How to become a Software Developer – Overview

It can be overwhelming, especially if you’re already working full-time, to get a new career started.  Software Development is a complex field with many options as well.  There’s a lot of information out there around languages and tools but not a lot that I’ve found around career strategy and transitioning into Software Development.  I want to give you a framework, the exact steps, to get you going and working as a Software Developer as quickly and confidently as possible.

Since you’ve found this post then you’re probably already interested in becoming a Software Developer so I really don’t have to sell you on it.  I do want to emphasize that you should ponder a little and do some ‘up front’ work to put yourself in the best place to succeed and understand the work in front of you.  I think that you can get there in 90 days given you’ve got the right ‘WHY’ and some typical traits that come along with development.  One of the most important aspects is your attitude, not how ‘smart’ you are.

This is the first post in a series about how to become a Software Developer.  If you follow along then you’ll have the building blocks to begin your exciting and rewarding new career as a developer!  I’m going to lay the groundwork for the series in this post so you’ll know what to expect.

At a high level, I’ll cover the following topics.

• Your WHY as a Software Developer – Are you looking for more money?  This is a good reason but you better have a bigger WHY if you want to be great.  Maybe you’re tired of a dead-end job and no opportunity for advancement.  You’re looking for a real career.  It could be that you’re tired of the same old thing day in and day out.  You want to be creative and make a difference.  Whatever it is, we’ll get it down so that you can move forward with purpose.
• The Software Developer Quiz – We’ll cover some questions to ask you begin.  This is the first exercise to help gauge where you are and understand where you need to be.
• Common Traits – I’ve listed 20 common traits that I see in the best developers, and possibly people in general, that I’ve worked with.
• What do you bring to the table?  How your work history and past experiences can help you as a Software Developer.
• 90 Day Plan – Create your plan and execute!  You can adjust this as needed but you need to set a deadline.
• Career Transition Time Management – Creating a Time Budget to implement your plan.
• Your Learning Plan – What language(s) and tools will you learn?  Degrees? Certifications?
• Gaining Experience – How will you get experience?  I’m talking about getting some real experience that will give you an advantage.
• Finding Your Mentor – I’ve heard it said that you’re the average of the five people that you spend the most time with.  I think that this holds some weight!  Find people that are where or on the way to where you want to be.
• Defining Your Dream Job – You need a dream to go along with your plan.  Dream big.
• Branding as a Software Developer – Creating your perfect base resume that you can craft for specific opportunities.  Want to start a blog or portfolio site?  Let’s get your LinkedIn profile whipped into shape!
• The Job Search – Create your company avatar and determine your top 20 companies.  Create your strategy to approach them.  We won’t assume that you want to work for ‘the man’ either.  We’ll cover free-lancing or the possibility of doing your own thing as well.
• Salary and Benefits Negotiation – What are you worth?  Don’t leave anything on the table.

I hope that you’re looking forward to getting started!  I’m looking forward to helping you and seeing you have success.  Any questions, hit me up over on the contact page.

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