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HOW TO BEGIN YOUR PROGRAMMING CAREER AND INCREASE YOUR INCOME BY 30%, 60% OR 100%
By Kingsley Tagbo
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Kingsleys career spans more than a decade of experience in various high demand Information Technology (IT) positions in Business Analysis, Database Development, Project Management, Software Consulting, Software Sales, Contract Programming, Web Development and IT Management.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Introduction
Planning for a high paying job in a high demand career is not easy. The "Street Smart Guide To High Paying Computer Programming Careers" e-Book addresses this difficulty by providing career coaching and guidance on how to get into the fastest growing occupations, top paying careers, jobs in high demand and skills in high demand.
The e-Book is based on my decade of Information Technology (IT) experience in various high demand careers including Business Analysis, Database Development, Project Management, Software Consulting, Software Sales, Contract Programming, Web Development and IT Management. My goal is to help you take the quickest and most direct route to finding a top paying high demand job in the fast growing occupation of computer programming.
How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.........................................................................................2 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................3 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BECOME A PROGRAMMER ..........................7
Job Security: ________________________________________________________________________ 7 High Pay: ___________________________________________________________________________ 7 Multiple Streams of Income: ___________________________________________________________ 7 Multiple Career Paths: ________________________________________________________________ 8 Job Satisfaction: _____________________________________________________________________ 8 Intellectual Satisfaction: _______________________________________________________________ 8 Low Entry Barrier to Programming Carriers:_____________________________________________ 9 Rapid Career Advancement: ___________________________________________________________ 9 Chance to Change the World: _________________________________________________________ 10
MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CAREERS AND COMPUTER PROGRAMMING JOBS ....................................12
Myth #1: Computer programming is for technology geeks. _________________________________ 12 Myth #2: You have to be good at math to be a programmer. ________________________________ 12 Myth #3: You have to study computer science in college to become a programmer. _____________ 12 Myth #4: The job market is saturated with too many programmers. _________________________ 13 Myth #5: Most of the computer programming jobs have been out-sourced. ____________________ 13 Myth #6: Computer programming takes years to learn. ____________________________________ 13 Myth #7: Computer programmers only work with computers, they dont get to work with people. 13
How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Poor Interviewing Skills Will Keep Job Offers Away ______________________________________ 17 You Have To Master The Art Of Studying At Home_______________________________________ 17 Do You Know How To Plan Your Career?_______________________________________________ 18 Failing To Identify What Employers Want_______________________________________________ 19
STARTING AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CAREER WITHOUT REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE ......................................................................................23 GETTING PAST RESUME AND INTERVIEW HURDLES TO A HIGH PAYING JOB ....................................................................................................................23 BECOMING A SOFTWARE DEVELOPER WITHOUT A COLLEGE EDUCATION ......................................................................................................23 BECOMING A SOFTWARE CONSULTANT WITHOUT A COMPUTER SCIENCE DEGREE............................................................................................24 INTERVIEWING SECRETS THAT GET YOU HIRED ........................................25
Be confident.________________________________________________________________________ 25 Gain experience. ____________________________________________________________________ 26 Show proof. ________________________________________________________________________ 27 Dress tastefully. _____________________________________________________________________ 28 Know your job. _____________________________________________________________________ 29 Speak up. __________________________________________________________________________ 29 Listen hard. ________________________________________________________________________ 30 Be prepared.________________________________________________________________________ 31 Service always comes first. ____________________________________________________________ 32 Don't bad mouth your previous employer. _______________________________________________ 33
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Job Security:
Computer programmers are in high demand because there are more programming jobs than there are programmers. Computer programmers are needed in the military, hospitals, small businesses, fortune 1000 organizations.
High Pay:
Because the demand for computer programmers outstrips the supply, computer programmers tend to be highly paid. However, not all career paths in computer programming are in high demand. Computer programmers with skills in hot technologies are highly sought after and command high pay.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Job Satisfaction:
Because programmers tend to have a lot of options in terms of which company they can work for, which career track to choose and how much they get paid, they tend to like their jobs and be passionate about their career. Because the work that programmers do can be traced to specific software, components or features, they also tend to take pride in their work and feel satisfied with their craft.
