What kind of post secondary education will lead to a programming job?

[Happyfist]

Hello everyone. I am considering a career in programming, specifically cell phone app development, but I could do general programming. Right now I have zero practical knowledge of programming and I was considering what kind of course to take. My questions are below.

1) Will a one year course be enough to snag a programming job? A fellow from Toronto told me a one year course is not good enough to obtain any job but he wasn't a programmer specifically.

2) If I take a programming course online, perhaps a 1-2 year course, will that be viewed as sufficient by employers? I don't imagine that online programming courses are frowned upon by companies.

3)Should I take a 3-4 year degree at a university?


Yeah, my primary concern is just getting a job after I finish and supporting myself while I formally learn.

Your informed opinion and advice is appreciated. FYI, I am Canadian in Nova Scotia and I presently have a little money saved and no debt.

[Raknarg]

Experience is most important. Basically your education is suppose to be a foot in the door.

My best bet would be an actual university degree to help you get in. Otherwise, if you have no credentials, it will be hard to convince employers you're worth their time.

I have heard of people getting jobs with no education however, it isn't unheard of. You can also help contribute to open source projects, that's an asset

[Tony]

As was pointed out -- education is a way to get people to listen, but then you'd have to impress them with actual skill.

A note on practical vs. theoretical learning, in the context of

Happyfist @ Wed May 29, 2013 12:26 pm wrote:

specifically cell phone app development

My University experience was during a very interesting time where at the start of it, App Store and AWS did not exist, and Ruby on Rails has not yet hit 1.0. Before I graduated, all 3 were the hottest and most in-demand positions in the industry.

What I'm trying to point out is that by the time you pick up some Objective-C classes, the world will move on to Google Glass, Oculus Rift, and cool stuff not yet announced. Technology is very fast-pace, so don't get too focused on the details of some specific implementation.

[DemonWasp]

1) Maybe, but not easily. Certainly not a very good one -- at least, not at first. You would really need to get a mediocre job and build up a track record of success.

2) Very doubtful, as online courses are widely ridiculed. You might have some success, but a real University or College program would give you a lot more flexibility and usefulness. Some online programs might be useful, but a lot of them are viewed with disdain.

3) Almost certainly. A college-level program might suit better, depending on what you want to do.

To give you some perspective, I had a hard time getting hired with 2 years of programming experience and 3/4 of a Bachelor of Computer Science from UWaterloo: it took me about 2 months of applying daily (total probably 30-50 jobs; it's been a while so I don't remember exactly) to get a job. The vast majority of places simply ignored my applications; as soon as I got an interview I got a job.

Of course, finish that degree and suddenly companies want to stuff money down your throat. Programmers are in huge demand right now, though I don't expect it to stay that way forever.