Not Who You Think

Benjamin TomesdevCodeCamp

A quick look at the best candidates for this challenging field.

Who makes a good code developer?

There are over 1,000,000 jobs in coding and software development waiting to be filled.

Who is going to fill them?

It’s Not Who You Think 2

Contents

346

8111314

| SECRET CODE: A Career Overview of Coding

II GENETIC CODE: Traits

III EMPLOYMENT CODE: Career Backgrounds

|V SCHOOL CODE: Educational Backgrounds

V CONDUCT CODE: Interests and Activities

VI ZIP CODE: About devCodeCamp

VII CODE WORDS: About the Author


Secret Code: A Career Overview of Coding

As technology changes, so too are the faces that are bringing it to us.

Nowhere is that more evident than in the world of coding. With an explosion of games, apps,

programs and online services, the demand for people with software development skills is at an all-time high. In fact, the jobs are growing faster than is the pool of people that can fill them.

Code development is not a job that just anyone can take. The skill sets are unique, the platforms used varied and the expectations of the job are in flux.

With all these open jobs to be filled, and a dearth of folks capable of filling them, it brings forth an interesting question. Just who makes a good code developer?

It’s a simple question with a complex answer that is best answered, ‘It’s not who you think.’

The rapidly changing field is not only changing on our pc’s and mobile devices. It’s also changing in the workforce that creates the technology for it. Throughout this book, we’re going to take a look at who the best suited people to fill these positions are.

The answers may surprise you.


Genetic Code: The personality and character traits that make up great coders.

And then some.

The changes in design have commanded a shift in character and personality traits that set up someone to be a

successful code developer.

Quite possibly the largest trait shift is the incorporation of creativity. Previously, the field was very analytic. While that

still exists, programming has drifted away from the left-brain/right-brain paradigm and onto people with a more

diverse set of traits.

This includes creativity.

The graphical and functionality capabilities have opened things up to a point where creative types are finding a niche

within the field.

Attention to detail is another required trait. While the traditional image of a coder is changing, it still requires hours of

focus and dedication to the little things. Coding is an unforgiving art, and mistakes can be fatal to a program.

If you’re like me, when you picture the traditional image programmers, there isn’t a whole lot of diversity.

A quick study of computing history in America will paint that picture for you. Between Bill Gates, Steve Jobs

and Steve Wozniak, you were left with a fairly homogeneous image of the people in-field.

That was then, and this is now.

Because they were writing the baseline for the new field, they were

approaching it from an entirely different perspective. Their work was

groundbreaking, but it wasn’t being structured to handle the tasks,

graphics and visual components that today’s programming does.

They were very black and white. Today’s world is very much in full

technicolor.

Most important, have the courage to follow your

heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to

become. Everything else is secondary. -Steve Jobs


Great code developers also have passion for their field. There are a number of languages to learn and ways to use

them. Someone lacking passion will find themselves stalled out as others around them with it blow by them. Some

fields you can fake it. This one you can’t.

In years past, programming was perceived as a solitary job, possibly best filled by people that preferred working on

their own. A lack of people skills was acceptable then, but isn’t now.

Code development has created a lot more teamwork for everyone involved. The ability to work independently is still

important, but failing to play nice in the sandbox will shorten the career of a coder.

All of these are important, but nothing looms as a more crucial personal component than persistence. This is a field

of perpetual problem solving. In any troubleshooting field, the refusal to give up is paramount to success. As a

coder, you will run into thousands of virtual locked doors, roadblocks, and dead ends. There’s a solution out there,

though; a path to create what you want. Those who give up too quick will find the career give up on them just as

quick.

Did You Know…Software Engineering is ranked at #2 in Glassdoor ranking of fastest growing careers, The ranking is based on a combination of factors, including earning potential based on average annual base salary, career opportunities and number of job openings.

Genetic Code continued:


The explosion of need for coders has created a field where just about everyone is an employment transplant.

Kind of like Florida, minus the sand. For the most part, every person working as a code developer has come from

another field.

So which fields make for the best code developers?

