Hi, I'm 27 year old who decided to pursue web development as a career. My current job for last 3 years has been a data manager using XML markup at a newspaper. My undergrad major was a psych degree/premed.
I am studying materials and tutorials recommended from this forum (im focusing on ASP.net, C# and PHP) on my own. I realize breaking into the market is hard especially since I have no related degree.
I'm hearing mixed opinions from various boards saying that it's possible to transition to web development career by self study, building a portfolio, and/or internship. But from the job boards (dice.com, indeed.com, and craigslist) 95% of job postings seem to require a CS degree or related for internships and entry level positions.
How should I proceed? I'm in NYC. Should I go for a certification of some sort here? Are there worthwhile education resources available? I know NYU has a continuing education web developement certifcation program for 15K, which is a bit expensive. Should I start approaching employers once I built my portfolio? How can I find mentors in NYC? thanks.
lol nobody wants to tackle that question. There are many ways to approach such a career, as such, there is no set answer. Many people take the certification route and try to get on with a site development company. However, there is TONS of competition, and many many people have spent tens of thousands of dollars and 4 years in school getting a degree in web development or CIS or what-have-you only to end up working in road construction or something.
I myself am completely self-taught and make my living as a self-employed site developer/web host.
So there are no simple answers I'm afraid. It's all in how you want to tackle it. As for those jobs that "require" a degree, most of those employers will give the job to the guy with 10 years experience and no degree, over the guy who's fresh out of school, despite what the ad says.
My younger brother, for example, got a bachelor's in web development, but no one would hire him because he has zero experience. So he builds kitchen cabinets for a living.
I know it's no help, but you're going to have to decide what makes the most sense to you and take a leap of faith.
Hi,
I'm currently spending most of my time learning PHP/mysql now, but yes I'm still looking for positions. Could you tell me more about the position? my email is . thanks!
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