How to Change Careers to Become a Computer Programmer

The skills required to become a computer programmer can seem so distant and challenging to achieve that many people rule out the career as simply too difficult to attain. Yet anyone can become a computer programmer, and more and more jobs are appearing on career websites seeking people with these skills. If you’re considering a career change into the computing industry, then this article is for you. Below, you’ll learn what you need to do to learn the skills and perfect your approach as a computer programmer in the coming months and years. 

Studying

The most important part of your career change is to study a masters in computer science. This will help you rapidly pick up the skills you need to take on a basic, entry-level job in the field. These degree programs are available online, so you needn’t relocate or quit your day job to study it on the side. They’re also designed to help people with very little knowledge in computing, meaning that you’ll begin from a relatively low level of experience and knowhow with the rest of your class, and learn the basics before moving on to more advanced computing concepts and processes. 

Practice

During the course of your studies, and afterwards, it can be helpful to put yourself through your paces as a computer programmer by creating programs, online interfaces, and other projects that’ll help you hone your skills. You can find a number of different practice projects online, which are designed to test your skills and expose you to different applications of the basic skills you picked up at university or college. Over time, this level of coding acumen will help you become more comfortable in a number of different occupations and career levels. 

Reading

Very often, there’s no substitute for knowledge acquisition that helps more than a simple, step-by-step guide. These are available in book form – such as “coding for dummies” books or those that will walk you through projects of increasingly complexity to show you how to harness the skills you currently possess in the workplace. Reading your way through some of the most popular books on programming and coding can help you gain those skills, and uncover new ones that you weren’t trained in when you studied your degree program. Over time, this reading will certainly supplement your approach in your new career. 

Entry-Level Jobs

Once you have the skills you need to effectively work in a computer programming position, you need to get searching for your first job in the field. You don’t need to assume that you’ll be working there for years, but it’s important to apply your skills in a work setting as soon as possible to learn even more on the job. Often, there’s no better way to polish your coding skills than to throw yourself into a paid project, whether that’s designing a website or working with software engineers to produce an app. Your learning curve will continue to rise, beneficially for your career, after doing these entry-level jobs. 

Make your career change into computing a success with the advice shared in this short article.