How Do I Become a Coder?

In today’s business world, the folks with cutting-edge, marketable skills are the ones who get hired and bring in big paychecks. Learning how to become a programmer is an excellent option for those who want to switch to a rewarding and lucrative career. With software development chops, you’ll get to work on complex and intriguing problems and put your brain to good use. All of that is great, but I can hear you asking, “how do I become a coder?”

You’ve come to the right place, my inquisitive pal. We’ve written this guide to help you determine the best route you can take to become a coder. We cover the traditional, four-year college route, show you the different options you have for undergraduate degrees, and cover what you’ll need to study. Then, we look at alternatives to pick up coding experience outside of a university degree. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is for you to get started learning to program.

Go to a Four-Year College

The traditional path to becoming a programmer involves many years of study. If you opt to attend a four-year college and pursue a BS degree in Computer Science or Engineering, you’ll get a solid and comprehensive foundation for your later work. College degrees aren’t required to do well in software development, but having one will give you a decent chance at having your resumé reviewed and landing an interview.

While in school, you’ll study a heapin’ helpin’ of math and statistics to give your studies a firm underpinning. Depending on your major, you’ll likely go deep into a few subjects, such as circuit design and data structures, and you’re sure to have to bone up on operating systems and image processing. You’ll tackle all sorts of languages as well, including Python, CSS, HTML, Java, JavaScript, and much more.

Self Study and Coding Bootcamp

Not everyone has the opportunity to attend college, of course. Many of us have no choice but to start working during or right after high school to support ourselves and our families. If you want to become a coder without a college degree, you have some options among which to choose. You can opt to become a one-person school and teach yourself everything you need to know, or you can look into coding bootcamps.

Coding bootcamps have been growing in popularity over the past decade. Employers have started to realize that their tech employees don’t necessarily need to have bachelor’s degrees to do their work; all they need is specific skills experience. Bootcamps will give you the expertise you need in a short time, and most of them are designed for working folks who have folks counting on them to keep bringing in rent and food money.

And that’s the whole deal, me hearties. When you want to begin your programming career, you have a few options when it comes to learning programming. This guide delves into those methods and shows you how to pick up software development skills via four-year degrees and through self-study and coding bootcamps. You’ll be amazed that you waited so long to get started on your new professional life.

What’s your opinion of training to be a coder? Let us know your thoughts in our comments section below.