How to become a valuable software developer

My Session at Java2Days @ Sofia Bulgaria

Transcript

1. Ahmad Gohar IBM WTC
2. Who am I ! Solution Architect at IBM WTC IBM Certified Expert IT Specialist Opengroup Certified Master IT Specialist M.Sc. In IS MIBA OCEJPA, OCPWCD, OCP SQL/PL Java Duke Award Winner 2016 @ansgohar
3. 1: Be crystal clear about your end goal
4. A crystal-clear goal looks something like • “I want to work as a software developer at an established tech company.” • “I want to work at a brand new startup, as a software engineer, in the industry I adore.” • “I want to build things on a team, and get paid well for it.”
5. 2: Choose a language to learn
7. 3: Practice…and practice some more
8. • Some people say it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert. • Now, you don’t need 10,000 hours of practice to get your first software developer job. • But you do need to dedicate some serious time.
9. 4: Use tools that real developers use
10. • Git and GitHub • Working in your terminal • Test-driven development • Group projects/collaboration
11. 5: Read other people's code
12. 6: Find a community
13. 7: Build projects
14. 8: Cultivate your professional network
15. • Go to meetups • Maintain a blog • Volunteer • Speak at event
16. 9: Master your pre-interview essentials
17. • LinkedIn profile • GitHub • Twitter • Personal/portfolio website • Blogging
18. 10: Ace your job interview
19. 11: Accept the job offer
20. All of this sounds like a lot of work, right? • Short answer: yes.
21. • It’s not easy, • And you can all but guarantee that you’ll get frustrated sometimes. • But it is absolutely doable.
22. • The Top 6 Myths Holding You Back
23. MYTH #1: I need to be a genius to become a developer
24. • REALITY: • Anyone can learn how to become a software developer
25. MYTH #2: Learning to code is like learning brain surgery!
26. • REALITY: • Learning to code is easy, mastering it is hard.
27. MYTH #3: I need a college degree to know how to become a software developer
28. • REALITY: • Programmers without degrees are more common than you think
29. MYTH #4: I need serious math skills to learn how to become a software developer 1
30. • REALITY: • Success as a programmer and math proficiency are not directly correlated
31. MYTH #5: Knowing the ‘best’ programming language will accelerate my journey to become a software developer.
32. • REALITY: • There is no ‘best’ language to learn.
33. MYTH #6: It is too late for me to become a developer.
34. • REALITY: • It’s never too late to change careers!
35. • The bottom line… • You have always had what it takes to learn how to become a software developer