JobNowNowNg:
Are you recently out of a job or want a job?
Or you are thinking of switching career?

Well, you don’t need to worry much. There’s a field that offers you an easy way out.

Well, you might have heard people say it's not possible to learn programming and get a job in a short time.
If you think they are right, they are. That's because even a year or three years will not be enough for you.

You still don't believe? Maybe you should listen to Katy Hollobaugh “Ten months ago I gave myself one year to learn programming and get a job in the industry. Seven months ago I signed up for @LambdaSchool. Tomorrow is my first day of work. I think that "life changing decision" is an understatement.”. This is what she said after “My best advice is to have your heart set on the goal with or without Lambda. Lambda is an awesome program to help you get there, but it's all dependant on the work you put in!”

You only need to motivated yourself enough that you can do it.

One benefit of a programming job is that you don’t need a degree to get employment. If at all any organisation needs your degree, it’s because they want to be sure that your education made you exposed for their organisation.

Programming is also one of the highest paying jobs for an entry-level employee. Even in economically disadvantaged third world countries, the salary is monstrous.

If you are ready to work hard enough and not make excuse you can get a programming job within six months of learning.

Now, this guide will look at options that will make it as cheap, easy but intensive as possible for you to learn to how to programme.

First Thing First

For you to become a programmer, you have to learn a programming language. Assuming you are stuck somewhere and need six months to rearrange your life again you need to choose a programming language that’s easier to learn.
Python, JavaScript and Ruby rank among the languages you can learn.

Now, this is not the best language. No one is doing any “my language is better than your language here”. It’s because you need a job badly and needs a language you can pick up easily. What matters now is the job you want to get in six months time.

Personally, I’ll suggest Python. Not because of anything but because that’s what I use. JavaScript is also a great option.

You need to watch this video (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-OxzIC6pic). It’s from Harvard University. It’s one of the best introductions to Programming you will ever watch.
Then watch this one (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY), it’s from Josh Kaufman and it’s on how to learn by focusing on the most important parts of the skill.

Now, we’ll follow a timeline that will help you with a plan on getting a programming job within six months.

Please know that since I use Python, I may be a little biased towards Python.

You should know that books can only teach you. You will only know how to program by programming consistently.

Although not directly related to programming, you should learn how to write. You don’t need to write as good as Malcolm Gladwell, a little writing is important. This will give you an edge over other programmers.

Month 1

Whichever language you are going to learn, you should learn HTML. HTML is the language of the internet and whether you use other languages, you might need to work with HTML someday.

Take out the first week in your first month to learn HTML and CSS. You don’t need to be a master. Just learn it. This free course (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn) will help you learn the fundamentals of HTML. You can also try this one www.htmldog.com/guides/html. Nearly all these tuts over CSS as well.

After that one week. You should focus on the programming language of choice. If you choose python, you can download this free eBook "A Byte of Python" here - https://python.swaroopch.com or you can try www.learnpython.org also.

For JavaScript, this website www.learn-js.org is a good one. www.jsforcats.com is an interactive JavaScript course.

Play around with its basic syntax. The syntax is the way you write a language.

You should at least know a little thing in the language in the second week of the first month.
During the first month, make sure you learn variables, basic data structures, containers, and loops.

At this point, you might be waiting for when you will get better and start doing projects. Don’t wait! Start doing a project now.

Month 2


By now, you should’ve been comfortable with the language.

This is the time for you to learn functions. Immediately, the month begins, start learning functions. Make sure you understand it well. Try to ask questions whenever you get stuck but be careful to ask intelligent questions.

You should also start learning Git as Git is a very important part of programming jobs. I found this tutorial on Git and GitHub to be helpful https://try.github.io This one https://git-school.github.io/visualizing-git is also great.

Towards the end of the month, you should learn how to save to files with the language of choice. It’s easy to work with files in Python. However, it’s easy to pick it up quickly with JavaScript and Ruby.

