Tbh, what I think, self taught programmers succeeds the most. Because they have the passion for what they doing and this is the reason someone becomes self taught.
One may make the argument, a passionate person might just go get the degree too. I was working with some directed graphs with tons of links and figured out how to find all the shortest redundant links. Later on, an intern I hired said that it was a transitive reduction, there was actually a name for what I needed. I didn't know that, missed a few things from being self taught.
You "thinking" that is just that, not hard data. Unless someone presents raw data, it's a curbside chat and just opinions. Self taught, or degreed, many "fail" if you say, not moving forward, leaving the field, etc... as failure. It's a brutal field, requires a significant amount of dedication and man/woman-hours. Many people simply can't put out the required effort to make it happen or after, to work the kind of hours that are often required. Which, in full light, makes sense. Many people don't want to work that much and can't be blamed for it. Re passion, you'll find that in truckloads amongst self taught and degreed professionals. Hell you'd have to have that to suceed in this field at all.
I'm a self taught programmer with a full time job in the industry, I never had a mentor or any formal training. The only thing that will cause you to fail is giving up.
The reality is that every programmer is a self-taught programmer. I earned a degree in CS, and it doesn't mean that I was held by the hand through every line of code. You don't learn how to code in class, you learn it at home after school.
It's like a box of Legos. I show you the box, the different Legos pieces, how they fit together and maybe show you how to build a simple shape like a "cube" with some of the pieces..... That is essentially your "formal" training. Now you take the box of Legos and figure out how to build complex structures/models with the Legos. Or.... Teaching someone how to "play" chess.... you teach them the pieces and how each one can move and the rules of the game..... but to learn to really PLAY chess.... is taking the basic "rules/procedures" of the game and applying it to defeating an opponent is the "self taught" part. If you ask me..... writing "code" SHOULD be "obsolete" or going "obsolete" right now.... The ones who are creating AI applications..... are doing the wrong stuff...... Instead of creating an AI that can take a shit ton of pictures and "learn" how classify them.... or an AI that learns a "game" and becomes superhuman at playing it.... or an AI that can classify text..... WTF!!!!! You have a "system" that can take "examples" or data sets and "train" itself to reach the end goal to solve a problem without the programmer defining the step by step if/then type of programming..... telling it to do something, and IT figures out how to "get it done"..... The thing that SHOULD have done right from the GET GO is to create the AI to write CODE to reach an "end goal" or "solution"! The code.... it already knows.. you can miss "syntax" by forgetting a ; or , or..... forgetting to close one of } those..... but the "program" don't miss anything and is all to eager to say "HEY YOU FUCKED UP!!!"..... it already KNOWS the "code"..... so feed the AI a LOT of "end product" code and let it "train itself" to classify, sort out, and become GOOD at creating code to reach or solve the "problem" or achieve the "task" you want OUT of the code. I mean..... they even have "AI" writing MUSIC, painting PICTURES..... WTF!!!!!!! Teach it to CODE and then tell it to CREATE an app that does THIS or THAT and make sure it has THIS feature to do whatever it is you need it to do..... and let the "Superhuman" focused SKILL do the "backend" programming. Quit making AI mods that look at a million pictures of faces to learn how to recognize and distinguish my face from YOURS..... Create ONE AI that Codes your programs/apps........... We already have crossed the "event horizon" of the "doomsday" technology..... A real TRUE AI is in the near future.... nothing we can do to "stop it" now, and first thing we did was open up the entire WWW to it, giving it access to all of human knowledge, and everything on the "network" so..... Might as well teach it to CODE and produce the CODE for us instead of HUMANS doing the mundane bullshit of building out apps/programs when the AI can do it MUCH better, MUCH faster, and MUCH more useful programs than any HUMAN coder can ever hope to create. Ah but WAIT..... I forgot..... we need to create another version of CHAT BOT!!..... ya... lets do THAT instead and write MORE mundane boring code to get THAT done instead!!!!! :)
That's not what you mean by self-taught. Self taught is learning to code without someone telling you what to learn. In college, you get a syllabus and schedule, but otherwise you're learning to freely create and have fun.