The blue-collar field and the jobs within are vast. If the field is going to meet the overwhelming need for workers,

there will have here are a handful that stand out for one reason or another; typically by how they’re structured or what

they involve. Can you capitalize on the skills your current job requires of you?

Analyzing all blue-collar jobs as a lead in to coding would take ages to do. We’ll instead look at one and see what

parallels we can draw from that.

Driving serves as a good example of this. Let’s take a look at it. The base skills are more comparable than they’d

first appear.

Unless you’re a cabby in Nairobi, driving is not the most exciting of careers to be involved in. With that said, it

does take long hours of concentration, following explicit directions, and often dealing with strict deadlines. All of these

come into play within code development.

Employment Code: Careers that transition well into learning to code.

Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life

forever.-Keri Russell

The answer is that there is no true answer. If they’re driven, people coming in from any field can find success. There are a few things that stand out, however.

White collar jobs in accounting or information technology stand out, but people with bachelor’s degrees from all fields have found their way into programming.

One need not come from a white collar world to become a great programmer. Those parallels are a bit easier to make, so we’re going to take a longer look at blue collar jobs and their potential transition into coding as a career.


Another career warehouse work can also be a good lead into programming. For one, there’s high

motivation if you’re in a warehouse. Typically, folks that work in a warehouse are not so thrilled with working in

a warehouse. There are aspects of their job that can lend itself towards becoming a good programmer.

Warehouses feature individual and teamwork; often a steady mix of both. Inventory has to be specific and

without errors, and can be very monotonous. It’s not that coding isn’t exciting; it’s just exciting in a different

way. The ability to handle monotony in a job is a good prerequisite for being a stellar coder.

Another field that provides easy adaptation is the military. Certainly, not all military jobs are the perfect

precursor to a career in coding, but there is a lot to draw from for most with service experience. Discipline,

personal responsibility, attention to detail and following instructions are all fundamental parts of most, if not all,

boot camps regardless of the branch. Problem solving, handling monotony and even some IT experience

usually accompany it. None of this hurts if considering a career in coding.

This is only a small sampling of the potential career changes that are possible roads into the exploding

world of web development, software engineering and coding. At the end of the day, no single career is a sure-

fire precursor to success in this industry. Someone with the right makeup and drive can thrive no matter what

industry they come from.

How driven are you to change your career? If your answer to that question is “very”, coding might very

well be a great career option for you.

Did You Know…

The current average base salary for software developers in 2015 is $98,907 a year.

Employment Code continued:


The image of code developers might be

that they were standouts in advanced math,

great students and highly educated. If that’s

your image, it should be adjusted.

The need has created a demand so

strong that waiting four years for a degree is

cumbersome and too far off to fill jobs that are

open now. That’s not to say that a Bachelor’s

Degree or higher is a waste in this field; it’s

not. For long-term advancement it most

certainly will not hurt. It’s just not required to

get started.

A good number of adults that migrate to

coding possess degrees in other fields.

Colleges are still turning out students with

liberal arts majors in high-numbers. While

they sound good at the time, they can be hard

to turn into a good, professional job.

Did You Know?What do Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Mark Zuckerberg, Matt Mullenweg, Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs, David Karp, Paul Allen, Evan Williams and Jan Koum have in common? Well, it goes beyond that they all made hundreds of millions of dollars in the tech industry. They also share one other distinction; none of them possess a four year degree.

Code training is a great way to make use of a liberal arts degree without

the need to return to two years or more of graduate school to make it relevant.

Coding as a career is unique in that degreed or not, the road to obtaining a

good job in it requires the same amount of training; and that training is usually

very quick and very intense.

There are a number of short-term trainings in a boot camp setting that can

launch a career in code development. Education hasn’t caught up with demand

in this field yet, so jobs are aplenty but places to get trained are not. They are

out there though, and they can get you started in as little as 12 weeks.

School Code:

An investment in knowledge pays the best

interest.-Ben Franklin

Academic skills and education levels that are common to great coders.


For those that are motivated to start quickly, this

is great. But what academic strengths does it take to

master the art?

Again, there is no true science about this, but

there is some commonality.

