Can i get a programming job without a computer science degree?

[Jonatron5]

I am currently in school majoring in IT. I started out wanting to do computer science but the calculus scared me off. Now that im a junior and have gotten my feet wet in the IT world, so to speak. I have found i really enjoy programming. And im pretty good at it too. I am in the second half of my first programming class, doing C# and i have already seen some amazing potential here.

I had sort of decided i wanted to be a programmer but i got scared for a minute when I realised i am not a computer science major.

So if i applied for a programming job with a BS in IT and A+ Net+ Security+ Would i have anychance to get it? Or are those purely for the computer science guys?

I understand that if i get my degree get a good job and (stay away from techsupport) ill have a promising well paying career nomatterwhat, but i am commiting the cardinal sin of buissness and getting emotionally attached to programming.

 

[Solandri]

Depends on supply and demand. Generally the demand for programmers far exceeds the supply, so companies will take all sorts of people with applicable degrees - engineering, math, and physics are the common ones. I don't see IT as being so far off that it would hurt your job prospects. A friend of mine desperate for programmers during the first tech bubble found that hiring musicians actually worked pretty well. Something about how the brain processes music transfers well to programming.

The CS degree I see as being more important for folks who are programming tech software - compilers, operating systems, AI, etc. For companies producing a physical product... I interned with Lockheed while I was an undergrad, and my manager flat-out told me not to bother optimizing my code. It was cheaper for them to buy faster computers to run my code, than to have me waste time trying to optimize it. That heavily influenced my decision to major in engineering instead of CS.

If you still have an opportunity to complete Calculus, I would recommend taking it and forcing yourself to learn it. A lot of the advanced programming concepts rely on calculus or associated math. The degree is just a piece of paper which will help you land your first couple jobs. After that, the jobs you can get depend mostly on your experience and whether or not you know stuff like calculus.

 

[Kewlx25]

CS has little to do with programming but it does overlap. It's more about theory and is important for making advanced algorithms or new datastructures, but will teach you almost nothing about programming, like architecture, designing, writing clean code, or best practices. CS is to programming as theoretical physics is to making a rocket.

I got a degree in Computer Information Systems. It was well balanced between theory and practice and covered many topics ranging from programming to discreet math to network security to server administration.

Of course a degree is only as useful as the school that provides it. There are plenty of good programmers who have an unrelated degree like philosophy.

 

[Jonatron5]

Ok sweet. Now what about entry level pay?

I live in GA and entry level for computer programmers in some of the big cities is absurdly high.

Is this correct???


https://secure.gacollege411.org/Career_Planning/Career_Profile/Career_Profile.aspx?id=TxKIzV2O7Iq32rrTFXAP2BPAXmJgwXAP3DPAXXAP3DPAX&screen=5

 

[USAFRet]

Ok sweet. Now what about entry level pay?

I live in GA and entry level for computer programmers in some of the big cities is absurdly high.

Is this correct???


https://secure.gacollege411.org/Career_Planning/Career_Profile/Career_Profile.aspx?id=TxKIzV2O7Iq32rrTFXAP2BPAXmJgwXAP3DPAXXAP3DPAX&screen=5

"Entry level" for those "absurdly high" salaries, you'd better have a degree, experience (internships or demonstrated OS), and be really really good.

What can you show me?

 

[Jonatron5]

That website is supposedly legit. But i agree thoae entry level salaries looked too good to be true.

I will have a degree, ive been doing computers my whole life and code in my spare time if that counts as experince idk. And im trying really hard to get a senior year internship

So realistically what would be an entry level figure?

Im not hoping for 50 grand straight out of college. But i would be upset if i didnt atleast make 35-40.

I dont know though, comlumbus is a pretty big city. That might actually be entry level at 50. (Or so i hope)

 

[USAFRet]

What you may see in the interview:
"Show me something you've built"
or "Show me some of your code"

I've seen awesome people hired with no degree at all. I've seen people with a PhD with zero clue.

 

[Jonatron5]

Thanks aton man. What sort of code portfolio should i build? Like save back school final projects?

Like what would be impressive in an interveiw?

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks aton man. What sort of code portfolio should i build? Like save back school final projects?

Like what would be impressive in an interveiw?

Portfolio? Anything you've done.

 

[MarinaOlenska]

Hello. I don’t think the degree matters that much. If your programming skills are good you’ll find a job easily. I know a lot of talented developers who are self-taught – they’ve just gained experience with the help of freelance software development projects. You can try doing this as well; there are places where you can find entry-level projects online. This board, for example: https://www.xplace.com/dev/jobs. The rates there are high and it’s commission free.