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Web developers are some of the most in-demand professionals of our days. Because the Internet has become such a rapidly expanding environment, the need for professionals that are able to not only build websites but also maintain and improve them when the time comes is growing rapidly.
This means there is plenty of room for young developers to start building their careers. But do you need a computer degree to enter the market, or can you do this all by yourself? According to a 2019 survey, 85.5% of surveyed developers have taught themselves either a new programming language or a technology, without taking a formal course. This comes to prove that it does not matter if you have a computer science degree or not. The only thing required is passion and the need to evolve constantly.
In fact, you may be interested in an adjacent field that is actually highly compatible with web development. It may also surprise you to learn how many interests and skill sets merge with the role of a computer scientist without requiring formal training as the latter. For example, if you’re someone who is skilled or interested in math and data analysis, don’t underestimate the importance of statistics in computer science. You may choose to pursue a degree geared specifically toward applied statistics and find that it assists your ability to become a self-employed web developer. There are many other types of educational programs that add value to your ability to teach and support yourself as a computer programmer.
However, many developers fear clients will be reluctant to collaborate with them if they did not graduate with a degree in the field.
Do clients trust self-taught developers?
We are used to seeing people showing off their diplomas in many workplaces, but in the tech industry, there are other things that matter. When coding, the only thing that matters is how skilled you are, not what’s written on your diploma.
Clients and employers are looking for people that know how to solve their issues, regardless of what their major in college was. They are looking for skills such as discipline, problem-solving, proactivity and determination because, in order to be a good developer, you need to keep up with the ever-evolving world of technology. In the world of developers, things are changing faster than in any other industry, so what you learned in school will account for very little in future years. However, what you learn on your own, through practice, will stay with you forever, and clients know that.
So, to put it simply, clients don’t have any problem working with self-taught developers, as long as they prove themselves worthy of the job.
Oftentimes, fear is the only thing getting in your way
Even though you don’t need a degree to become a developer, you do need to put in quite a bit of effort and dedication. In the beginning, things may look more complicated than they actually are, and this is completely normal whenever you enter new territory. This is when fear starts to enter the game.
You think you won’t be able to learn things fast enough or understand what’s what, but if you take things one step at a time, you’ll start seeing results. Sure, you won’t be the perfect developer just yet, but overcoming your fear of the unknown is the first step towards success. Remember that even the most experienced developers have to face failure every once in a while, and challenges can appear even when you think nothing can surprise you. After all, this is the beauty of technology.
The Internet is full of resources
We live in a time when traditional education is not as important anymore because not everyone has the means to go through four years of college, especially when you can find almost anything you are looking for online.
Online courses have become the go-to learning method, especially for developers. Beginners can find a tremendous amount of information online, which will help them get into the world of programming with just a few clicks. After covering the basics, you can start learning as many new programming languages as you find necessary. A python programming training course, for example, can be finished in just two weeks. This includes live training, assignments, as well as practice. Which leads us to the next thing on the list…
Practice makes perfect
Even though you don’t need higher education to start working as a developer, you do need a lot of practice to become a professional. Truth be told, this is the only way you can truly learn how to code; by doing it constantly and learning from your mistakes.
No matter how many courses you complete, if you don’t start to actually practice everything you learn, you have no way to improve your skills. Start following tutorials until you feel confident enough to build something on your own. Then, begin building a practical application that you can train yourself on. You will make mistakes, indeed, but you will also fix them, and this is how you learn.
Practice will also help you build your portfolio, to have something to show clients. Take every chance you get to build apps, websites or tools from scratch, then do your best to improve them. This way, you get to expand your portfolio, as well as improve your abilities.
You are not alone
Sometimes, things can get a bit overwhelming, but it is important to remember that you are not the only one doing this. A lot of programmers started on their own, as you got to see in the survey we talked about earlier.
The online community is more supportive than you think, so why not join a forum for developers? You can find many online communities that are willing to take in yet another lost soul. You will be surprised to see how willing people are to help out, and how much you can learn by talking to people that went through the same things you did.
Keep yourself motivated
Last, but not least, it is very important to keep your motivation, even when you feel things are not exactly going as planned. Almost nothing in life really does. But if you manage to keep your focus and stay motivated during these moments, you are one step closer to becoming a professional. There will be times when you will fail majestically, and this happens even to those with over 20 years of experience. The only thing you can do is learn from your mistakes and use them to fuel your motivation. If you take failures as they are – experiences that you can learn from – you will be able to not only keep yourself motivated but also improve yourself both on a professional and personal level.