There’s no getting around that people who think

mathematically have the greatest chance to master

code development. In years past, it was one of the

lone skills that someone would need in order to

succeed. It’s still important, just not as much as the

early days of programming.

For those that are motivated to start quickly, this is great. But what academic strengths does it take to master

the art?

Again, there is no true science about this, but there is some commonality.

There’s no getting around that people who think mathematically have the greatest chance to master code

development. In years past, it was one of the lone skills that someone would need in order to succeed. It’s still

important, just not as much as the early days of programming.

One’s grasp of mathematical concepts need not be in the advanced aspects of it. Typically, it’s understanding

basics of algebra and functions of typical business math that hold the most weight. There are some new academic

skills that come in handy in today’s code development.

We’ll start with art.

Art?

Yes, art.

School Code continued:

Did You Know…devCodeCamp is the only licensed code development training program in the state of Wisconsin.


Art itself is another subject it helps to have talent or the ability to conceptualize it. Art is a bigger picture,

composed of much more intricate details. One of the most consistent descriptions of coding skills is the ability to see

things in abstract terms. No field better prepares one for abstract vision than art. By nature, code is composed of the

most intricate of details. Not all people are capable of such vision. Those with an understanding of art have a great

chance of ‘getting it’ when it comes to coding. It doesn’t hurt that any talented, experienced coder will tell you that

coding is their art.

Writing is another academic skill that is easily overlooked in good programmers. Granted, it’s not typically one’s

favorite skill, but it carries over several functions that work in coding. Among the most prominent are an attention to

detail and the ability to research and regurgitate it in another form. While nobody loves someone who sports the badge

of the notorious grammar police, grammar and punctuation over long documents requires a great focus on language

rules and elimination of errors. Great programming also requires one to locate a lot research; not unlike the process

used to compile quality academic papers.

Like employment backgrounds, there are no absolutes in the academic talents that make for outstanding

programmers. Don’t limit yourself in the pursuit of the field based on talent or a lack thereof in any one area. There’s

room for varying areas of smarts, and until you look into it, you may not be aware of your own personal strengths and

weaknesses as they pertain to coding.

School Code continued:


Conduct Code: Interests, activities and hobbies of potential coders.

Gaming is often thought of as being entirely computer based in today’s world, but that isn’t true. It’s also not the only

type of gaming outlet that computer programmers typically enjoy. Board and fantasy games are also common

interest threads for potential coders.

As it turns out, folks that can read, understand and or execute music have a unique ability to comprehend code.

While a bit shocking at first, it makes sense. Music is really entrenched in its own code; the stringing along of

coordinated notes to create a desired result. If you listen to an orchestra, mistakes among them can be fatal to the

piece they are playing. It’s not much different as a programmer. Work is done as a team but typically on an

individual basis. Errors in development can do to the program what I did to our 6th grade musicals with a tuba bigger

than my body. Trust me, it wasn’t pretty.

Gamers make good programmers.

In other news, the sky is blue and Wisconsin winters are cold.

It’s obviously no secret that gaming is a great gateway into code development. Gaming has transcended its origins

though, so that can no longer be issued as a blanket statement. Certainly, it’s a good base. The parallels are

impossible to ignore. Concentration, the ability to maintain intense focus for hours, and the analytical nature of some

games are perfect conduits for potential software engineers and future coders. Unlike eras of the past, gaming is not

limited to a pocket of people on the fringe. All types of people are making their way into computer gaming.

Not all gamers would make great code developers. Likewise,

not all code developers will be into gaming. Still, the explosion

of gaming as a time burner has increased the pool of people

with the framework of potential for becoming good

programmers.

So, do great code developers have other interests?

They most certainly do. Some are not exactly what you’d

predict from those in the field.

Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing. -Hunter S.

Thompson


Activities that foster discipline and repetition tend to set up people with the skills to become good coders. Martial

arts is a great example. If you’ve done them, you’ve likely learned discipline through following directions, repetition

and demonstrating resilience. Such things are great foundations to have for a career in coding. In fact, sports as a

whole is proving to be a surprising new common interest among programmers, both as fans and participants.