@@rustykoenig3566 We create software to simplify daily life.. If AI creates software, it creates software to simplify it's work. That doesn't make coding obsolete for us. We should learn how to code either way.
@@jyothish5194 Actually, you are almost NEVER self taught in ANYTHING you do. If you stick your hand into a fire..... the next time you see fire, you probably WONT stick your hand in it..... you SELF TAGHT yourself that fire is HOT! If you learn to program and you NEVER read a book.... never look online to help you figure shit out.... you are SELF TAUGHT. If you learn completely by reading forums/RU-vid/Tech Sites..... you are absolutely NOT SELF TAUGHT. You have been given guidance and help by countless people.... which is better than ANY formal school you can go to. Why? Because in "class" you have ONE teacher/professor and the schools idea of how you should be taught..... By learning from the countless people you may get info from online... you have ALL OF THEM for your "teacher" teaching you many ways to do stuff. People think "Self Taught" = anyone who did not go to formal "school" to learn their skills.... but but that is further from the truth.
As Nelson Mandela said - "I never lose, Either I win or I learn" In other words, there is no learning without some type of setback or "failer" because that is part of the learning... It is literally Trial and Error (Like Bug fixing). Hence A person's mentality is everything. A positive mentality leads to success, you only fail if you give up. And Yes, mentors are a nice (temporary guide to get you started) however, a person should not Completely rely on a mentor, the same applies to video tutorials... You learn faster when you do it yourself and screw up and learn from the mistakes you're making. And as for experience... It is not the number of years a person has been doing something... It is the quality and proof that you know what you're doing that gets you that awesome job or those good clients if you are on the freelance side. Unsolicited projects count just as much as official ones too!
I am self taught, and of my most respected peers, 2/3rds of them are self taught. It's not better, it's not worse. It is different. When hiring, I see the Uni candidates as having a strong foundational knowledge and often relying on integrations more. I tend to see stronger problem solving and 'sticktuitiveness' from the self taught populace. This is a gross over simplification. Both will fail if the don't show up. Just show up every day and keep going. Software engineering is pretty much a lifestyle, more than a set of skills.
What you're talking about focusing on learning one little piece at a time sounds a lot like deliberate practice, which is a great way to improve at anything.
Great advice all around. Thanks! This reminds me of a couple of things. One is the book Ultralearning by Scott H. Young. Some of the advice that you have given could be augmented the advice that he lays out in his book. Another is the Stoic idea of goal internalization, making your goal to do your best at learning programming rather than finding a job. These are contradictory ideas, and I'm not really sure where I stand. I am certainly happier spending time learning when I am motivated by doing the best that I can.
Thanks for sharing Tiffany, I have also given up several times in the initial part of my self-learning journey of learning to code as a biologist. Failed at breaking into C++ and Java but then clicked with Python and still took quite some time to get familiar and up and running with using it to successfully implement data science workflows. But the rush or highs of getting that first project successfully implemented served as a great motivation to keep me going.
Once you "click" with one language and learning takes off in it.... and you get good at it... try the other ones again because they are all mostly the same with little differences. If you know one language comfortably, the others are almost nothing to learn. The thing about programming is learning the "language" you have only learned 10% of what you need to program. A lot of the "skill" is "thinking" like a programmer and how to structure your projects. You can write code 20 different ways and reach the same outcome but each one will have flaws that make a better one run better/faster etc.
A great video! I am self-taught without a mentor and still learning. I have two questions: - 1. About study planning - How did you deal with unexpected issues which require time, e.g. reading documentation about the new methods from the lesson, which take a lot of time and can mess up the general plan? 2. About work - Could you tell about your first week/month in a tech role and how you prepared for it after being hired? Thank you!
I have spent weeks learning SQL and it's been the best experience so far. I'm still learning and looking for opportunity to intern as a Data analyst and this video has reinforced my motivation and given me a reason to keep pushing.