Intellectual Satisfaction:
Programmers have the ability to visualize their software applications, design it and create it. Programming is a career that keeps your mind alert and engaged in solving puzzles. So, programmers tend to use
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
their mind, their initiative and their imagination to solve business problems. This intellectual stimulation creates a more interesting and inspiring career.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
limited by your experience or your age, or your education or by some hidden laws that limit how much you get paid. If you are a hard working person your success in computer programming guaranteed!
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Without computer programmers, the modern day civilization as we know it will cease to exist.
Having listed a few of the reasons why you should take up a career in computer programming, you will think that by now, everyone will be a computer programmer.
However, there would be more computer programmers today if not for some major misconceptions about computer programming:
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Myths and Misconceptions about Information Technology Careers and Computer Programming Jobs
Myth #1: Computer programming is for technology geeks.
The reality is that the Project Manager, Business Analyst, Tester, Manager, Sales Executive, Recruiter, Technical Writer, Web Developer, Web Designer and other roles in the programming industry require different personality types and there is no one personality that fits all the roles or jobs.
Myth #3: You have to study computer science in college to become a programmer.
The reality is that professionals with backgrounds in English, Arts, Music, Sales, Engineering, Mathematics, Psychology, Retailing, etc. are employed as computer programmers and there is no one formal degree required for employment in computer programming.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Myth #4: The job market is saturated with too many programmers.
The reality is that if you have marketable computer programming skills with real world experience, recruiters will be calling you with job interviews and job offers.
Myth #5: Most of the computer programming jobs have been out-sourced. The reality is that there is such a high demand
for computer programmers in the USA, that programming jobs go unfilled every day.
Myth #7: Computer programmers only work with computers, they dont get to work with people.
The reality is that programmers need good people skills because they have to interact with both the users of their software and their team
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
members. The truth is that people skills are highly valued in computer programmers.
Are any of these myths holding you back? These myths are not true.
However there are some major obstacles to becoming a professional computer programmer that can derail your career and I will discuss these on the next page.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
because employers and recruiters want Visual Basic .NET or C#.NET skills and not Visual Basic 6.0 skills.
To make your resume stand out, you have to learn how to apply for specific job postings, make your resume searchable with the right buzzwords and present the recent jobs and technologies you have worked on. Your resume will become outdated if you do not take the time to update it with recent relevant experience or if you do not update it on an on-going basis.
Note: Simply listing the jobs you worked on will not get you serious attention because there is an art to writing a winning resume.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
If you are not comfortable with the interviewing process, lack the confidence to present your skills or are in-adequately prepared you will limit your chances of getting a job offer.
Poor interviewing skills may arise out of poor technical preparation, low self esteem and confidence, weak presentation skills, inadequate background research or poor interviewing habits.
If learn how to excel at technical interviews, you will be rewarded with good job offers and if you are not, you will hardly make it in the industry.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
The internet and new innovations in Information Technology increase the quantity and quality of information available to organizations. Businesses are getting leaner, more efficient and more competitive. Employers are less tolerant of mistakes and in-efficiencies on the part of their employees. Employees are expected to have more skills, be more educated, responsive and intelligent and flexible in taking care of their employers business interests. The NEW paradigm for employees is rapid self-learning on the job.
Keeping up with the amount of books, papers and articles relating to new computing technology can be challenging.
If you do not have a strategy for mastering new technologies and new work related information quickly, your career will suffer period.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
norm to transition to more lucrative opportunities within your organization, industry, country or across the globe every few years. If you fail to manage your career pro-actively, you may find yourself the victim of the next downsizing trend without any future career prospects. Now the challenge is upon you to set your career goals and define measurable objectives and actionable plans for achieving career success as you define it. If you fail to plan your career, you are planning to fail in your career.
If you dont really understand what the market is looking for, you may find yourself without a job. If you are able to decipher what employer or client wants, you will be offered the top paying opportunities. It is a winner takes all game!
