How to Get Started in Software Development

AlexQin

Creating the Plan

Once you’ve thought about these questions for a bit, it will be time to develop an actual plan.

The best way to develop your plan is to work backwards from the goal you want to achieve.

Rather than “learning to program” or “becoming a software developer,” you should come up with a specific goal of the kind of software developer you want to be.

In the “What You Need to Know About Software Development” section of this book, I’ll be covering the different kinds of software development roles or jobs you might want to consider, but you can also do some research on your own to determine what best fits you.

You want to be as specific as possible, so that you can know exactly what it is you need to learn, how you want to craft your resume and portfolio, what schools or programs you might want to enroll in, and even what jobs you want to apply for.

I know it’s difficult to make a decision and make a commitment, but I can’t stress enough just how important this is!

The more specific you are about what kind of software developer you want to become, the easier EVERYTHING is going to be.

You’ll be able to clearly know what it is you need to learn and what you need to do for every step of the way.

AlexQin

Who Wants to Be an “Athlete?”

Think of it this way: suppose you wanted to be an “athlete.”

That is pretty dang broad. How should you train to be an “athlete?”

Maybe you should lift weights and run, but maybe you should practice swimming. Maybe you should hit a ball with a tennis racket.

Better do all those things and more, so you are prepared for any sport that you might end up getting on a team to play.

See how ridiculous that sounds?

That is how ridiculous—in fact even more so—it sounds when someone expects to be a “software developer.”

Instead, pick your sport.

Once you know the sport, you can know how to train for that sport and that will make your life much easier—trust me.

Start with the goal and works backwards to determine what you need to know and do in order to reach that goal.

Once you’ve done that, you can work out your plan.

The beginning of your plan should be all about what you need to learn. Figuring out the order of what you need to learn and how you are going to learn it is important.

Then, you should be figuring out what you will need to do to prepare for getting your first job and applying for jobs.

Finally, you need an actual plan for getting the job. Where are you going to look? What are you going to do? What kinds of jobs are you going to apply for?

I’d probably also add a plan for how you are going to continue your personal development and education after getting your first job.

A little overwhelming, I know, but don’t worry. The reason I wrote this book is to make all that easier for you.

In the next few chapters, I’ll be helping you figure out what you need to know and how to gain that knowledge, and in the following sections, I’m going to give you the details about how to get a job.

For now, you can start thinking about what your plan is going to look like, and try to figure out what kind of developer you want to become.

AlexQin

A Concrete Example

I always find real examples useful, so let’s look at a realistic scenario for someone who wants to become a web developer utilizing Node.js as their primary technology:

Goal: become a Node.js developer.Plan:

Learning

• Learn the basics of JavaScript.
• Learn about web pages and web development technologies like HTML and CSS.
• Learn the basics of Node.js.
• Be able to write some kind of simple Node.js web application.
• Learn about the different frameworks and technologies developers use to develop Node.js applications.
  

TO-DO:

• Fill in some frameworks or technologies to use with Node.js from research above.
• Learn some kind of database technology to use with Node.js.
• Learn computer science basics:
  
  • Algorithms.
  • Data structures.
    
• Learn best practices for writing good code.
• Learn how to design the architecture of a Node.js app.
  

Preparing for Getting a Job

• Start looking at job descriptions for a Node.js developer in my area and find out what skills employers want.
• Come up with a list of companies, locally, that I can likely get a job at.
• Start attending user groups in the area.
• Start networking with other local Node.js developers.
• Hire a resume writer to help me write a good resume.
• Practice coding interview questions.
• Practice mock interviews.
• Build a portfolio of a few apps to demo.
  

Getting a Job

• Contact all the people in my networks to let them know what value I can provide and what I am looking for.
• Start applying for junior-level jobs or internship programs.
• Plan to apply for at least two jobs each day.
• Debrief with yourself after interview and decide what skills need to be worked on.
  

This is still a fairly rough sketch of a plan, but you can see how this kind of plan gives a clear path getting you from A to B.

Your plan will be rough at first, but as you figure out more about what you need to learn and do, you can fill in more details.

Having some kind of plan in place is important. You can always change and adapt the plan, but if you don’t have a plan to begin with, you’ll be aimlessly floating in random directions and will probably get frustrated and be more likely to give up.

In the next chapter, I’ll help you refine that plan further as we discuss the technical skills that you are going to need in order to become a software developer.

AlexQin

While you're cracking away at your plan, do check out my course: 10 Steps to Learn Anything Quickly

AlexQin

Source

AlexQin

good job

AlexQin

good job

AlexQin

good job

AlexQin

good job

AlexQin

good job