Here's how you can kickstart your programming career without a computer science degree.

Kickstart your programming career without a computer science degree by leveraging online courses and certifications to build your skills and creating a strong portfolio showcasing personal and freelance projects.

Something I have found very helpful while learning a new skill or when I started programming was to follow official documentation of the programming language. Tutorials are great but they are made to cater for a beginner and once you are over that stage of your career. What you need is expertise. Documentations usually list out all supported features and methods that the tutorial that you might be following skips out on. Getting to know those features or just reading about them even if you do not use them can be very helpful when you settle down to think of a solution for a problem anytime in the future.

Kickstart your programming career without a computer science degree by practicing programming in a language of your choice in many different scenarios. Add functionality to existing programs. Post your short, specific solutions on open-source boards to build your portfolio, presence, and following. Read a lot of other people's programs. Understand problem-solving as much as syntax. Finally, get an entry-level job in a related field and move up from there. It's always easier to move up jobs than start at a higher level.

Fundamentals: Start by learning the basics of programming, such as data types, variables, control structures (loops, conditionals), and functions.Languages: Begin with a beginner-friendly language like Python, JavaScript, or Java. These languages have extensive resources and community support.

Most companies look for a T-shaped skillset where one is expected to have a deep understanding in a particular area while having an overview of the other related areas. This sometimes helps while working as well to have an end to end understanding, and aligning your work and ideas with respect to the bigger picture rather than just what is expected from your role.

Specialization: Decide on a specialization based on your interests. Common paths include web development, mobile app development, data science, game development, or DevOps.Technology Stack: Once you've chosen a path, focus on the relevant technology stack. For example, for web development, you might focus on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and frameworks like React or Angular.

Personal projects are a great way for polishing your skill by application of what you have learned. Much like craftsmen keep their tools well taken care of so when they actually need it they are in best shape. Same goes for programming skills, the more you work on them, the more your perspective of usage and application of it expands. On the second note, personal projects do not necessarily have to be about programming skills only. Starting on a project includes all planning stages for product development from a business perspective as well. You might hit up on an idea that is very marketable and can be turned into a successful product or service. So always keep an eye out for such and build projects that have a business potential too.

The secret is to create personal projects! Start with the easier skills and work up as your skills improve. These assignments help you retain what you've learned and develop a strong portfolio highlighting your skills. Remember that quality speaks louder than words. This example shows how a self-taught programmer developed inventory software from scratch to become a complete e-commerce platform.

Resources will be important in the day to day work as well. More importantly the written documentation. A habit of referring to official documentation of your choice as and when needed, and not being overwhelmed by too much resources and information is crucial.

Contribute to open source projects. This can not only build programming skills, but help build collaborative skills as well. And other project contributors can be useful for referrals or as references. This is among the fastest ways to get meaningful experience and add lines to your resume before landing your first paid gig.