly developing field, so a programmer must be able to quickly adapt to current state technology and constantly learn new technologies. Therefore, the ability to self-learn is one of the main skills that a programmer must have. Otherwise, in a few years his value as a specialist will be noticeably lower.
Possession English language at reading level technical documentation is another mandatory requirement for representatives of this profession. For such specialists, the ability to work in a team, on large projects, with collective development tools, and with large financial systems (budgetary, banking, management accounting) is very important. For applicants for the position of lead programmer, project and team management skills, independence, initiative, as well as the ability to bear personal responsibility for the assigned task are desirable.
Programmer training
STEP Computer Academy - IT education as it should be. Since 1999, they are designers and systems engineers who cannot be replaced by artificial intelligence. To do this, in addition to deep specialized knowledge, they are taught to understand tasks, think in ready-made projects and work in a team. And they do everything to ensure that STEP Academy graduates are hired immediately after defending their diplomas.
In this course, you can obtain a programmer profession remotely in 1-3 months. Diploma of professional retraining established by the state. Training in a completely distance learning format. Largest educational institution additional prof. education in Russia.
Online school SkillFactory. Students on the web developer course at SkillFactory. During the training process, students have the opportunity to learn web development skills from an experienced professional, get help from a mentor, and start making money by creating websites and web applications. It is possible to pay in installments or after training.
In 115 hours you can learn how to create websites and online stores, and earn 120 thousand rubles a month from this. After completing the training, guaranteed employment. Advantages: access to the course forever, 3 specializations at the end, flexible and open schedule of classes, work with a personal mentor, employment is guaranteed with documents.
Classes are taught by practicing Web developers with specialized education and 5 years of experience in their specialty. . 10 years in the education market, 4 million users. All courses can be purchased with interest-free installments for a year. You can also get an IT degree at Geek University and pay for your studies a year after it starts.
Universities
Salary
Programmer is one of the most popular and highly paid professions in Russia. Even the least advanced specialist can find a job in accordance with his level of knowledge, and then gradually learn and gain experience. The intern's salary is about $1000. A full-time programmer in a mid-level company (not IT) earns up to $1500-1800, a little more in an organization associated with mass software development. The lead programmer's salary is $2500-3000. The next step is the head of the IT department. The required knowledge is supplemented by mandatory work experience, proficiency foreign language, personnel management skills, etc., and earnings can reach $4,000. A good programmer can become the manager of a large software development project, and here the income level reaches $5,000 or more.
Salary as of 02/27/2020
Russia 50000—172000 ₽
Moscow 80000—300000 ₽
Career steps and prospects
A good start to your career can be joining a group of programmers when developing a project. Large projects often attract the attention of Western companies that “outbid” Russian programmers. For example, once a group of our young scientists developed the Elbrus processor for the Ministry of Defense, but in the end they were all bought up by Intel Corporation, and now our scientists and programmers work abroad, and the Elbrus project itself was slowly closed. The problem of “brain drain” in this profession is one of the most acute.
A programmer can make a career up to the head of a group of programmers (team leader), IT director of an enterprise, IT project manager, etc. During the course of work, a programmer can move within his specialty, improving professionally.
Famous and great programmers
- Knut Donald Erwin
- Matsumoto Yukihiro
- Tanenbaum Andrew
- Raymond Eric Stephen
- Fowler Martin
- Hopper Grace
- Stallman Richard Matthew
- Kay Alan
- Meyer Sid
- Stroustrup Björn
The emergence of programming as an occupation and, especially, as a professional activity is difficult to date unambiguously.
Often considered the first programmable device, the jacquard loom was built in 1804 by Joseph Marie Jacquard, which revolutionized the weaving industry by providing the ability to program patterns on fabrics using punched cards.
The first programmable computing device, the Analytical Engine, was designed by Charles Babbage (but was unable to build it). On July 19, 1843, Countess Ada Augusta Lovelace, daughter of the great English poet George Byron, is believed to have written the first program in human history for the Analytical Engine. This program solved the Bernoulli equation, which expresses the law of conservation of energy of a moving fluid.
In her first and only scientific work, Ada Lovelace examined a large number of issues. A number of general provisions expressed by her (the principle of saving working memory cells, the connection of recurrent formulas with cyclic calculation processes) have retained their fundamental importance for modern programming. Babbage's materials and Lovelace's comments outlined concepts such as subroutine and subroutine library, instruction modification, and index register, which began to be used only in the 1950s.
However, none of the programs written by Ada Lovelace were ever launched.
Ada Augusta, Countess of Lovelace, is generally considered an honorary first programmer (although, of course, writing a single program cannot be considered an occupation or professional activity by modern standards). History has preserved her name in the name of the universal programming language “Ada”.
The first working programmable computer (1941), the first programs for it, and also (with certain reservations) the first high-level programming language Plankalküll were created by the German engineer Konrad Zuse.
History has not preserved the names of the people who first began to professionally carry out the work of programming itself (in isolation from setting up computer equipment), since at first programming was viewed as a secondary setup operation.
Murphy's Laws for Programmers
1. Nothing works as planned.
2. Nothing is programmed the way it should work.
3. A good programmer is characterized by the ability to prove why a task cannot be completed when he is simply too lazy to complete it.
4. It takes three times less time to solve a problem than to discuss all the pros and cons of its solution.
5. The promised delivery date is the carefully calculated project completion date plus six months.
6. The programmer always knows the sequence of actions by which a user can hang his program, but he never fixes this problem, hoping that no one will ever think of executing this sequence.
7. Real programmers love Windows - all mistakes made due to their own stupidity can be blamed on Microsoft.
8. Consequence - 99% of the problems blamed on Microsoft are a consequence of the stupidity of the programmers themselves.
9. In a fit of anger, for some reason everyone is hitting the innocent monitor instead of the system unit.
10. In the event of a hunger strike, a real programmer will be able to eat food picked out from under the keyboard buttons for another month.
11. A real programmer has already replaced at least three beer-drenched keyboards.
12. Anyone who has problems setting up the encoding is automatically considered Neanderthals.
13. Amateurish conversations about computers cause severe nausea, even vomiting. The question of how to change the “wallpaper” in Windows makes you want to cut the throat of the questioner.
14. For most people who need your help, the reason for the error in the program is purely genetic.
15. HTML, HTTP, FTP, SMTP, TCP/IP, RTFM, etc. These are words, not abbreviations.
16. The phrase “mouse-norushka” does not make any sense.
17. The most mystical problems, widely inflated and advertised, in the end turn out to be your stupidest mistakes.
18. Corollary - if your program performs mystical actions, then you did something incredibly stupid.
19. The worst feeling for a programmer is when ten people are standing around you and everyone is trying to find the cause of a problem in your program, and you already understand what the problem is, but you’re afraid to say it because it’s something blatantly stupid...
20. The solution to all life's problems is on the Internet. You just need to be able to search well.
21. A conflict of logical instructions in life causes a fatal error in the work of the programmer’s brain - a rise in temperature and severe dizziness, including vomiting or loss of consciousness, are possible.
22. Programmers despise those who despise programmers more than those who despise programmers despise programmers who despise those who despise them.
23. If you understood the previous one, then you are a programmer.
There are 10 types of people in this world - those who understand binary system numbering, and those who do not understand it.
Video: are you a programmer?