Tennis players and cycling enthusiasts are turning out a notable amount of programmers, as are those who follow

baseball.

There’s no way around the fact that coding is largely a sedentary activity, but with improvements in technology and

an expansion of people in the field, activity and athletic diversions are a much more common element to

programmers than in years past. Folks need to get up and move, and as hard as it may be to pull away from the

addictive nature of their work, mental and physical diversions are a necessity to stay happy and healthy in the field.

The changes in the field have created a unique diorama of talents, skills, education and interests in a field that

hasn’t always been so multi-faceted. If you’re looking at becoming a coder, take a long look at the things

that you’ve done, like to do, are good at, and want to do. If you find yourself with a passion and dedication to the

interests you carry, there’s a great chance that your passion for becoming a coder could be just as strong.

Did You Know…In 2013, CNN ranked Video Game Designer at #15 in their ranking of the 100 Top Careers.

Conduct Code continued:

devCodeCamp: Wisconsin’s only code development boot camp.

Zip Code: About devCodeCamp: Wisconsin’s only code development boot camp.

The devCodeCamp campus is located in Waukesha, WI, and offered by

Brensten Education. It is currently the only one of its kind in the state of

Wisconsin. Waukesha is located 15 minutes west of Downtown Milwaukee

and conveniently located just seconds off of I-94.

We set out to disrupt traditional education by creating a model that is

focused, fierce and fun. Students in the program are entered into a fully

immersive 12 week program study. The program is fast paced, challenging

and hands-on. Students are on campus for up to 10 hours a day, five days

a week over that timeframe. The program is structured to teach software

concepts that are transferable to any language.

From day one, students dive into languages and frameworks used by major

corporations and tech companies. Among the languages learned are

Python, .NET & ASP.NET, GIT, Visual Studio, JQuery, Javascript, HTML 5

and AngularJS. As new languages take hold in the industry, we include

them in our curriculum.

devCodeCamp instills the skills for students to write their own software, and

gain employment as a junior software engineer. We provide experienced

job placement and career advising services to our students. In 2014,

Brensten Education celebrated 20 years of teaching technology. We have

graduated and placed over 5,000 students into tech jobs, and have taught

over 80,000 classes to more than 1,000 organizations. As an accredited

school since 2007, Brensten Education carefully crafted the devCodeCamp

program to provide students with a thorough understanding of coding best

practices, practical knowledge, and hireable skills. Our instructors have

collectively written over 3,000,000 lines of code that are in production today.

If you are interested in learning more about the devCodeCamp, please visit

www.devcodecamp.com today to learn more about this exciting new program.

http://www.devcodecamp.com

Benjamin Tomes is an author and digital marketing

professional in Waukesha, WI.

His writing career began in 2010, following an extended

recovery from spinal trauma incurred in an accident. He

used the recovery time to write a four part nonfiction

humor series called “Confessions of the Unmedicated

Mind; Growing up with ADHD, before ADHD.” The first

book in the series was released in 2012 and called,

Volume 1: Home. In 2014 he followed up with a 2nd

instillation of the series called Volume 2: School. There

are two more installments in the series scheduled to be

released in 2015.

Prior to his work in digital marketing and writing, he was a

highly successful urban teacher and athletic coach. He

was named the 2002 National Coach of the Year by

Wrestling USA Magazine, the sport’s largest publication,

becoming the youngest coach to ever win the award. He

received a similar award from Sports Illustrated, who

named him their National Coach of Influence in 2005.

Tomes was also featured in an award winning 2003 PBS

documentary called “Wrestling City Kids”. The film detailed

the plight of the inner-city wrestling program that

he started from scratch at one of the nation’s

most challenging schools and nearly leading them to a

state title.

In addition to his work as an author, Tomes is a general

education and digital marketing instructor at Brensten

Education in Waukesha, WI. He

is single and has two children; Zander (13) and Abigail

(11).

devCodeCamp: Wisconsin’s only code development boot camp.

Code Words: About the Author

Documents

Not Who You Think