The demand for software developers is high, so the Information Technology (IT) graduates are focusing on the role to achieve an employment opportunity. Irrespective of whether you want to become an independent contractor or a loyalist employee in this field of software development; you must be aware of how to steer your career to achieve the desired goals.
It is highly important to make one thing clear at the outset that an only bachelor’s degree in computer science or IT will not be enough to achieve the position of a software developer. You will require to achieve certifications and to enhance your skills in order to make the most of your interests.
Is there any requirement for bachelor’s degree?
It is a controversial issue to determine the value of professional education in your career pursuit. If you consider the example of leaders such as Michael Dell, Steve Jobs or bill Gates you may arrive at the conclusion that formal degrees are not a prerequisite for a job. But it is hard to negate traditions and most of the companies still insist on an advanced degree in computer science or IT while making a selection for a position in software development. The companies share a viewpoint that academic degrees will help students to imbibe the basic knowledge of the field.
So those seeking to be developers have to stock up relevant degrees in their bag. However, only the theoretical knowledge that is being taught in the universities will not be of major help.
Will the certifications provide an edge?
A common confusion that career-minded software developers often face is how much stress to put on certifications. The certifications focus on practical solutions and build up your ability to deliver real world solutions. The significant question is whether there is any demand for particular certificate. It will largely depend upon the nature of the company. Companies that specialise in Oracle or Microsoft will definitely be interested in people who possess relevant skills.
However, the prospective developers have to be little choosy in this respect. Being an expert in a particular field that is obsolete today will not be effective. Moreover, the employer will expect proficiency in your area of certification. Therefore, try to select a certification course that is currently in high demand and the demand will persist for few coming years.
Will specialising in a programming language be advantageous?
As with the certification, the aspiring developers have the same challenge to select the language that will be in demand in the job market. If you want to play safe C++, Java, PHP and Java Script are good choices. While the newer languages come up with the promise of sweeping away the hardships of older languages, but it is questionable how long the language will survive. The employers prefer expertise in language that will span for decades. Therefore, avoid being shackled in learning the programming language that is flashy but will ultimately be of no use.
Is it valuable to contribute to an open source project?
Experience with major open source project can be a valuable career trump card. The most definite advantage of working on such a project is that you can share your code with potential employers. There are no legal restrictions that can hinder you from sending the code. Anybody can have a look at that.
Many enterprises now carry on open source projects. If you work well in any of these projects and achieve committer status the company may give you a call.
Although, the demand for software developer is there, competitions still exist and it will be tough to achieve your desired career goal. A specialist IT recruitment agencymay aid a lot in your career endeavour. In order to achieve an edge in the competitive job market experience in the relevant field will truly be beneficial.
