So you want to develop software. Why? To make money? Or maybe it’s because you like to sit on your butt all day and get paid for it. Or like me, it’s to be able to provide for your family the best possible life you can.
If you think you’d like to be a software developer and you want to make money, and lots of it, then I’ve got 10 steps that you can follow that have worked pretty well for me. This is starting to sound like a sales pitch for Amway isn’t it. Sorry, I’ll try to make it more professional going forward. :))
- Purchase a computer. If you’re really serious about making money as a software developer, then you need to have quick access to a computer. It doesn’t need to be top of the line. Anything within 5 years old should do just fine.
- Select a platform. Do you like Microsoft Windows or are you a loyal Apple groupie? Which one you select will greatly determine your remaining 8 steps. I can tell you that you’ll have a greater chance of making more money (coin if your under the age of 20 and like to sound hip) if you select Microsoft Windows. Why? Because more corporations use Microsoft Windows than they do Apple’s Mac OS. Comparison here.
- Select a development language. One of the most popular would be .Net. I, of course, program in .Net, C# (pronounced C-Sharp). You could of course learn C++ which is killer to learn, or maybe Ruby on Rails which is very popular and used by 37 Signals for their web applications. To view a list of popular programming languages and what they are click here. I will tell you that in my opinion and experience, if you start with .Net and web development using ASP.Net you’ll have a greater chance of bringing in a good salary in a shorter amount of time.
- Purchase a “Learn XYZ in 14-days” book. If you’re going to be a software developer, the first skill you’ll need to master is being able to teach yourself. This usually comes in the form of a book or online articles. I would highly suggest you go with the book approach. Why? Because you seldom, if ever, can find an online article that takes you through a serious of lessons in an organized fashion. Most online articles or lessons teach you just one thing. If you go to your nearest chain book store such as Barnes and Noble or Borders you’ll be swamped with enough books to keep you busy for decades. Go for the “How to learn XYZ in 14-days” kind of book. XYZ being the language or your choosing.
- Become proficient in one language. In software development, employers are loosely looking for a jack of all trades, but mainly their looking for a master of one language. If you know a little about a lot of languages (software that is) it’ll become apparent during your interviewing process that you’re a little weak for the specific language skills an employer is looking for. Find a software language and master it. All the ancillary items such as database design, Object Oriented (OO) principles, etc. will come along as your experience grows.
- Get certified. Some say that certifications don’t help. That’s like saying If I have a degree from a prestigious university that you’re not going to take that into account. Yeah, it’s just a piece of paper, but it’s what the piece of paper represents. For an educational degree it shows determination and the ability to learn and complete something of value. The same is true for technical certifications. It shows your prospective employer that you have a drive to be the best and master your craft. I say take all the certifications you can. It may come down to a project lead looking over two resumes and the only difference is you have two more certifications than the other person. A great place to start learning about the certification process is here.
- Quit your job. Now that I have your attention. This bullet point is to explain that you’ll never make a large income if you’re a full time employee. I’m assuming you’re young and you’re ambitious. If you’re not and you need security and comfort then move to point 8 in this post. OK, if you’re still reading this then you’re either young or you’re curious as to how not becoming a full time employee will bring you a larger income. It’s been proven that to make a larger income you have to move from job to job in a short amount of time. Some call it job hopping. Typically in software development you can go two routes, either full time or contract. If you’re a full time employee, you typically stay at that job until you either quit, get fired, or they let you go due to down-sizing. If you’re a contractor, you work directly for a recruiting or staffing company such as TekSystems, Robert Half Technology, the list is endless. For a list of technology staffing companies click here. Job hopping also increases your knowledge base as you’re exposed to different technologies and methodologies.
- Develop your Soft Skills. Soft Skills. Learn them. Master them. They are your friend. Soft skills are what you do when you’re not behind your computer writing software. They’re that part of your day where you’re conversing with coworkers. It’s when you conduct yourself in a professional manner. It’s when you say and do the right thing. It’s learning to like people and get along with them in spite of their oddities that you may find annoying to no end.
- Moonlight. Just because you’ve had a hard day at work slaving over a hot keyboard doesn’t mean you should stop learning or creating software. When you go home, work on something of value. There are a lot of crappy software applications out there that need to have you come along and knock them down. Find an application that you want to write and you think it will bring you money. I’ve written TaskPilot as my first application and it has taught me a great deal about how to develop and distribute commercial software. So why moonlight? Because it teaches you to learn more. When you learn more than just what you get in your eight hour day at work you then become more valuable. More valuable equals more income and more possibilities. Employees pay in relation to your experience, they don’t pay based off of how well you dress or whether you come in at 8:00 sharp everyday. So learn more than just what you get during your work day. This has paid great dividends in my professional life and I’m sure it will yours too.
- Balance the load. We all want to make money. We all want a lot of things. But I can tell you from personal experience, you won’t get everything you want right this second. So keep your life in balance. Go to the gym regularly. Get some sleep. Enjoy your family and loved ones. If your goal is to make a lot of money as a software developer then keep in mind that you can’t enjoy all that money if you’re always sitting at your computer. Your significant other will despise your computer and what you’ve become and you’ll hate yourself for alienating everyone for the sake of a few more bucks. I know this from personal experience.
These 10 steps have personally worked for me to have a 6 figure income, so I know they’ll work for you. And this is coming from a former U.S. Marine with only a high school GED and no further educational training other than what I’ve taught myself from books and the Internet.
And in the imortal words of Spock, “Live long and prosper“
via http://betterbytheday.com/10-steps-to-become-a-high-paid-software-developer/
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