I think that when a person reaches better understanding of a programing language said person can really get into flow state and have hours pass like noting. I know I could draw a project in autocad for like 12 hours like nothing.
@dev null so I had some dispensable incoming coming from a sales background and wanted a career switch, and programming looked great. I was learning python by myself but I wanted to improve the rate i was learning at. At first I did had just formal teaching, but other than basics I didn't feel like I was getting anything out of it. I was searching more of a mentor type of deal and found a person who both teached me programming and tought me how to think more like a programmer. For example when I had a lesson he would explain his train of tought. Point out flaws in a gentle way and work together on projects. When my programming skills got better he was also helping me with how I cab get into the industry. It has been years since I have paid tutoring from him but we are still in contact often and there for sure is to speak of mentorship. I think that it is very possible to get a mentor if you just find the right person to teach you and state what you are looking for. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.
Hey Tiff! Thanks so much for your videos. They’ve helped me through my journey! I started self teach three months ago and I did well, but I decided that it would be a good idea to do a bootcamp, so I enrolled at General Assembly and I START TOMORROW!! I’m so excited. Thanks so much for all your help! I shouted you out in my video yesterday. Thanks so much! ❤️
Thank you for your comment and view, trust me I don't take them for granted. I recommend you Mr Joe Gabriel for good investment regarding making millions in it
Hi Nimany, I hope you still coding and all going well with you, can you tell me your experience with General assembly? I started as a self taught also and now considering to enroll in a bootcamp, so I’m looking for recommendations and advices, thanks a lot 🙏🏻
I am one of the lucky ones I guess. I am self taught, and came to programming through the Database route, learning Access, then SQL, the on and on. And it took years, a LOT of humility, and tons of embarrassment and mistakes. It can be done, but I wouldn't recommend my path to anyone. I am now a six figure Dynamics developer and I LOVE it. But it takes work!
Self taught you'll fail??? Wow...if I had seen this while I was learning to code, I would have been incredibly discouraged, and maybe would have given up. Thankfully I didnt, and now I'm an employed developer who was 100% self taught. Everyone's journey is different.
That hopeless declaration got my attention as well. She is towing the established line. You cant succeed without me attitude, whomever they are, rubs me the wrong way.
If you actually watch the video, she's just talking about how to avoid common pitfalls. If you're saying the title alone makes you want to quit, then you're not very driven in the first place, are you?
Really good vlog, thank you! I am having to learn to code in middle age because I am finding it harder and harder to get roles as a business analyst without coding skills…so sometimes it’s your profession that changes and you have to learn new skills despite 20 years in your profession
guy like elon musk, always a self-taught in whtever he is on he says, u can just learn from books ik some ppl find it hard to just learn from books u might say, but elon musk is elon musk right, his willpoer is insane but if u try to break the bad habbit, and love the double edge sword uncomfortable moment for a while u could get any achievement u want, the point is to give it a try and if stuck think about it why, rather than just give up since im quite afraid to have nothing untill age of 40s i dont want to stop doing what i started. programming is definitely ongoing path, theres no turning back. prolly the reason ppl stop, is bcause thyre so desperate to after money, eventually dissapointed, cause the industry is very large and tight theres alot to learn if someone alrd know computer since 6th grade. then ithink he can definitely be a self-taught programmer, learning from books is always the best way
Elon is the man, he is why I started self learning aswell! I actually make funny stories on him a lot on my insta. Idk did you see him smoking the reefer on the Joe Rogan podcast? He looked at the joint like it was some alien species, I made it into a meme. The Joint was a Degree and after he laughs and says: 'Oh Yeah nah you don't need those' haha
Main takeaways: 1. Have a solid career path in mind 2. Be kind to yourself 3. Find a good mentor 4. Set realistic project goals 5. Your dream job might not come right away To add on to that, spend time on formulating a well thought out plan. That way you'll have something to revert back to check yourself for when things are going as planned and for when things don't.