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Discover which hi-tech career best suits your goals, lifestyle, passion, strengths and interests
Study a programming language from the comfort of your home and in your spare time without thousands of dollars or wasting years
Learn the secrets of creating an in-demand computer career using your resume, your e-mail and the internet
Prepare killer cover letters and resumes the kind that gets employers attention
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Find well paying computer jobs on the internet and apply for job postings from your home
Receive job offers even when you have little or no previous experience, education or training
Here are the tools that will help you achieve your goals:
1. E-Books: "The Street Smart Guide to High Paying Computer Programming Careers". Fast paced and rapid results book for you if you want a high paying and rewarding career working with computers as a computer programmer or a software consultant. Get a copy now at becomeacomputerprogrammer.com
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
2. Private Forums: Online discussion groups where you can ask questions about jumpstarting your career, fast tracking your Information Technology skills, and building a rewarding career in Information Technology. You can get personalized career solutions or re-use existing solutions posted in this private members only forum. The fastest, cheapest way right now to get into these groups is to get a free invitation at becomeacomputerprogrammer.com
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Below are some specific ways I can fast track your computer programming career.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
asking you to back to school. My coaching allows you to build a fun career without taking on additional school loans or attending expensive schools. Your lack of a college degree will not hinder or stop you from getting the career of your dreams.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
One of the challenges of software consulting is that while the recruiting firm or client may tell you that their project would last for six months, in reality their project may last for one month or two years. The only leverage that consultants, contractors or employees have is to remain marketable. This means that if you are in the market for work, you must consistently engage the kind of skills that are in demand with clients and employers. Maintain a network of recruiters and be prepared to educate potential new clients, hiring managers, recruiters and employers through job interviews on how you can create meaning for their companies and organizations.
Be confident.
Employers want you to be confident. Look them in the eye and tell them you can do the job. It is as simple as that. If you are not confident of the value and meaning that you can create for a potential employer or client, you will find it difficult to convince them to hire
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
you. This is because if you are not convinced that you can do the job, your potential employer or client will see the lack of confidence as an indication that you may be unqualified to do the job. The employer may start questioning the accuracy of your resume, your skills, your experience, your compensation and your competence. Not only this, employers conduct critical reviews of their new consultants and employees during the first three months of their relationship. If you exhibit a lack of self confidence, the people you report to or work with will notice and relate it back to your hiring manager who will count it against you during those first 3 months when opinions and impressions are being formed about your performance. So, a lack of confidence will create obstacles for you at the interview as well as when you are hired.
Gain experience.
Gain real life experience or entry level experience one way or another. It is hard to convince a prospective employer that you are qualified to do a job if you can not show on your resume that you are doing it. This is one of the situations where "action speaks louder than words". So, it is not enough to tell a prospective employer that you can do the job; you have to show them that you have done the job.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Your experience, no matter how little it may appear proves more than anything else, your ability and qualification for a job. Employers really do believe in the maxim, that "past behavior or job performance is a good predictor of future behavior and performance".
Gaining experience may be easier than you think. Here is how you can do it. Break down the job you want to interview for into smaller roles and responsibilities, then volunteer for those roles. For example, if you want to interview for a sales job, you may participate in activities that involve raising money for non-profits by calling organizations and meeting them in person to convince them to donate money to the charity of your choice.
Show proof.
Demonstrate that you are the right candidate for the job. There are many ways to prove you are a good candidate for the job. Use some or all of the following words to offer proof. You studied . . . in college, you participated in an event about . . ., your hobby is . . . , you volunteered for . . ., you worked on . . ., you achieved . . ., you organized . . ., you are certified in, you have acquired skills in . . ., you are trained in . . ., you achieved . . . for . . .
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Dress tastefully.
Dress well for your interviews. Dress in a way that portrays you as a confident successful person. Once I interviewed for a job in Tulsa, OK, over the phone. The owner of the consulting firm was not sold on hiring me, according to his narrative. However, I met him in person and he presented me with an offer within the first 30 minutes of the interview. According to him, he felt compelled to make the offer because of my carriage, dressing and presence.
Dressing well for interviews goes beyond wearing a shirt, tie or jacket. It includes the quality of your clothing, your shoes and other accessories. It is more about how well your clothing fits on you and less about how much money you spend on your wardrobe. It is also more about cultivating a dressing style that enhances your physical presence, carriage and personality.
