The constant demand for programmers and the possibility of high wages have become a huge motivation for many people to change their career path in recent years. Profession changes are no longer associated with as much risk as they used to be, especially if they concern the ever-growing IT world.
In this article, we have included several important steps from our point of view that should be taken into the profession of a programmer. We must add that the IT industry has a whole range of possible professions, in this case, we will focus on the profession of a programmer.
Let's assume you are already following the stage of considering your goal, and you know with all confidence that you want to try your hand at IT. If all aspects of this profession are accepted by you, time for the plan and real action!
1. Familiarize yourself with potential career paths
Do you like a specific specialization? Great, but don't forget to browse others. Get as much information about technology as possible. Recruitment interviews always examine the candidate's knowledge of the differences between Frontend and Backend, applications for Android and iOS and, above all, programming languages. If you want to pass this stage, be sure to read the industry portals - below we present a few of them: How to geek, ZDNet, Gigaom, Women to code.
Once you know more or less about the subject, it's worth observing how the career paths of people who, in your opinion, have achieved success have been observed. To do this, go to LinkedIn and search for people who deal with specific technologies. You will quickly realize that each of them has a different story, but they have one thing in common - implemented projects that prove their skills and competencies. And so we reach the next step.
2. Build your competences based on projects
It may be incomprehensible to you, but it is not important how many courses you have completed and how many diplomas you will get if you do not prove that you can use your knowledge in practice. Do not get us wrong - it's good that you are trying to look for professional knowledge, get an education or constantly look for new trends in the industry, but this experience in real projects here is the key to success.
Where to get experience without experience?
When learning, try to solve tasks that lead to the creation of specific projects, for example, mobile applications (for examples see here: https://www.flynerd.pl/2018/06/500-zadan-w-pythonie-i-kazdym-innym -jezyku.html). Thanks to this, you will pass the education process faster (it is well known that we learn best through practice), but also get the material to add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Get involved in non-profit organizations. The range of possibilities is very wide - student organizations, foundations, associations. You will not receive a wage salary for your work, but you will get the much-needed professional experience.
3. Create and take care of your LinkedIn profile
This is an absolute must-have for every program. If you are not yet a LinkedIn member, change it as soon as possible and register. Then take care of the quality of your profile. Take advantage of the possibility of adding links, skills and confirming them through your contacts. Be active, comment and recommend entries that are interesting in the industry. Make contacts, follow people of success and get inspired by their stories.
Stay up-to-date
You must be aware that the profession of a programmer means continuing to learn. In this profession you can not learn something once and well, you have to systematically study the knowledge. A good programmer is one who follows new products, is up to date on technologies and can absorb them.
IT and the profession of a programmer is a very good choice if you care about interesting projects, constant development, flexibility in employment and remote work opportunities. It is worth considering the decision to declare a continuous race with technology, which forces you to participate in courses, training and reading industry press.
We emphasize that the three steps above are an indication - not a ready-made recipe. It is worth looking for your solutions because only they are tailored to your needs, which is perfect for you.