Those who called themself self-taught developers are people who get in the industry with no exp no degree no bootcamp and just go online and study all by themself
That's not true bro. A lot of people have been to good colleges and bootcamps but still, they learn by themselves after that online. We're giving too much importance to them even though they teach the same old stuff with the outdated syllabus. If you guys are talking about the motivation from peers and the teachers in the schools and bootcamps, that's a complete B.S. because it will be a temporary one and will last for only a few minutes to days. But, if you're self-motivated, you will continue to program even if you are stuck in the same coding error for months. Technically speaking, there is no such thing as "SELF-TAUGHT".
@@dikaanvlogs171 Stop being so sensitive about the word "self-taught". It is just a term like frontend and backend used to call those people as I say above. You have to understand how people called them self-taught even thou generally speaking every developers are self-taught.
@@dikaanvlogs171 yeah you're focused on the actual term self-taught. If you use that theory for any career, then we are all self-taught. In common practice, self-taught just means learning with no guidance.
sir, I am not focused or being "TOO" sensitive about the word self-taught. I am just raising my concern about the word Self-taught being aggressively used by course creators and RU-vidrs to sell their stuff because yeah, this word is a very high searched keyword and helps to rank faster. And, last, this is not a theory, it is a practical thing. I will still say that self-taught is bullshit.
My programming instructor told us that most of the time HR in most companies just doesn't understand what they want. Most of the time I see companies wanting bachelors and 10 years experience but are only willing to pay a mediocre wage. If you see a job that looks interesting to you then apply and see what happens! You just never know what might happen :)
Bro, let me tell you, this video is the greatest thing a software engineer with a youtube channel could do to help out people, real projects to apply the knowledge and get to write code. Thanks a lot & please more videos with practical applications like these. You know this could be a weekly thing on a certain day of the week where you get to work through a single project per episode so that the project has much more details & a higher level of difficulty.
I too am self directed learner almost making six figures. It is possible just need to keep your head down and keep working. I work for a corporation building websites and portals. What has kept me going is my passion for web. It helps talking to other devs on social and getting mentorship advice.
Ah, your main point is whether to have a goal and idea what you want to do, when you start learning, or not. Learning actually is a whole lot easier, if there's something at the end of the road, which intrigues you greatly. Let's say, you want to learn how to make a great website, or a computer game. If you just get into it with idea "I just learn to code something", then it has big chance to fail, unless you pick up an interesting goal along the way.
I just started and I'm a self taught programmer... well, I guess it takes dedication, discipline, passion and desire to get there so you just need to stick with your path and NOT GIVING UP! I really enjoy your vids. :D
FreeCodeCamp ... do all things there .. understand what you are learning .. repeat ... and you will be a great developer .. learn how to learn that is the only requirement for being a developer
The best thing is to do the basics of HTML/CSS (as you said), then look at what types of software engineering there are, backend, front end, etc. Choose the language you want to start with e.g. python - master it, do projects then stem off into other ones e.g. c/C++ Java script.
I am confident on ui and ux but I have my doubts but there are tools with simplify everything, reaserch, there is a tool for amsot anything that you can think of.
Thank you for your comment and view, trust me I don't take them for granted. I recommend you Mr Joe Gabriel for good investment regarding making millions in it
Love the tips. Could talk about book programming? something like the pros and cons. I live in Puerto Rico and I have 9 books and 2 other books of react are coming on the way.
I’m a self taught programmer. Started 35 years ago. Learning coding the way you proposed is not the best way. Studying different technologies a month here and there to learn it is not a good way. You should turn it around. Deside on a project you want to make. Lets say a website where you can play correspondence chess (or whatever). And then build it. When you come to the parts where you need to learn, then you learn it. You will be more focused on solving your problem and have a goal at the same time => making it work. And it will make it more clear why and how this technology works when you have a specific need for it in your project. You can then also use the project as refference when applying for jobs.
I've started to code first to work on my startup. As i knew nothing about technology. I''ve finished a course on udemy, work on some projects while coding along with the instructors and figured out that i don't want to be a developer. But what i've loved so much while working on my startup was product management as it is a mix of business (my background), marketing, tech and design. So i'm following online curriculum for product management. Thanks for your video.