Have a friend with good dress sense critique your dressing for your interview. I got my own dress sense mostly from my college best friend Jude. Jude grew up in an upper middle class family and learned how to dress simply and fashionably as a kid. He would critique my wardrobe and assist me in shopping for new shirts, ties and jackets. Today, I am glad I listened to him, whenever people complement me on my appearance.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Speak up.
Be prepared to speak well about the topics you profess to be skilled in. The interview is a chance to sell your position, knowledge or experience about the topic. If you can not, you may be seen to be somewhat of a weak or incompetent candidate. If you are challenged about speaking or presenting, join a fun public speaking club like Toastmasters International. Remember that your ability to speak well will make or break you at interviews more than any other ability.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
If you have any sort of accent (regional accent or country based accent), speak clearly and slowly to your interviewer. Bear in mind that in todays world, your interviewer may not even be an American, or from the same region of the country as you are. Therefore, practice simple and universal rules of crystal clear speaking. Again, Toastmasters International will help you in that respect.
Listen hard.
Listen very attentively to the questions you are asked at the interview. Answer the question you are asked, and then shut up! There is no point in boring your interviewer(s) with a long treatise or miss the point altogether because you were not paying adequate attention to the question. When you miss the point, it may be an indication to your client that your listening skills are not up to par. The problem is that your listening skills equate to how well you can follow instructions and execute orders at work. Poor listening skills therefore can result in poor on the job performance. Because of this, an astute interviewer could ding you for not listening well, thereby hurting your chances of getting the job you are interviewing for.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Be prepared.
Questions like: what is your most significant achievement and why? What is your least significant achievement and why? Are often more difficult than their cousin, explain this feature or this technique, because they probe your motivations, inner strengths and weaknesses.
I remember an interview with Procter & Gamble six months after graduating from college. I had delayed looking for employment by six months to sharpen my computer skills. The HR manager, on learning this fact, accused me of being inconsiderate of my parents financial commitment in sending me through several years of engineering school by delaying my entry into the job market. I was speechless for a moment, as I considered the injustice of the accusation. Frankly, I wasnt impressed by this line of questioning. However, I summoned my wits and calmly stated that the reason for delaying my entry into the job market was to enhance my marketability and competitiveness as a chemical engineer by acquiring strong computing skills. Needless to say, I got the job as a Proctor & Gamble management trainee. Looking back, I realize that the interviewer framed his question to arouse some strong emotional reaction like anger or resentment. Now, I am convinced that if I had reacted emotionally, I would not have gotten the job.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
Years ago, I got a foothold with my first information services consulting employer by asking myself the following two questions: What can I offer this consulting firm, coming from a chemical engineering background? What is the need of this consulting firm that I can meet? I answered these questions by offering my promotional skills which were better aligned with the needs of the company than my technical or engineering skills. By putting my potential employer first, I was able to come up with a win-win solution for both the firm and myself.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
No, you dont. There are no legal requirements that I am aware that stipulate a college or computer science degree or some certification for professional computer programmers. Does my previous working experience count? You will be able to transfer your soft skills. Your communication, leadership, time management, writing, problem solving and negotiation skills will be transferable. In addition, your knowledge of specific business processes and industries can be transferred as well. Is it expensive to become a programmer? It is not expensive to become a programmer if you follow the plan laid out in my e-Book at BecomeAComputerProgrammer.Com. If you already have a computer and an internet connection then you have paid for the most expensive part of your programmer. What is the lifestyle of programmers like? You will be able to earn a consistent, regular, sizeable paycheck on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. You will be in-demand and that means that you will find it easier than in many other professions to find jobs. You will be the architect of your own fortune. You will be able to work in professional environments with medical, dental, 401K benefits.
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How To Begin Your Programming Career And Increase Your Income By 30%, 60% Or 100 %
How To Start:
To jumpstart your career in computer programming now, buy the e-Book The Street Smart Guide To High Paying Computer Programming Careers from BecomeAComputerProgrammer.Com
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