In today's article I wanted to tell you my story about how I became a C#/.NET developer. I'll tell you about how I learned to program, what was the best way to learn, how I would learn to program today, and how I became a developer.
The Beginnings
I'll admit that before going to my first job interview I was very stressed, I had spent a lot of time studying before, but I didn't know if I had enough knowledge to get a job. So I think that's always the first problem of people who want to become programmers. They don't know when is the right time to verify their knowledge, start looking for a job, send out their CVs and go to job interviews.
When to start looking for your first job?
It seems to me that if you have already spent a few months learning, you feel comfortable with creating applications or implementing new functions, you have basic theoretical knowledge, some portfolio, then this is the right time to start going to job interviews. Especially since you will also gain a lot of value from such interviews and with each subsequent interview you will do better and better. There is no point in delaying this process. The sooner the better. If you get your first job, then you will develop much faster, and if you do not manage to pass the interview positively, then nothing bad will happen either. Draw conclusions from it and keep trying. Even if you did not manage to get into your dream company the first time, you can send your CV again in a few months. However, it is best to try to send your CV to many companies. Then, even if you do not receive a job offer in one company, you may succeed in another.
How did I learn programming?
Returning to learning programming, before going to my first job interview, I must admit that I learned from many different sources:
1. Books
These were various types of books, from some introductions to the C# language through books dedicated to frameworks, ending with books on design patterns.
2. Blogs
I also followed many blogs about programming and tried to gain knowledge from them in handfuls.
3. Studies
I also went to college for computer science because I thought it was the best way to become a programmer. I don't regret that now because I learned a lot of general computer science knowledge, but I didn't learn programming there (just the basics).
4. Online courses
Then I decided that it was worth buying an online course in programming. These were also different courses, such as first creating desktop applications in Windows Forms, in WPF, or creating web applications in ASP.NET. I gained a lot of knowledge from them and it was the way of learning that suited me the most. Unfortunately, the biggest disadvantage of these courses was the lack of contact with the instructor. Here too, there were sometimes some errors and it turned out that some piece of code did not work and I had to search for knowledge myself to find out why it did not work for me.
5. Self-study
I also spent many hours on self-study, where I tested different solutions. I tried to implement what I learned from books, blogs, or courses.
6. Practice
Apart from that, I mainly practiced, sat down in front of the computer and simply programmed. I came up with an application that I wanted to create and simply implemented step by step all the functionalities that I had planned. If I didn't know something, I searched for information on the Internet or in my courses, to which I had previously purchased access. This is also a big plus of courses, you can always use them. If you have problems implementing a function in your application, you can copy the code from the course that you have previously completed.
Learning path
Unfortunately, I didn't have a clear path. I didn't know in what order to learn these topics. I didn't know how to put it all together to get the job I wanted. There was a lot of chaos there and I feel like I could have spent much less time and had the same effect. Luckily, I managed to pass my interview and get 1 job.
First job
As it turned out later, my first job wasn't so rosy. It was a small company and only a few programmers. Because of that, when I had a mistake, I had to deal with it myself many times. I always had to spend a lot of time looking for information and implementing the optimal solution.
Why am I telling you this?
Because I know that self-study is very hard and it is best to learn under the supervision of someone who has more experience than us. Thanks to this, we will pick up good patterns from the very beginning, we will not wander like a child in the fog, and as a result, we will save more time and find the job of our dreams faster. We will also develop faster.
The best way
That's why the Become a .NET Developer training was created, where it shows the best path to becoming a Junior C#/.NET Developer in my opinion. I gathered all my experience from a dozen or so years, which I gained, both from learning from other courses, books, blogs and, above all, from my work as a C#/.NET Developer. I worked full-time in several different software companies, as well as a freelancer and I am currently creating a SaaS application (including Create an Online Store, Blog in 5 minutes + several others in progress - I will also share with you how to create such applications).
Simple, organized process
I know what the work of programmers looks like from different perspectives. That's why I think it's worth helping people who want to follow the same path, and in the program I will share my experiences that I have gained over the years. I have put all my learning into a simple process, where I describe all the steps to becoming a programmer.
Become a .NET Programmer
In the Become a .NET Developer program, we combine several of the best ways to learn:
1. High-quality online training
Good quality online video training (access at any time).
2. Mentorship
Mentorship (I answer all questions and help with writing applications, if necessary, I also help after the training is completed).
3. Practice
Practice (I also help with problems, we learn by creating applications).
Online training
So this is the path I recommend to you the most at the moment and if you would like to Become a Programmer, I encourage you to join. We are currently collecting applications for the latest edition. You can join on the best terms only until next Friday until 10:00 p.m. Don't forget to use the discount code I informed you about earlier - enter the code dotnet when ordering and you will be able to join on the best terms.
Details: https://becomesoftwaredeveloper.com/
Questions?
If you have any questions or need help with a decision, please contact me by email, I answer all messages all day today.
Email address: kazik@codewithkazik.com
