

Beginner programmer, what should I know to get a dev job? - frogdart

I've just started programming (Learn Code the Hard Way), and the satisfaction I get from doing simple programs and getting them to run is something I haven't experienced with other interests/hobbies/jobs.<p>I really want to make a career out of this.<p>What should I learn in order to get a junior dev/entry level position? Where should I look?
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byoung2
Here's the short version of how I did it in just 5 years. I dabbled with
programming in college (perl), and then did some freelance on the side after
college (php) while working a full-time job. I quit my job in 2006 and did
freelance full-time for all of 2007. During this time I built up quite a
portfolio, demonstrating my skills at ajax, PHP, MySQL, etc. In 2008 I used
that portfolio to land a job at a startup willing to take a chance on me. I
used my experience at the startup to land a job at Internet Brands in 2009.
There I was able to work on sites that had millions of uniques per month, and
millions in revenue. I learned a lot about scaling, caching, and optimization
there while working on Ultimate Coupons and Steve's Digicams. I used that
experience to land a job at ClearChannel in 2010, where they take scaling to
the extreme. Here I built Rush Limbaugh's new website basically by myself.

I think the best place to start is doing freelance. Build up a portfolio that
shows off what you can do, while showing people you can see a job through to
completion, work with clients and their deadlines and demands, and supervise
yourself. Then use that as a stepping stone to get a great full-time job if
that's what you want.

