How To Begin A Computer Programmer Career Without A College Degree

You can become a computer programmer by going to college to study computer science and beginning an entry level computer programmer job after college. However if you cannot afford to spend two or fours years in college, studying computer science before you begin your programming career, you can learn programming from experienced developers or teach yourself computer programming from scratch using whatever textbooks, training classes, courses and coaching programs you can afford. In this article I will show you how to become a computer programmer without going to college or studying computer science.

Not having a computer science degree or entering the programming job market with a high school degree is not as difficult as you may think. This is because when it comes to programming, employers put more emphasis on your ability to write good quality code than your educational credentials. Many programmers have taken advantage of this to forgo college and focus on developing their programming skills to the best of their ability.



What Do Employers Want?
Employers want to see good competent software developers more than anything else. Whether you taught yourself programming at home or you enrolled in college or get some computer programming training or studied from reading books or you bought a home distance or correspondence course, you still have to make over your resume, prepare for your programming interviews, find programming jobs, send your resume in and write code. And employers expect you to write good quality code, design your applications, document your applications etc. regardless of how you learnt computer programming.



What Do You Really Need To Become A Computer Programmer
In other to learn programming and become a computer programmer, all you need is a reasonably fast computer, an internet connection (preferably a high speed internet connection), a study guide, a learning plan that specifies what programming languages you need to learn and in what order and some free time. The most important decision you have to make is what programming languages you will elarn and where you will get the information you need to study (online courses, home study courses, training programs, textbooks, software developer coaching etc.) If you set your mind on it, you can literally start to learn computer programming today and be working as a full-time software developer or contract programmer in as little as 4 to 6 months. The critical difference between those people who seem to have learnt programming in a few months and gotten lucrative jobs and those who seem to be spinning their wheels is the quality of information or study plan they adopted and followed.



Yes, You Can Get A Computer Programming Job Without A College Degree
After more than 10 years, spent working several software development jobs, I have a lot of personal, intimate knowledge of how the industry works. I have worked with talented software programmers who got into programming with a high school education or dropped out of college to begin a programming career. So, I am always a bit surprised when someone that I am coaching or someone who runts into me on my blog at www.IT-CAREER-COACH.NET tells me they can not start their programming career because they do not have a college education or a computer science degree.
If you are saying this to yourself, then you are just making excuses for not taking action. Let me tell you that from my experience as a software developer mentor, I have discovered that people make excuses to themselves because they are not ready to hold themselves accountable to results. So, they either complain about how old they are or how poor they are or they complain about the time it will take them to learn programming or complain that they cannot afford to go to college and study computer science or complain that programming textbooks are too expensive and they go on like that. Okay, I am telling you now that there is nothing stopping you from beginning your programming career if you really want to and it's not as hard as you think it is.



Now Is The Best Time To Become A Computer Programmer
I have answered your quest on how to become computer programmer without going to college and it is now your turn to act on all the information you just received on how to succeed in programming. On my blog at www.IT-Career-Coach.NET, I coach, mentor and train individuals from all over the world who want to transition to a software developer career or become an expert computer programmer. MY experience has shown me people do not achieve their goals when they are too scared to act. People are usually scared to act when they are misinformed and do not have enough information or accurate information. But by raising the level of awareness of how possible and easy it is to start a programming career and succeed at it on my www.IT-CAREER-COACH.NET blog, I have been successful at helping people transition into and succeed at computer programming.
If you want to learn programming or become an expert computer programmer, I recommend you read "the street smart guide to computer programmer careers" book which shows you how to learn computer programming in as little as 4 months. The book will shave years off your learning curve by showing you how to learn programming fast, how to improve your resume, how to ace programming job interviews and how to gain the programming experience that helps you succeed easily.

How You Can Improve Your Credit Score Without Working Two Jobs

If you use credit, have a loan, or even ever considered getting one, you've heard of your credit score. Based on information in your credit reports, the FICO score is used in 90% of lending decisions, according to myfico.com.

While the exact combination and formulation of the score is a closely-guarded secret, the factors that can improve your score are public knowledge. There are tangible, strategic actions you can take to increase your score and improve your rating, giving you access to better loan products and lower interest rates. Most of these are strategies you can implement without changing the amount of money you spend each month; the system works a certain way so make sure you know how to work it.

Know your score

This one seems obvious, but many people have no idea where they stand on the spectrum. This one doesn't need to cost you a dime, as The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) mandates the three credit reporting agencies Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion provide you a copy of your credit report every year, upon your request, for free. You can always pay for the report if you've got money to burn, but annualcreditreport.com is the government site where you can get it free. Check it for accuracy, look at the positive and negative information, and note your score. Alternatively, you can also get your FICO score directly from the Fair Isaac Corporation, but this option will come at a nominal cost.

Use your cards, just not too much

The best way to improve your credit is by using what you have responsibly. Keep your total use of credit cards under 30% of your total available credit limit. We're talking about the amount you use and pay off every month, not the amount of debt you carry. If you can, using 10% of the limit will help even more.

Don't close the cards you pay off

You save and scrimp, finally pay off the balance on that card and in a cathartic moment of happiness, cut up the card and throw it away, thinking that will help your credit score. Wrong. Older accounts are a positive indicator and reducing your overall available credit limit makes you less appealing to lenders. That's two reasons to leave that card open.

Have more than credit cards on your credit report

Lenders like to see a variety of credit products. If you have a mortgage or auto loan already, this should do the trick. If you don't, consider taking out an installment loan to pay off a balance on an existing card to improve your score.

Be date-conscious

Credit inquiries show up on your credit report. If you're shopping a loan like a mortgage or an auto-loan, multiple entries within a 30-day period will only count once. A continual habit of applying for credit at multiple institutions does not look good. Pick your window and stick to it.

Pay those bills on time

This last one is obvious to most people, but we have to mention it. Late payments hurt your credit. Prioritize your budget to pay at least the minimum amount due every month.