HN Explorer

Special Case: Reverting to Software Engineering Career

6 points by saamirz ↗ HN
Hey,

I'm a Computer Scienece Graduate (2010 Batch). After Graduation I joined an MNC as a Sales Engineer (..for an entirely different field..Industrial Automatiom..dumb move !..I know..it was the money I guess..) Its been almost 4 years and now I would like to switch to Web Dev field as my current job sucks and I don't foresee any professional growth. I have already started learning Rub on Rails, Javascript, HTML, CSS..plus I am aready enrolled in Stanford's CS106A course to catch up on the basics. I am at a cross road - Join a Coding bootcamp or go for a Masters degree in Computer Engineering. Getting a Masters degree is a lot of commitment interms of time and money..and joining a coding bootcamp in US/Canada means I wont really get a job in Us/Canada as I will be an international Applicant. I'm 26 years old..is it too late to switch back now..I just dont know what to do ?? Pls Advice... :((

7 comments

[ 2.0 ms ] story [ 27.9 ms ] thread
jasonkester
That's an easy one. You don't need a Masters to work as a computer programmer.

Having an undergraduate degree of some form is handy, as it will prevent certain doors from closing and ensure that you don't end up having to put in a few years at a lowball rate. But a Masters degree doesn't really tick any boxes for pretty much anybody in this industry. It might get you a few grand extra in your initial offer, but probably not enough to offset the opportunity cost.

Coding Bootcamps and similar things won't really help either. Building things will.

You already know how to program. Go register a domain name, build something cool, and stick it there. Better still, build something that people will pay money for each month. Either way, conjure something into existence that you can point prospective employers to and say "I built this" (and thus "I can build things like this" and "I will build them for you if you hire me").

Keep your sales job until you get the offer you want, then simply step into your new life.

_em_
is it that easy ? I mean, building something is one thing, but attracting new clients and making them pay every month requires "A good idea which people are in need of" AND "Good marketing skills to spread the word around".

Don't get me wrong, I am almost at the same page as of OP (though i am working as a dev but working on legacy technologies) and I also want to get out of it and move to some better opportunity but now i feel so rusted. I have been trying to keep up with technologies by reading about them but to prove that I know them, I need some thing to buiild on it and for that i need an idea too :(

Im_Talking
Let me get this straight... you're only 26, your current job sucks, your current job has no growth potential, and you are asking what to do? Jeez.
mateo411
You should have come to us when you were 25. :)

You already know how to program and you have degree. You just have to break into the industry. A side project where you build a web app, put it on the internet, will be very helpful in getting a developer job.

You should do the Masters if you want to learn another area of CS more deeply, such as Machine Learning, Distributed Systems or Programming Languages and Compilers. This is not necessary if you are interested in becoming a professional programmer. It won't make you more money on the outset, but it could help you develop other skills, but it will make you a better critical thinker, writer and give you a network that will be valuable to you.

jpd750
Why dont you just build something with your knowledge (a fun side project) - forget the MS and taking a code course. You can't learn the in's and out's of developing in a language without doing it.

So do.

pjungwir
I did something similar: after working a few years in programming I took 6 years off to study Greek & Latin in grad school, then came back to development around 2010. To top it off my undergrad was an English B.A. from a small mediocre liberal arts college.

It was actually pretty easy. If you already have a CS degree and have simply been doing something else for 4 years, I doubt you'll have trouble getting offers. You just need something to prove that you're competent. Skip the masters and code school, build a webapp that does something interesting, and show that to your potential employers. Bonus points if you can charge for it!

For tactics I'd say don't quit your other job until you've got an offer.

Best of luck to you, and remember that it's going to be all right!

digita88
It is never too late to switch!! Believe me.

1. Start building up an online/offline social and professional network of developers, dev/tech evangelists

2. Start researching and looking into languages that you are interested in personally, don't restrict yourself to 'marketable/hireable' programming skills

3. Start building up your dev profile - be more active on GitHub, participate in online communities, blog about your projects, open up a website to put your projects online

4. Take part in online challenges as well as hackathons to prototype your profile, get in touch with other people and dev evangelists (many are sponsors so have a go at their APIs)