Getting started in Tech

Bootcamps

I routinely recommend that employers hire from bootcamps, and they are the best option if you can afford it. They are not cheap, but there are some scholarships available: it's worth doing research.

Either way, start with a few online courses, to make sure you enjoy learning this stuff! Then search for the best bootcamps in your region - they do change over time. Most bootcamps have a strong emphasis on jobs.

From personal experience, LeWagon produce quality graduates, and the General Assembly materials are excellent.

There is still prejudice in the industry, some employers insist on a comp sci degree, but they are likely to be old-fashioned and possibly not the best place to work, so don't let this stop you.

Online resources

Before doing a bootcamp, and in general if you can't afford them,there are lots of online resources:

• https://www.freecodecamp.org/ (free)
• https://generalassemb.ly/ have online materials, I think you need to pay but it will be cheaper than a full bootcamp
• All the usual suspects: udemy, coursera, etc

If you're not sure where to start, begin with one of the front end courses for HTML + JS + CSS. If you don't enjoy JS (JavaScript), and not all of us do, still consider backend dev, which is very different.

Next move on to a course in at least one backend language, see below for more information about them.

Front end

For front-end, JavaScript is standard and very nearly ubiquitous. You will also need a framework, the current winner is looking like react, optionally vue / angular / various new JS frameworks

If you enjoy one of these, that's great and you have a very clear path.

If you're not sure about JS, don't give up yet. Look into back end, and you will need to make a decision around which programming language to learn.

Backend

There is a significant lack of standardisation for backend at the moment. My suggestions, in approximate order:

• Python is widespread and easy to learn
• Ruby on Rails (my own favourite) is not as widespread, it's a small, friendly, community, but also in short supply - as a result, the job market is spiky
• Flutter is new, it has excellent documentation, and an even smaller, friendly, community. Primarily used for mobile app development (both android and Apple), you can also use it for web apps
• Java is primary in fintech, but is slowly losing ground everywhere else. Unless you specifically want to work in fintech, I would not recommend it any more
• Php is widespread, easy to learn, and relevant for WordPress roles. There is plenty of work around for anyone who can build a shopping site in WordPress, but the hourly rate not great, and you would need some design skills or a business partner with artistic abilities
• R is widespread for data analytics, it's a bit old but there should be a lot of employment potential
• Node, which is JS used for the backend, is sadly also widespread. I sometimes describe it as a horse being used where you need a cart, but I am biased! It does mean you can just learn one language for the whole stack.
• C++ and Unity are primary in the gaming industry, but I don't recommend either the languages or the industry, which is famous for burnout

Full Stack and Next Steps

Full stack means you cover both front end and back end. There's no particular employment reason to choose any one of front end, back end, or full stack - pick what you enjoy most.

In general, it is difficult to get a first role - it gets easier after that. So it's worth considering alternatives, especially if you bring skills that will be directly relevant to one of the following

Tech-adjacent roles

There are a lot of roles in the industry that are still technical, but not directly coding. Here are just a few ideas

• Project manager, coordinating the developers
• Product manager, researching customers, and connecting with sales and marketing, to prioritise features and products that will sell: this is a role for visionaries who like to work on future ambitions
• UX, working with users to understand how they use the product and how to optimise usability and accessibility
• UI, creative work building visual designs for the developers to build
• Data analyst, working with data and statistics to support decisions
• People manager, supporting the development teams
• Tech sales (pre-sales) and customer success (post-sales), explaining complex technical products to non-technical users

General background

Check out the latest Stack Overflow Developer Survey https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2024/ to find out what languages are trending, and some context on salaries