You should also be practising with simple projects. Create things with the language. Solve little problems that are close to you.

Month 3

A good programming book should have introduced Regular Expression to you before the third month. But if you have not, you should start doing it now.

At this stage, you should start OOP, Object Oriented Programming. Be careful and pay attention as OOP can be complex and frustrating.

Use Google to search for things that you didn’t understand. Reach out to people in the programming community.

Try solving the Euler Problems now. Try your best to solve at least 15 this month.

Month 4


You should start preparing for the job.
This doesn’t mean you have to stop programming. No! Besides if you stop programming now, what are you going to work as?

You know enough by now to build a program.
But you will be tempted to build the next Facebook. That’s a trap!
Build small projects. In fact, this great advice comes from Daniel Moniz at PyCon Canada. He suggests that a programmer follows the three-day project format.
What that means is that you complete a useful project within three days.

You should also learn how to use the Command Line especially Bash. I'll try to not be a fanatic here but Bash is the gold standard for command line.

Work with people on Open Source projects. It’s a great way to get experience and it'll help you in the future as a programmer.

Start learning best practices in your programming language of choice. One popular one is DRY which is don’t repeat yourself. This basically means not writing the same code twice or code that does the same thing twice.

Learn to test programs. When you start testing programs at this stage, you will find out that testing programs in the future will not become burdensome to you.

Month 5


With the experiences gathered in the previous months, you should be able to work on some small projects effortlessly.

Try creating an account on freelancing platforms like Fiverr, Upwork etc. Bid for jobs or create a gig. You can even look for Facebook groups dedicated to programming to look for gigs.

Doing programming gigs will help you manage your time while working on a project. It also gives you a list of portfolios to build on. Besides gigs are unique and you might need to learn something new to be able to complete a project.

During your spare time, you can also consider volunteering for your favourite charity.

By now, you should have a LinkedIn account. Spend some few minutes on it daily making connections and contributing to discourse.

You should also be learning about programming especially areas like Algorithm and Databases. They are extremely important.

Do challenges like Fizzbuzz and other challenges. Many companies look for candidates who can through these challenges.

Start preparing for interviews. Look for common interview questions and start practising them.

Don’t forget the three-day project format. You would have gotten experience to build bigger projects that transcend a week.

Month 6


Phew!
We are in the sixth month already. Assuming your landlord has been forgiving all the time while waiting for you to land your six-figure job, you have about 30, 31 or 28 days (if it’s a February) to get a job.

If you have followed the suggestions so far, by now you should have a plethora of projects to show for your programming. On a side note, you should not owe your landlord after getting a few coins from last month freelancing.

You should start searching for a job but don’t stop programming.
If it was some years back, you might need to start jumping from one office to another searching for a job but now, it’s not so.
You should search for entry-level programming jobs. Entry level programming jobs tend to come with different titles like Junior Developer, Entry-Level Programmer, Entry-Level Coder, Entry-Level Developer, Developer Trainee, etc. Try to look at the requirements of the job.

Go to platforms like indeed.com... and don’t forget LinkedIn.

Put relevant skills on your CV.

Craft a good Cover Letter to accompany your CV.

Apply to as much as many organisations that you can apply to. Now, this is not a gamble of the higher you send the higher your chances but common-sense.

Get prepared for an interview.

Ouch!
That was much.
Getting a programming job is not an easy job. But if you’re committed and will not allow anything to limit you, you will end up getting a job within a short time. You will even be surprised at the testimony of those who got a job earlier than six months.

What really matters is doing it. Make sure you don’t short-change yourself. You will be deceiving yourself if you do not take it seriously thinking that you will get a job without committing to the plan. That’s like eating without you be sure of what you want to eat.

JobNowNowNg:
Are you recently out of a job or want a job?
Or you are thinking of switching career?

Well, you don’t need to worry much. There’s a field that offers you an easy way out.

Well, you might have heard people say it's not possible to learn programming and get a job in a short time.
If you think they are right, they are. That's because even a year or three years will not be enough for you.

