How to get a job in coding

To get a job in coding you can either attend a university to obtain a bachelor's degree associated with coding, or complete a web development programming boot camp.

Here is a guide to getting a job in coding:

Get a bachelor's degree

The most important step in getting a job as a software engineer is to complete the necessary education or training it takes to become one. If you go the traditional route at a university, here are some bachelor's degrees that can get you a job in coding:

• Software Engineering

• Software Development

• Computer Engineering

• Computer Science

There are other bachelor degrees that can get you a job in coding, however, these four are your best bet.

Attend a coding boot camp

Now for the less traditional, (but growing in popularity route), you can try coding boot camps. These boot camps cost anywhere between $10,000 to $20,000 on average, and only take a matter of weeks to complete. After completion, your job prospects are generally the same as someone who has obtained a degree in software engineering.

Modern companies are finding it hard to fill software engineering positions because the amount of open software engineering roles is more than the amount of software engineering degree holders. Because of this, many companies do not care if you have a degree, only that you possess the necessary qualifications for the position.

Another bonus of boot camps is that they often provide more practical, up-to-date real-world training and experience than universities.

Develop a work portfolio

Coding boot camps are a great start for this, but even if you get a bachelor's degree, it is important to develop a coding portfolio before applying to jobs. You can do personal coding projects that you can then include in the portfolio. Or you attempt to find low-paying or even unpaid work as a coder just to build up your portfolio.

Network

Networking is vital to getting a job in just about any industry and coding is no different. If you attend a school or a coding boot camp, be sure to establish connections with your peers and instructors. You can also reach out on professional social media networks to experienced coders

These may turn out to be invaluable relationships down the line in your coding career.

Prepare for a coding interview

To do this you should practice your craft, as most coding interviews will have coding tests or mini-assignments you will have to complete.

You should also research the company you are interviewing with. In particular, try to find previous or current employee's statements about the company's interview process and likely questions you are going to get.

To give you a general idea of what to expect, here are some common coding interview questions:

• Tell us about some of your personal projects you have developed. What were the challenges and how did you find solutions?

• In Java, explain how to reverse an array in place.

• What is a Linked List?

• What are Binary Trees? And how do we print all the leaves?

Keep honing your skills

Even if you get a great job as a coder, it is important to keep on enhancing your skills and to stay up to date with current industry trends.

To do this, many coders complete coding challenges. There are many different kinds of coding challenges, ones that are appropriate for beginners, and those that are more applicable to veteran coders.

You can also look to complete and obtain professional coding certifications. These prove that you have certain coding skills and talents. Obtaining them will also have a positive effect on the likelihood of you getting a job as a coder.