Career advice for a budding developer...

The Only Beardy

The Only Beardy

The Only Beardy

Associate
Joined
10 Dec 2012
Posts
254
Hey,

In 2011 I graduated with a 3rd class CS degree from a pretty good University. At the time I spent way too much time enjoying university, hence the poor degree, also, the whole concept of programming hadn't quite clicked as quickly as it should have done. Either way, some how I managed to find myself doing software testing for an engineering firm and I also get to maintain their VB6 code whilst playing around with projects of my own. My degree was taught using Java (like every other CS course in the UK) but since working for my current company I have spent quite a lot of time using C# and programming has finally clicked. I understand a lot more and really enjoy it. I want to branch off and become a developer at some point. My question is what can I do to help myself get a job in software development? My degree isn't strong and my job doesn't give me a lot of experience in development.

However, I am going on the Microsoft: Programming in C# 20483 and then I plan on taking the accompanying exam. Will this be enough?

What else should I be doing?

Thanks
 

AHarvey

AHarvey

AHarvey

Soldato
Joined
6 Mar 2008
Posts
10,079
Location
Stoke area
its not just about exams and qualifications, its about real life experience and a decent portfolio.

Get involved in open source projects, start writing your own apps/games etc in your spare time, get involved in a c# community, forums, projects etc and give yourself a year to get some decent experience under your belt and start applying for jobs.
 

AJK

AJK

AJK

Associate
Joined
8 Sep 2009
Posts
1,722
Location
UK
To be honest, there's no simple answer to this (unfortunately!) You may be lucky and find an employer who'll take you on as a (junior) developer with nothing more than the experience you already have, along with an interest in the subject and willingness to learn. On the other hand, you might find your local job market flooded with job seeking 3-years-experience .NET developers, and be unable to get a foot in the door.

You say that your current role doesn't give you a lot of development experience, but can you change that? Could you use your own development knowledge to add value to your current employer, for example developing automatic tests or testing tools to help you do your job?

Working on projects in your spare time is a must - I don't think it matters what you work on, as long as you're adding to your experience and not just mucking about. Open source projects are often recommended as something to get involved with, but remember that when it comes to job hunting it's your contribution you'll need to talk about, not just how you spent time on the forums talking to other devs.

Best of luck! :)
 

The Only Beardy

The Only Beardy

The Only Beardy

Associate
OP
Joined
10 Dec 2012
Posts
254
Thanks guys, your right, i should try and develop some automatic tests... i think that would be a pretty good project.

i have been working on projects... but theyre more re-vamps of the old vb6 programs my company has developed. Hopefully after i actually get close to having a finished system they might consider using it.

thanks for your advice...
 

SkyTerran

SkyTerran

SkyTerran

Associate
Joined
28 Jan 2013
Posts
236
The obvious answer is open source. Either start a new project on github or start contributing to an existing one. Once you have a good demo for the interviews, you're in.
 

dim_pwn

dim_pwn

dim_pwn

Associate
Joined
16 Mar 2009
Posts
427
Location
London
Qualifications get you through sifting.....experience and examples get you a job.

As said...get involved with a larger open source projects or create something of your own. Make sure its something you can demo.
 
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