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You may decide to change your career at some point in your life — possibly more than once. Career changes occur for various reasons, including the desire for a new challenge, to land your dream job, or simply exploring new possibilities. Still, when they do, it's advantageous to be strategic. A well-thought-out career change will almost certainly result in increased job satisfaction. For example, programming is one popular career choice, and programming in the English language for software developers is even more popular.
It may seem frightening to change careers, but it is neither uncommon nor impossible. This article will go over ten steps to help you get started on your dream career as a software developer. So let's get this party started.
There are several compelling reasons to switch careers to programming. The top four reasons that people change careers include:
One of the reasons programming in the English language for software developers is such a fantastic choice is that it is such a vast field that it involves a variety of responsibilities connected to both computer applications and systems. This helps you concentrate on the most interesting topics to you.
Some software developers, for example, spend their days constructing or repairing computer information softwares. Others create web pages or improve the security of a company's network. Finally, some people create world-class mobile apps. It's up to you to choose the path you want to take. We'll go over each option in greater detail later in this article.
Overall, because software is used in almost every industry, you can work in virtually any field.
Some occupations are quite solitary because they require you to work alone. Individuals typically work in teams in software development, for example. This career path is more appealing if you like coding and working in the English language for software developers.
Of course, being a good team player necessitates possessing some of the soft skills required to work well in groups. Good listening skills, empathy, and the ability to accept criticism are among them.
In addition, it's also worth noting that you don't have to begin with all of these abilities. You can always pick these skills up along your journey.
When you work using the English language for software developers, you can expect to spend some of your time troubleshooting, developing new software, or assisting a company in determining why their current programs and applications aren't working.
This makes this a good career choice for people who like to break down problems piece by piece until they find the root cause. In this way, you're like a computer detective, searching until you figure out what's wrong with the program or system so you can fix it.
If you take all of the jobs in the United States and rank them in ascending order based on pay, you'll find that the median annual income is around $51,960.
The average base pay for software engineering professionals is reported to be double that amount, at $103,035 per year. So even a beginner entry-level software engineer just starting his carer can expect to make around $86,000 a year.
So, if you're looking for a career path that can quickly get you into the six-figure range, consider software engineering. But, here is some good news, as the demand and scope for software development grow, this salary is only expected to rise. This is a major factor for people to change careers to software development.
You have to do several things to switch to a career in software development. Here are some steps you must take to start your career in software developers:
There are several career paths one can take in programming. Here are some of the leading career paths in software development:
Front-end developers must have a keen sense of aesthetics. These aesthetic-minded coders created all aspects of a website or app that users can see and interact with.
Back-end engineers develop a website's underlying computation-based logic as well as any proprietary software required by their employer.
Full-stack developers, as the name implies, do everything. These adaptable programmers have extensive front-end and back-end programming experience and can seamlessly switch between the two.
As the name suggests, mobile developers create software specifically for mobile devices. Furthermore, these programmers develop apps tailored to the specific features of mobile platforms like Android and iOS.
Although making a career change can be intimidating, you may be surprised to learn that all of your previously acquired soft skills are still relevant in your new job and may even provide you with an unexpected advantage.
Everything you've done so far is still relevant and can give you an advantage over candidates who have only worked in the software industry.
Here are a few skills that have been discovered to be particularly beneficial and in high demand by tech companies:
Once you've determined which career path is best for you, you should begin your research. First and foremost, you must understand the requirements for your career choice. To begin identifying skill gaps, you must first understand the types of skills you are assessing. Are they your professional values or personal goals, such as:
You should plan after analyzing and determining your skill gaps. Analyze all the skills and growth you'll need for your chosen career, prioritize them, and focus on them.
If you have limited time and resources and want to learn the fundamentals of programming, then you should consider starting with a coding boot camp.
Boot camps are intensive training programs that provide participants with marketable programming skills in a short amount of time. Algorithms, design principles, server-based coding languages, version control, and database management are just a few topics covered in these programs.
You can also take online classes or enrol in an online school if you don't want to go to a traditional school.
Thanks to the internet, there's never been a better time to code then now. However, the sheer number of options can deter some new coders from starting. But don't worry. We have got you covered!
Other than bootcamps or online courses, you can do the following to learn to code:
But probably the best way to learn to program is to code. What good is it to know if you don't put it into practice? Learning from a step-by-step guide is simple, but it limits you to that simplicity. Aspiring developers must progress beyond tutorials and into real-world programming. However, the transition isn't always straightforward.
Therefore, start small. Remove your training wheels and concentrate on your flaws. Analyze what you don't have and create projects to fill in the gaps. Finally, consider teaming up with a coding buddy or a friend who can assist you in honing your collaborative coding skills. This is both the most difficult and the most rewarding step in becoming a good programmer.
