Programming is becoming more and more popular every year. More and more people want to try their hand at becoming a programmer. Some people, those who are more motivated and hard-working, do it better, while others do it a little worse. But is the work of a programmer really that easy and pleasant? Do programmers really earn as well as the media claims? Is it really worth becoming a programmer and is it worth becoming a .NET developer? In this article I will answer these questions for you. I will also present some advantages and disadvantages of working as a programmer.
ADVANTAGES OF WORKING AS A PROGRAMMER
For people who are wondering why it is worth becoming a programmer, let's start by presenting the most important advantages of this job.
-The first plus that I have to start with, because it is often the main motivator for people who want to become programmers, that is, earnings. You often hear that programmers earn a lot of money, but is this really the case? Truth be told, not always. Sure, a programmer can earn a lot, especially if we compare his earnings with other professions, but it takes a lot of time to earn at a good, high level. You won't get the kind of money in your first job that you often hear about in the media and various advertisements.
-Another advantage, in my opinion, is remote work, which means working from anywhere in the world. From my own experience, I know that remote work is a big plus, a great convenience, especially nowadays. I have been working primarily remotely for some time now and I see that this is actually a very good solution. Thanks to this, I can focus more on work and save a lot of time and money on commuting to the company. At this point I would like to emphasize that not everyone will like this type of work. I also know people who prefer stationary work at the company's headquarters. Especially for people who are just starting their adventure with programming, remote work can be a bit burdensome, because it is more difficult for such people to get used to a new company, because contact with other team members is certainly a little weaker, a little more difficult.
-Flexible working hours are another big advantage. If, for example, we have an appointment at the office or at the doctor's or any other place in the middle of the day, in most companies you can easily afford to go out in the middle of the day. You can then work a few hours in the morning, take a break and return to work, for example, in the afternoon. Of course, you won't benefit from such a privilege in all companies, but most of them do. So, in my opinion, this is also a very great convenience and I use it often. Sometimes working 8 hours can be burdensome and it is worth, for example, taking one break in the middle of the day for training or maybe a short walk and returning to work with new strength :)
-A lot of job offers. When you browse job offers on various portals with such advertisements, you have surely noticed that there are plenty of job offers for programmers. Of course, we are aware that most companies are looking for experienced programmers, but there are also many such job offers for younger programmers.
-There are also a number of other benefits, such as multisport cards, health care, development days, English lessons, etc. Some companies have so-called reset rooms with various attractions, such as table football or the possibility of playing on a console.
DISADVANTAGES OF A PROGRAMMER'S WORK
Of course, it's not always so rosy and the work of a programmer also has a lot of disadvantages. I will now discuss some of the most important ones.
-First of all, you need to know that there is a lot of learning in the profession of a programmer, and if you want to earn a lot, unfortunately you have to constantly educate yourself. It's not like you learn one framework once and you'll program your entire career in it. There are always plenty of new products on the market that you should stay up to date with. Of course, this is not mandatory, I know plenty of programmers who don't spend much time on their own development, but are still good programmers. However, if you want to earn well, not be afraid of your future and be good at your profession, you need to further your education.
-Another disadvantage that is often forgotten, especially by younger programmers, is the fact that you have to spend most of your day in front of the computer, which may also affect your health. The worst thing is poor nutrition combined with lack of exercise. Therefore, if you become a programmer, remember to spend your free time actively. You can start doing some sports or at least short walks, because over time you will have more and more health problems. Unfortunately, you may not realize it at first, because such problems only appear after a few years.
-Sometimes you may have to create a new application or add some important new functionality that the customer is waiting for. Also, when the deadline is approaching and you are still far from the solution, then time pressure appears, which is known to never have a positive effect on your work. Therefore, the work of a programmer can sometimes be stressful, which also has a negative impact on health.
-At first glance, a programmer's job may seem interesting, and in my opinion it often is, but it also often becomes monotonous because we often do similar things. Over time, such work may also lead to burnout, which is quite common in this profession. This can lead to you losing the desire to program or even look at the code. Then you need to look for a distraction, maybe a change in project, position, maybe even company, and ultimately even profession.
Despite these disadvantages, I highly recommend you follow this path, the work of a programmer is extremely developing and has changed a lot in my life for the better.
WHY IS IT WORTH BECOME A .NET DEVELOPER?
I presented you the basic advantages and disadvantages of working as a programmer. Now let's move on to the next question, that is, why should you become a .NET developer?
When writing on the .NET platform, specifically in C#, you have many possibilities. C# is a very popular, high-level, object-oriented programming language. Currently, it is constantly being developed and can even be run not only on Windows, but also on other operating systems, such as Linux or MacOS. There is still a lot of work for .NET programmers on the market. C# has a relatively low entry threshold, after a few weeks of learning you can already write quite useful applications that can actually solve some user problems.
You can create many different types of applications in C# on .NET. Among other things, you can create Console Applications, Desktop Applications in both Windows Forms and WPF. You can create Mobile Apps in Xamarin, Web Apps in ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET Core and Blazor, windows services, Web API. So you really have a lot to choose from.
WHICH PATH TO CHOOSE?
There are many types of applications you can create, so which path should you choose? Currently, if you are starting learning, I would recommend you choose one of these 3 paths, depending on what will give you the most pleasure. You can choose to write Desktop Applications, here I suggest choosing WPF (also with basic knowledge of Windows Forms), writing Mobile Applications in Xamarin or, and this is the path that I would recommend you the most at the moment, writing Web Applications, specifically in ASP.NET Core (also with at least basic knowledge of ASP.NET MVC) and Blazor. Of course, it would be a good idea to try writing each type of application to see what works best for you. However, most job offers are currently for web programmers, so in my opinion this is the most future-proof path. However, as I mentioned earlier, there is also a lot of work for programmers who prefer other paths.
SUMMARY
I hope that in this article I managed to explain to you the most important advantages and disadvantages of being a programmer. You must know that this job, like any other, also has its drawbacks and is not always as colorful as it appears in the media. However, I hope that with this article I have not discouraged you from this work. If you are interested in programming, I highly recommend you try this path. Remember that beginnings are difficult. If you don't know where to start or if you have any questions, please write in a comment or directly to my email.
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