Another great video, Tiff :) I have a question - with regards to your landing the QA role, and then using that as a pathway into the industry & finally into a programmer role - was your Bachelor's degree a fundamental factor to getting you that role? I'm just wondering, just to get an idea of how that particular path or experience can translate to me, as I have neither a bachelor's degree nor a diploma of any sort, and plan to rely solely on being self-taught...any advice?
Hi! I found your channel recently & is beyond AMAZING! This video is great, but I'll change to a more positive tone, maybe "Become a Self Taught Programmer & NOT Fail in the Process". Because actually, you're giving great advice, but the title may set you off to the wrong place.
well I am programming for fun right now, started one week ago, and know I try to make a responsive website, but I fell soo lost I don't know what to learn next, what I lack, should I focus on JS now or later, what to learn in JS, etc.
I do wanna learn this programming but I feel like I’m old now to do it, I’m 31. Do you think is a good time to do it and then look for jobs? Most of jobs ask for experience.
Thank you for your comment and view, trust me I don't take them for granted. I recommend you Mr Joe Gabriel for good investment regarding making millions in it
I really needed this. Thank you. I am absolutely new to everything and am constantly wondering: go back to college? Take a course? How long should I be spending? Will I find even be able to be qualified and get a job? And just overwhelm myself while trying to balance two jobs and figure if I’ll ever be qualified to work on what I enjoy and will I even continue to enjoy it. 😆 I’m overwhelmed just writing this comment, clearly.
3 things that every Dev, programmer, engineer needs to do when looking for a job: 1) find recruiters in your space. The difference a recruiter can make in finding jobs that not only fit your skill level, but your cultural ideas, is amazing. I've been working with a few different recruiters lately to find my next job and boy do they make a difference. 2) apply for jobs that make sense to your skill level, but disregard the experience expectations from the company. Timeframes mean very little from a development standpoint, and if you're finding jobs are based on time at a job rather than skill level, you're dodging a bullet by not being there. If you can show a hiring manager that you understand the concepts, and that you're willing to learn and know how to learn quickly, you've got a huge leg up over the engineers that more closely fit the outline in the brief. 3) every interview is a chance to learn. Interviews are bloody hard, and they're unnerving. Use every interview to work out what kind of a job you want, what kind of answers are going to impress HM most and learn what skills or past experience really helps sell you as the candidate to fill the position.
thanks for this great video! I was kind of feeling that I might have to give up this, but this video made me think about why I am feeling this. And 'googling & overwhelmed'', that's exactly what I feel everyday! I just get curious, what do you think freelancing (kind of Shopify thing) while trying to get the first job, as a way to build portfolio?
This is a really helpful video, Tiff. Do you have a video in which you dive deeper into finding a mentor? I love the advice you provided, but I’m curious as to how you’d adapt or apply this advice to mentorship in the context of the pandemic. For example, it’s harder now to take people out to coffee-how else might someone incentivize or demonstrate to a potential mentor that the relationship could be mutually beneficial?
I dont know why many people are still focused on getting a job... Come on you should be proud to be a self taught person. What you guys should think of is becoming employers or owning businesses youself where you can apply your knowledge and hire those with degree or not..... To me what many cs grad.. or self taught lack is financial education Because most people are always complaining on will it land me a Job.. Learn them at your own pace start your own small business... You can start by investing small amount into business you like, manage them, grow expand whiles still learning... later when you get good you can start your own tech companies and stuff from years of being into entrepreneurship ans forget about jobs
Let me clarify. I’m not saying it’s bad to take a bootcamp. But we are all the products of our biology and our experiences, nothing more. If you are self taught you usually expect to be at the level you are at (even if you over value your ability) because you chose to take on the projects and learning opportunities to get there. If you take a bootcamp (or any other form of formal education), you did so because you expected it give you some kind of knowledge/experience and it will often fall short of that expectation. If you decide to teach yourself Kubernetes by following Kelsey Hightower’s “Kubernetes the Hard Way”. You expect to be a person who knows how Kubernetes works internally because you have built Kubernetes from its constituent technologies rather than by running an installer. And you get exactly that result. I guess the point is, don’t expect to be more than the sum of your experiences. There are no shortcuts. No one will upload a program and suddenly “I know Kung Fu”.