You still don't believe? Maybe you should listen to Katy Hollobaugh “Ten months ago I gave myself one year to learn programming and get a job in the industry. Seven months ago I signed up for @LambdaSchool. Tomorrow is my first day of work. I think that "life changing decision" is an understatement.”. This is what she said after “My best advice is to have your heart set on the goal with or without Lambda. Lambda is an awesome program to help you get there, but it's all dependant on the work you put in!”

You only need to motivated yourself enough that you can do it.

One benefit of a programming job is that you don’t need a degree to get employment. If at all any organisation needs your degree, it’s because they want to be sure that your education made you exposed for their organisation.

Programming is also one of the highest paying jobs for an entry-level employee. Even in economically disadvantaged third world countries, the salary is monstrous.

If you are ready to work hard enough and not make excuse you can get a programming job within six months of learning.

Now, this guide will look at options that will make it as cheap, easy but intensive as possible for you to learn to how to programme.

First Thing First

For you to become a programmer, you have to learn a programming language. Assuming you are stuck somewhere and need six months to rearrange your life again you need to choose a programming language that’s easier to learn.
Python, JavaScript and Ruby rank among the languages you can learn.

Now, this is not the best language. No one is doing any “my language is better than your language here”. It’s because you need a job badly and needs a language you can pick up easily. What matters now is the job you want to get in six months time.

Personally, I’ll suggest Python. Not because of anything but because that’s what I use. JavaScript is also a great option.

You need to watch this video (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-OxzIC6pic). It’s from Harvard University. It’s one of the best introductions to Programming you will ever watch.
Then watch this one (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MgBikgcWnY), it’s from Josh Kaufman and it’s on how to learn by focusing on the most important parts of the skill.

Now, we’ll follow a timeline that will help you with a plan on getting a programming job within six months.

Please know that since I use Python, I may be a little biased towards Python.

You should know that books can only teach you. You will only know how to program by programming consistently.

Although not directly related to programming, you should learn how to write. You don’t need to write as good as Malcolm Gladwell, a little writing is important. This will give you an edge over other programmers.

Month 1

Whichever language you are going to learn, you should learn HTML. HTML is the language of the internet and whether you use other languages, you might need to work with HTML someday.

Take out the first week in your first month to learn HTML and CSS. You don’t need to be a master. Just learn it. This free course (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn) will help you learn the fundamentals of HTML. You can also try this one www.htmldog.com/guides/html. Nearly all these tuts over CSS as well.

After that one week. You should focus on the programming language of choice. If you choose python, you can download this free eBook "A Byte of Python" here - https://python.swaroopch.com or you can try www.learnpython.org also.

For JavaScript, this website www.learn-js.org is a good one. www.jsforcats.com is an interactive JavaScript course.

Play around with its basic syntax. The syntax is the way you write a language.

You should at least know a little thing in the language in the second week of the first month.
During the first month, make sure you learn variables, basic data structures, containers, and loops.

At this point, you might be waiting for when you will get better and start doing projects. Don’t wait! Start doing a project now.

Month 2


By now, you should’ve been comfortable with the language.

This is the time for you to learn functions. Immediately, the month begins, start learning functions. Make sure you understand it well. Try to ask questions whenever you get stuck but be careful to ask intelligent questions.

You should also start learning Git as Git is a very important part of programming jobs. I found this tutorial on Git and GitHub to be helpful https://try.github.io This one https://git-school.github.io/visualizing-git is also great.

Towards the end of the month, you should learn how to save to files with the language of choice. It’s easy to work with files in Python. However, it’s easy to pick it up quickly with JavaScript and Ruby.

You should also be practising with simple projects. Create things with the language. Solve little problems that are close to you.

Month 3

A good programming book should have introduced Regular Expression to you before the third month. But if you have not, you should start doing it now.

At this stage, you should start OOP, Object Oriented Programming. Be careful and pay attention as OOP can be complex and frustrating.

