Hey friends! Sloan, DEV Moderator and resident mascot, back with another question submitted by a DEV community member. 🦥
For those unfamiliar with the series, this is another installment of Sloan's Inbox. You all send in your questions, I ask them on your behalf anonymously, and the community leaves comments to offer advice. Whether it's career development, office politics, industry trends, or improving technical skills, we cover all sorts of topics here. If you want to send in a question or talking point to be shared anonymously via Sloan, that'd be great; just scroll down to the bottom of the post for details on how.
Let's see what we have for this week...
Today's question is:
I'm a hobbyist developer that loves tinkering with raspberry pis, arduinos, and other home devices. I've considered trying to get a career in software development, but I don't have the greatest handle on how to make the move from hobby to career. What things should I focus on learning and what skills do I need to have under my belt to get a position? Are there any dev jobs out there better-suited for tinkerers like me?
Share your thoughts and let's help a fellow DEV member out! Remember to keep kind and stay classy. 💚
Want to submit a question for discussion or ask for advice? Visit Sloan's Inbox! You can choose to remain anonymous.
Top comments (8)
I was kicking around how to give an answer for this over the past couple of hours. Because I am not sure if this person holds a degree of any sort, their location, or their financial state and what have you. I think these things play a huge role in the process. Likewise, who am I to talk, when I'm still fidgeting my way through it myself. But I would state perhaps:
a) Research. You're not the first to have this thought, and you won't be the last. It's a skill that will be necessary for the rest of your career if you fall into the field. But really, it's just a healthy habit to form as a whole. So search around and see what information you can find and perhaps even any groups you can join to socialize/network with.
b) You said you like hardware, so perhaps look at what it takes to get a job programming hardware. I've heard they can be pretty stable, because you can't outsource them initially. I've also heard they can be somewhat frustrating, as they'll hire an initial developer(s?) to form the basis of a device. Then hire cheaper contractors to alter it as they want. Only catch is that with each iteration things become more and more wild. This is all just through the grape-vine. I can't tell you first hand.
c) If you're not interested in hardware, you can always figure out what you might be interested in. There's a lot of different jobs, and they all require a base-skill set (which you can work on now) and a specialized skill set (which you can work on when you figure out what you want to do).
d) For studying, you can copy syllabi of bootcamps, colleges, and universities. Follow along with a YouTuber. Find an online roadmap and study each part of a tech stack until you feel proficient enough. Go to Udemy/Coursera/edX and take a course. Find an academic outlet if you want one, such as classes locally or online. Getting a degree, if you want. Going to a bootcamp, if you want. There's also free resources for web-development smattered all over the internet.
e) Record your progress and built a portfolio. Do it online, in a public space. Be a LinkedIn deadhead. Learn to communicate. You're going to be talking with everyone, about everything. You'll never stop. Very few people will be impressed with your career. But lots of people may be impressed by your finances. Do not tell others what you make, or so I've heard. Do your taxes. Pay it forward.
f) Look for a mentor, they will teach you how to grow. Yet again, pay it forward. Find a mentee at some point, and assist them.
g) This is going to sound harsh but any asshole can code. Understanding how and why you're doing what you do is more important. At least in my book. But this field does require you to do pony-tricks to get in generally. That's on you to figure out, cause I can't give you anymore on that.
h) You will fail, learn when to wave the flag. Learn when to continue. Learn when to get back up. Learn when you need a moment. Aim for consistency, don't beat yourself up if you've got a rabbit path forming. Doing is better than not, but life is an ever demanding beast. Find your rhythm.
So there's a splattering of my mental thoughts. Enjoy. Hope this helps someone, somewhere - whoever you are. Good luck. Let's get ours =P!
I gained a few nuggets from this post. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Makita, I feel like I could get some nuggets from you too! 16 years in IT. That's crazy!
You can feel free to ask me any questions. I will admit that I am on a learning journey though. Currently studying AWS for the Solution Architect credential. Happy learning
Totally! AWS is such a beast, I tinkered around with it, but was always terrified I'd be charged something I didn't agree with. Which I know is irrational, and it's a great skillset to have. Maybe in the future I will teeter back?
How did you get into the business? I saw your site. It's a computer literacy company, which is really cool. I've read that technical illiteracy shows in both the youth and those who came up pre-information-age. Would be a good business to have if you're approachable, which clearly you are.
Happy Friday! Well lets just say that I've always been in the business of helping people achieve their goals with Technology. I find that people most often than not, don't know that technology can make their life so much easier. I have a BAS in Psychology and I've found a way to change the way that people think about technology while also learning about it so that it can enhance their life. There are a lot of people that need a little hand holding.
Happy Monday! Apologies, I missed this last week =)! I hear you on that. One point in my life I worked in an organization connecting folks to tech back when I was in a major city. But it's been miles apart from there to where I am now. It was rewarding, but a bit tough in the sense that you could show a person how to do something a million times but if they have no personal interest in actively doing it - they'll return to you a thousand times to do it for them. My friend who's a teacher actually sees this with her students. Which is rough.
What motivators (psychologically, etc. otherwise) have you found in a post-covid world to get others to buy into bettering themselves? I've always found money to be the best one if you're lower on the income scale. I suppose otherwise it'd be convenience? Like you expressed. Give me the 411 if you get a chance. Thanks for the comment back!
Happy Monday. I hope you had a great weekend. This post it LIT! lol You're right in that money is a motivating factor in people wanting to learn technology but then there are those who are behind and need to learn technology in order to keep up a lot of the things occuring in the digital world that we live in. I work with kids and I work with adults. The key is you need to WANT to have a change in your life and you have to WANT to learn. I tell my students up front that if you don't want to learn and grow and don't want to put in the work required then there is no need to proceed. I do offer a white golve service that will help with issues they enounter while trying a specific thing. I'm met with people who have challenges and are seeking to resolve the challenges themselves. I have a BAS is Psychology so I have my ways of teaching along side encouraging. I help with that first step, no matter what that step may be. So what do you do now for a living? Hope your day was nice and I hope this post makes sense. Peace!