So I am 64 years young soon to be 65. I have spent the last 40 years as an electronic tech. I have been programming micro controllers in c and assembly. I am really good at making different systems talk to each other. Is there a market out there for this or do I need to learn C++ and or Java?
I spend 99% of my time learning on Android studio and just still beginner in programming it hard to make something completely and ready to release . But when I see your videos tutorial make me feel better Thank you.
i agree with most of what you said except for one thing. Every video i watch says to not skip over things until you get a full understanding of the fundamentals. When I taught myself, this is what I did and I failed. It became boring and redundant. lets be honest, the core concepts of coding are so boring. It wasn't until i did a bootcamp and everything was so fast pace where I learned everything I'm doing now. Bootcamps do not stop for you if you're having a hard time with a certain concept, instead, they continue throwing other things at you. Personally what helped me to enjoy coding is letting my mind retain what its able to initially. So libraries, frameworks etc....once I get a good understanding of the big picture, THEN I will go back and dissect the parts i had an issue with. you can literally build a project without knowing all the key concepts of a language. So why not build a project you're comfortable doing first, and then going back to learn the hard parts?
Decent video, not a great title. That sets the wrong message I think. That being said, I get clickbait works whether it’s right or not. You can succeed in anything regardless of the odds or formal training. Experience is the best teacher. I have a great job in the telecom industry and am currently learning python. I don’t have a college degree and I almost flunked out of high school when I was younger, and yet I make more money and enjoy what I do than majority of 24 year olds I know. Honestly, I’m more than most people I know. If I would’ve listened to a lot of people who told me that I should’ve gone to college and I’m behind because I lack a degree I would be in massive debt. College isn’t a guarantee for a successful high paying career, it’s just one of many opportunities to learn. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. Not trying to dig at the video though, love the content.
Thank you for your comment and view, trust me I don't take them for granted. I recommend you Mr Joe Gabriel for good investment regarding making millions in it
I love that for all the developers who talk about programming but can't you used the binary of the programs they would make. It helps communicate they may struggle to understand the difference between a Binary and a Program.
Well, guess I’m the exception. I just got promoted to senior, having no formal it education. In fact I studied Psychology. Learning by doing brought me here.
I don't know the difference between self taught and non-self taught programmers because there is only one way to learn things no matter what you do. The only difference between self taught and non self-taught programmers is that self-taught programmer will learn only what it comes to it's grasp, and the non self-taught has most likely a mentor who most likely has an experience in certain subject for xx amount of years. Even that mentor can not make you learn language if you don't want to do it, therefore you have to SELF LEARN. The difference for me, and I can tell this on daily job whenever new programmer comes, is that the people who are not self-taught they can recognize the value of information/knowledge outside of just coding. And that means a lot compared to a person who just code. Really good clip btw.
The only reason i see is because we don't get the chance to get a job ! :'( been learning for 1 year now and still no replies from job offers companies
i think the path is where self thaught fail. I mean right now i am learning about the internal of JS, YDKJSY books etc. i didn't have any advise to do so. Especially by ytbers
I got stuck many times last year distracted by things/games sutff and other things, this year starting january 1 I said I will code everyday something 1h 2h , learn something etc, it worked I got my first job offer 2 days ago, so next month I m gonna start a new place, can t wait even tho my mentor was like your not ready because i m not that good with algorithms, you will still need a few months to be ok. I have sent a message to each company in my city 2 companies reached back and have set an interview and one ended with a job offer...
it's also funny how people think of this "self-taught" thing as a thing that wins the official learning system, and the reason why they think that is because they measure knowledge with the money, which makes their "free" knowledge set in stone