Portfolios are a great way to show off the skills you'd list on a resume or discuss in an interview. Portfolios enable you to demonstrate your skills rather than just tell. Moreover, it shows potential employers your work during a job search. Finally, it shows that you have the necessary skills and abilities.
Instead of creating resumes, consider bringing a portfolio of your work with you to interviews. A summary can be outdated and engineered to be the perfect representation of the candidate in some cases. Instead, talking with the candidate about their accomplishments is more beneficial.
You can build an online presence to make it easier for recruiters to find you. Build robust profiles with screenshots of projects and links to GitHub on the following sites:
It's critical to demonstrate the quality of your work to potential employers. Recruiters are more likely to take a chance on you if you have photos, videos, links to live projects, well-documented READMEs on GitHub, and clean coding practices.
It can be challenging to navigate the software developer career path, especially if you change careers. Therefore, before you begin applying for jobs, you should create a resume and portfolio to set you apart from the competition. Furthermore, we recommend pursuing a software engineering internship to demonstrate your relevant experience.
Interns gain experience in the industry by documenting, testing new applications, evaluating ideas, and developing solutions to company problems. Internships also allow students to work with senior software engineers and shadow experienced professionals.
Microverse is an online school made for developers by developers. It is the only online school catered toward remote development teaching in the English language for software developers. Plus, there is no upfront cost. Instead, you only pay once you get hired, making it a unique platform in the market.
At Microverse, there are no teachers. As a result, it helps you learn faster than you could on your own. This is achieved through their unique peer-to-peer learning experience connecting students from over 100 countries. Microverse focuses on skills in-demand by software companies, helping students get a job no matter where they are in the world. Moreover, Microverse helps develop essential communication and teamwork skills, assisting students in landing better jobs.
With thousands of people currently enrolled in Microverse and even more alumni, we see many stories that make Microverse a worth-it investment.
In his college years, he studied mechatronics engineering but never got the chance to work as one. Instead, he worked as a risk manager at a bank. However, he wanted to do something fulfilling in his life, which led him to code and start his journey as a software developer.
“I quickly realized that I had a lot of gaps. I didn't know what I was doing, especially since I didn't have any experience. I decided that I needed to join a school and what made me come to Microverse was the fact that I didn't have to pay anything until I got a job.” - Luis Maldonado
Luis spent most of his time coding and learning by himself.
“I spent the last two years before doing Microverse pretty much working by myself.”
At Microverse, Luis was challenged with the task of working with others. Since he was accustomed to working by himself, it was challenging for him. But working with others and depending on them helped him grow. In addition, Luis learned to interact and get along with different people from different cultures worldwide, helping him grow as an individual.
Luis is now working as a software developer for Housecall Pro, a Canada-based company. He was first hired as a remote developer but has now moved to Canada. We recommend you read more about how Luis was motivated to change his career to become a software developer.
Salvador first became interested in programming when he was just 14 years old. Despite this, he learned robotics and web design in middle school and high school.
“I started creating some websites for friends and participating in robotics competitions.”
Salvador studied mechatronics engineering at his university and later worked as a mechatronics engineer for five years. But he felt that he needed a career change.
“I felt that I needed to improve my software development skills to be able to create awesome web applications to compliment my robotic systems. So, I began looking for courses and discovered that the software development industry was growing a lot.”
Salvador joined Microverse in 2020 and started his intense journey into coding. At Microverse, Salvador learned quite a lot, including technical and soft skills, such as communication.
"Microverse really helped me improve my coding skills and update my knowledge. It made my transition from Mechatronic Engineer to Full Stack Developer much easier than I anticipated and it helped prepare me for the job market. After I landed my current job, I realized that Microverse really helped me improve my English and communication skills. It also prepared me to work in a remote environment. "
Salvador is currently working at Nexton, matching LATAM talent with companies in the US.
"Working as a remote developer has allowed me to improve my income and have an internationally competitive salary by leaving my local market salary rate.”
You can learn more about Salvador's motivation for a career change.
Luis and Salvador are among the numerous others showing how someone can make a career change through hard work, focus, and dedication. It was reported that there were more than 19 million active software developers globally in 2021. Furthermore, researchers expect that the metric will more than double to 45 million by 2030, showing the high demand for software developers in the growing IT landscape.
Microverse is a fantastic learning platform that focuses on accountability, support, and community, and it is an excellent place to begin your software development journey. Microverse students come from over 100 countries, allowing you to interact with a diverse and driven community and gain life-changing experiences.
Students at Microverse learn uniquely by pair programming and collaborating with other students in real-time, just like they would if they were part of a distributed team in a real company.
Visit Microverse to discover more about becoming a world-class software developer while interacting with a supportive online community. Join Microverse and secure a successful career in software development today!
Ariel is the founder & CEO of Microverse, an online school for software engineers. Read more about Microverse and how it can help you.
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