Hey guys,
This is a straight forward question, but very subjective. Have you ever heard of someone getting a .NET Developer Job with an Associates (but going for CS Degree) and 2 years of experience in that given field?
I guess I’m kind of impatient, but I don’t want to wait 2 more year before making money. Maybe an internship?
Thanks for the help guys.
It also depends where want to work, what kind of work and who you know. I got my current position from someone on Twitter. I am fairly active within the UK .Net community, and I’m sure I will never have to deal with a recruiter again to find a position.
Get involved with local user groups, offer to speak at them, build up a network, get on twitter and start talking to people. Trust me, the jobs you get from word of mouth and from twitter will always be better and more what your looking for than through an agency.
I’ve heard of people getting a .NET developer job with no degree. Are you selling your skills or your education?
Sarcasm? Sorry, I’m not good at detecting it. lol.
To answer your question, they are both equally important. However, if you lack in one (education), you need to excel in skills (experience). I’m actually willing to work for free, for one month, to prove my worth to a future employer. It would show dedication to them. I might go that route…
I didn’t intend any. Sorry if it came out that way. 
Some questions I would ask is if you did take your Associate’s Degree and go get a job, would you ever go back to continue your education? Which is more important to you? Finishing your education or making some money now? What are the pros and cons of either path?
I’ve got no formal education in software… in anything actually and I’ve been working in this idustry for just about 10 years now (man I feel old!). I did a lot of stuff for free back when I was just starting out at 18-20, back then Sitepoint didn’t really exist, and I got the majority of my work from Yahoo chat! haha.
Real world experience will always trump education in this industry.
Edit: I appear to have been a member here for 10years! I guess I’ve been doing this longer than I can actually remember!
Thanks dhtmlgod, I was hoping someone would say that. Although, I will pursue College, I will focus on experience, rather then education, going forward. Who knows, I may give up on a CS Degree in College, and focus 100% of my time on experience. Never know what life is going to throw your way. Keep all options open, and have a Plan B.
Getting a position without a degree is one thing. Getting a position with a degree is another. Namely, salary. I had no degree, but wish I did, compared to those I know who do.
Hey Serenarules, good to see you posting!
. On the topic, if you don’t mind me asking, in your case, what was the gap in pay? If it is a great gap, it could defiantly change things.
Keep in mind, the difference only had relevance at the time and place of my empoyment. Other areas and times have much different job markets. About 30G difference.
My degree is actually in History & Classics with a minor in creative writing. Wouldn’t trade it in for the world. No reason you can’t start on your internship or startup while still in school. But I wouldn’t leave school for anything short of The Next Big Thing.
Where I live most ASP.net-related job listings require some sort of 4 year degree. To many employers, a 4 year degree is what proves your worth (or at least proves enough to get you in for an interview).
One way around this may be to create an ASP.net site or two and put them together into a portfolio. Then try to use the portfolio to get you in the door. I did something similar to land an ASP.net job when I really had no ‘on-the-job’ ASP.net experience. Actually, I used a PHP website to land the ASP.net job (not many programmers in my area), but you get the idea.
Good Point I didn’t think of. Might entice me to peruse a Political Science Degree, which interests me, while studying Web/Desktop Development on the side. Not many jobs for a PS Degree. :), unless you get picked-up for a campaign. Anyways, amazing you went from History & Classics w/ Creative Writing, to Doing what you do best. Kind of funny how life turns out…
Yeah, that’s where I am lost. I don’t know what type of work, or for that matter, what specialty I want to get into. Wither it is Web Development, Desktop Development, Mobile, Database, or Server Admin. So many damn options and not enough time to learn them. Their is so much in the IT world that it is almost impossible to do everything you think you are good at and would enjoy the most.
Wow, I didn’t think Twitter was good for anything, but to shoot-the-shi* and killing boredom.
Yeah, I’ve been informed about User Groups before, and their is one in the area, but I’m not in my “safe zone” when it comes to the confidence in my abilities to pump out awesome solutions. But, when it comes to that point, I will defiantly use that option for social networking.
To sum up your point, word of mouth or social networking in general, is more effective then someone doing the crap for you. Success doesn’t come easy.
Now, to get a Twitter account
As far as choosing which area to focus, I can feel your pain. I have a list about a mile long of different development areas I want to experiment with. As others stated your locale should really drive your first project. Search for local jobs and find out what kind of skills are in demand. Then, come up with a personal project to learn those skills and and use your project for leverage when applying for a position.