Use Google to search for things that you didn’t understand. Reach out to people in the programming community.

Try solving the Euler Problems now. Try your best to solve at least 15 this month.

Month 4


You should start preparing for the job.
This doesn’t mean you have to stop programming. No! Besides if you stop programming now, what are you going to work as?

You know enough by now to build a program.
But you will be tempted to build the next Facebook. That’s a trap!
Build small projects. In fact, this great advice comes from Daniel Moniz at PyCon Canada. He suggests that a programmer follows the three-day project format.
What that means is that you complete a useful project within three days.

You should also learn how to use the Command Line especially Bash. I'll try to not be a fanatic here but Bash is the gold standard for command line.

Work with people on Open Source projects. It’s a great way to get experience and it'll help you in the future as a programmer.

Start learning best practices in your programming language of choice. One popular one is DRY which is don’t repeat yourself. This basically means not writing the same code twice or code that does the same thing twice.

Learn to test programs. When you start testing programs at this stage, you will find out that testing programs in the future will not become burdensome to you.

Month 5


With the experiences gathered in the previous months, you should be able to work on some small projects effortlessly.

Try creating an account on freelancing platforms like Fiverr, Upwork etc. Bid for jobs or create a gig. You can even look for Facebook groups dedicated to programming to look for gigs.

Doing programming gigs will help you manage your time while working on a project. It also gives you a list of portfolios to build on. Besides gigs are unique and you might need to learn something new to be able to complete a project.

During your spare time, you can also consider volunteering for your favourite charity.

By now, you should have a LinkedIn account. Spend some few minutes on it daily making connections and contributing to discourse.

You should also be learning about programming especially areas like Algorithm and Databases. They are extremely important.

Do challenges like Fizzbuzz and other challenges. Many companies look for candidates who can through these challenges.

Start preparing for interviews. Look for common interview questions and start practising them.

Don’t forget the three-day project format. You would have gotten experience to build bigger projects that transcend a week.

Month 6


Phew!
We are in the sixth month already. Assuming your landlord has been forgiving all the time while waiting for you to land your six-figure job, you have about 30, 31 or 28 days (if it’s a February) to get a job.

If you have followed the suggestions so far, by now you should have a plethora of projects to show for your programming. On a side note, you should not owe your landlord after getting a few coins from last month freelancing.

You should start searching for a job but don’t stop programming.
If it was some years back, you might need to start jumping from one office to another searching for a job but now, it’s not so.
You should search for entry-level programming jobs. Entry level programming jobs tend to come with different titles like Junior Developer, Entry-Level Programmer, Entry-Level Coder, Entry-Level Developer, Developer Trainee, etc. Try to look at the requirements of the job.

Go to platforms like indeed.com... and don’t forget LinkedIn.

Put relevant skills on your CV.

Craft a good Cover Letter to accompany your CV.

Apply to as much as many organisations that you can apply to. Now, this is not a gamble of the higher you send the higher your chances but common-sense.

Get prepared for an interview.

Ouch!
That was much.
Getting a programming job is not an easy job. But if you’re committed and will not allow anything to limit you, you will end up getting a job within a short time. You will even be surprised at the testimony of those who got a job earlier than six months.

What really matters is doing it. Make sure you don’t short-change yourself. You will be deceiving yourself if you do not take it seriously thinking that you will get a job without committing to the plan. That’s like eating without you be sure of what you want to eat.

monimekaz:


Awesome stuff there !! Well articulated. May you never lack any good thing in life . You just inspired a soul that is normally very difficult to inspire .

Additives:
Thanks for the encouragement.

Skykid1208:
Thanks Boss!
Dammmm You just Fueled the flame

MOTIVATION++

deligatus:
Nice piece. Thanks

Karleb:
This thing easy for pen and paper but reality is often disappointing.

Even the whites that have steady internet, power and jobs with good offers often struggle to get a job sometimes.