If you want to learn computer programming and cannot afford to study computer science in college then knowing how to train for a computer programming career by teaching yourself programming will change your life. So I am going to discuss how to begin a computer programming career when college just isn't an option.

Though it is easier to find a programming job with the help of a computer science degree, a good number of computer programmers don't have a degree in computer science or a college degree at all. What this group of people discovered is that the secret to becoming a computer programmer is to develop expert programming skills and gain serious, real-world programming experience, the kind of experience that makes you more skilled than others who have computer science degrees.

Do Employers Value A Computer Science Degree Over Raw Programming Talent?

Now, let's get one thing clear. Yes, there are several careers where your formal education or college degree will literally make or break your career. There are also several high paying careers where it's illegal to practice without going through a formal education and training system. However, computer programming is not like that at all. Computer programmers come from all works of life and all levels of education. There are computer programmers with PhDs and there are computer programmers with a high school diploma. There are computer programmers with backgrounds in arts, literature, music, law and even medicine. However, the one thing that programmers have in common is the ability to write program code using a programming language. This means that successful computer programmers have mastered the art of writing good quality code. So, whether you plan to study and become a computer programmer at home or get trained or enroll in a home study course or go to college, make it your goal to be the best software developer you can possibly be.

The answer to the question "do employers value computer science degrees over programming skills" is a NO. This is because it's quite possible to study programming at a good college and still not be a good software developer. So, when it comes to programming, your career is only as good as the code you write which levels the playing field for both computer science graduates and self-taught computer programmers.

Learning Computer Programming Is The Right Decision

One of the best kept secrets in computer programming is that you can gain real-world programming experience without having even having a programming job. When I stumbled upon this secret more than 10 years ago, I realized that I could simply buy a computer or laptop, hook it up to the internet and learn any programming skill, language or technology and get a good job except if I wanted to work with mainframes, satellites and some expensive to buy enterprise software packages. I realized that even if I had to pay for some training packages, buy books or take programming courses, my total cost of training, total learning time and learning curve will be a fraction of what it will be if I opted for other high-paying careers including law, medicine and business management.

Yes, You Can Get A Computer Programming Job Without A College Degree

After more than 10 years, spent working several software development jobs, I have a lot of personal, intimate knowledge of how the industry works. I have worked with talented software programmers who got into programming with a high school education or dropped out of college to begin a programming career. So, I am always a bit surprised when someone that I am coaching or someone who runts into me on my blog at www.IT-CAREER-COACH.NET tells me they can not start their programming career because they do not have a college education or a computer science degree.

If you are saying this to yourself, then you are just making excuses for not taking action. Let me tell you that from my experience as a software developer mentor, I have discovered that people make excuses to themselves because they are not ready to hold themselves accountable to results. So, they either complain about how old they are or how poor they are or they complain about the time it will take them to learn programming or complain that they cannot afford to go to college and study computer science or complain that programming textbooks are too expensive and they go on like that. Okay, I am telling you now that there is nothing stopping you from beginning your programming career if you really want to and it's not as hard as you think it is.

Now Is The Best Time To Become A Computer Programmer

I have answered your quest on how to become computer programmer without going to college and it is now your turn to act on all the information you just received on how to succeed in programming. On my blog, I coach, mentor and train individuals from all over the world who want to transition to a software developer career or become an expert computer programmer. MY experience has shown me people do not achieve their goals when they are too scared to act. People are usually scared to act when they are misinformed and do not have enough information or accurate information. But by raising the level of awareness of how possible and easy it is to start a programming career and succeed at it on my blog, I have been successful at helping people transition into and succeed at computer programming.

If you want to learn programming or become an expert computer programmer, I recommend you read "the street smart guide to computer programmer careers" book which shows you how to learn computer programming in as little as 4 months. The book will shave years off your learning curve by showing you how to learn programming fast, how to improve your resume, how to ace programming job interviews and how to gain the programming experience that helps you succeed easily.