Software development is one of the most requested skills nowadays.
It is a great time to be a software developer.
Often, I get the question:
“Can I get a job as a software developer without a degree?”
The short answer is YES.
You might be a dropout, a person starting to code or maybe, you are a parent with kids and a full-time job.
Meanwhile, you are learning to code, building your own webpage, coding an app and you enjoy this side project a lot.
What if you could do that as a primary job? But wait…you don’t have a degree.
How can you get a job as a software engineer without a degree?
It feels like a deal-breaker and you might abandon your dream for a new career, but not so fast.
That is not the case anymore today.
At least, not all the company requires a degree today for a job a software developer.
There was news from August 2018 that even a big company like Google, Microsoft, Amazon are removing that strong constraint from applying to these companies.
“…a list of 15 different companies that don’t require job applicants
to have college degrees. The list includes high-paying tech outlets
like Apple, Google, and IBM, in addition to service-oriented companies
like Costco, Starbucks, and Chipotle.”
You can read the full article in QZ: "Apple, IBM, and Google don’t care anymore if you went to college"
There are a few steps that you can take to make yourself more ‘employable’ in software development.
KEEP LEARNING
The first priority should be to keep learning and improving your software development skills.
There are so many online resources where you can improve your software skills.
The first resource that I would recommend for learning software skills is Codecademy.
You will find courses and resources for learning all the main programming languages: Javascript, Python, C++, HTML+CSS, and so on.
Other resources could be Udemy, Coursera and Khan Academy.
Special mention to a website called Safari Book Online. I use this site all the time because for a small subscription I can get access to so many books and video courses!
I read lots of books, not technical ones. For tech books, I use this service.
There is an unlimited amount of online resources if you want to learn to code. Python, C++, Javascript, whatever you are interested in.
WANT TO START LEARNING TODAY?
Codeacademy
Udemy
Safari Book Online
Coursera
PORTFOLIO
What else can you do to be more appealing to a future employer?
A portfolio with all your personal projects could be a good idea.
Create a portfolio page with tools like Webflow, Squarespace or just built with scratch using technologies that you are eager to learn.
It is important that you show what you can do.
Share the code of your projects on sites like GitHub and CodePen.
It will be very useful for employers to check how you write code, tests and how you structure projects.
Showing your code can be an advantage for you because it could be a topic of discussion during your job interview. It is much easier to talk about the code that you wrote in technical interviews.
Sites that you can use to share your code (and code snippets):
Sites for building your portfolio page:
NETWORKING
The last but not least suggestion that I can give you is…go to networking events.
It has been very important for my career while living abroad.
Mingling at networking events will help to meet the local community of developers and people interested in tech.
Check for some meetups about programming languages that you are interested in in your city or nearby.
You can also go to hackathons and meet other software developers in your local community.
It is time well spent, working with like-minded people while you are growing your technical and soft skills.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND THE NEXT MEETUP?
If you want to find relevant meetups, go to Meetup.com or Facebook and look for relevant programming languages.
BONUS TIP: REJECTION
Remember that there is a chance that you will get rejected by some employer. That’s part of the process in your job hunt.
Do not stress if employers will reject you.
That’s not about you; it was not meant to be and probably, there wasn’t a match between you and employer at this moment in time.
Just keep searching and applying for jobs, you will find the employer that will believe in you.
YOU CAN BE A SOFTWARE DEVELOPER
Today is possible to get a job as software development without a computer degree.
Your next employer wants to see results and people that can deliver on their software tasks. It is important that you keep learning and practicing your software skills.
That’s why having a portfolio that can show what you can do is relevant before and during your interview process.
Last but not least, networking will help you to get known in the local community: find new possible co-workers and employers.
You can start thinking about your career path in software development without a degree right now.
You can make it today. Be patient and keep pushing forward.
Well, the last thing: If you arrived here, thank you so much for your support and time that you spend on this page.
What are your suggestions to get a programming job without a degree?
Have you enjoyed this article, leave a comment and let me know what you think on this topic!
AUTHOR
Domenico is a software developer with a passion for design, psychology, and leadership.
If you need help with software development, you need consultancy for your technical challenges or you need a leader for your software team or just want to collaborate online, feel free to contact me!
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Top comments (3)
Great points Domenico, I just want to ask one thing which I think as a key to success nowadays and that is "Self Representation".You have to represent your self and your points of networking and portfolio building come under it but I think developers should also use social media like Facebook, Instagram, twitter to represent themselves.
Totally, you need to know how to "market" yourself. If you can do that, you have bigger chances of success during an interview process!
Exactly😊