Why 95% of Self-taught Developers Change their Profession Soon?

The number of Self-taught Developers is constantly increasing, according to studies from Stack Overflow and HackerRank.

Scott Berry once said, "It can be difficult for a self-taught developer to get interviews for their first job". Well, there is nothing wrong with becoming a self-taught developer but as compared to developers those who attend classes for 4 years, learn from experienced and well-qualified faculty, go through assignments, and projects, and practical, and more self-taught developers won't generally have many credentials. A degree says you've passed some minimum bar of knowledge. Developers are increasingly self-taught, according to studies from Stack Overflow and HackerRank. By some measures, at least 60 percent of developers may have learned their craft without ever stepping foot in a classroom. This could be leading to employment issues.

The first is the data. Stack Overflow's 2019 developer study shows that 60.1 percent of developers say they have "taken an online course in programming or software development," such as a MOOC or Bootcamp program. Around 86.8 percent say they learned a language, framework, or tooling without any sort of formal coursework. HackerRank's survey shows that 27.4 percent of developers say they're self-taught. Another 37.7 percent say they supplemented a formal education with an online course, or otherwise taught themselves.

Programming is all about problem-solving

Even if you manage to get a job as a self-taught developer there are still a few things you won't be able to do as compared to experienced developers. For example, experienced developers can learn any language and solve any problem because they have spent their education and careers finding the best ways to solve problems. Experienced programmers use multiple approaches and processes that they've developed over years of practice. They can choose from many programming languages, various mathematical concepts, and functions to find efficient solutions.

But experienced programmers have only gotten to this point of expertise through practice. They try and fail and then try and try again. They ask for help. They search for answers. When confronted with a new problem, they research, make a game plan, and (only then) start coding.

When you are starting, your main goal should be to build a system for yourself to tackle problems. There's a lot to take in, especially when learning your first programming language, but when learning the basics, you want to find straightforward projects and goals for yourself.

Fail to market yourself

It is never too early to start marketing your skills and expertise. But there are high chances that if you are a self-taught developer things won't be easy for you. Therefore, the more expertise you obtain, the more achievements you can refer to when marketing yourself. If you are a beginner, you have to focus on earning your stripes and highlighting those achievements.

If you are a beginner, writing a commit every day can help build momentum. The most important ally in your portfolio. If you build a track record of getting things done, your potential employers will believe that you are a developer capable of solving problems. Make sure you create a GitHub profile and create a portfolio website that is worth checking out. You can host your WordPress site, or you can choose a free github.io site.

Failing professionalism

In colleges, you are not only taught technical skills but soft too because leaders are never made on technical knowledge. And most self-taught developers focus on learning technical skills only because there is no one else to guide them. Getting better at React, learning more about Machine Learning algorithms, or becoming a technically competent architect are examples of common aspirations of software developers. Especially when you are young and ambitious, you may feel overwhelmed by the avalanche of knowledge out there. It is easy to focus on just increasing your technical skills and pushing other aspects of your development to the side. And this is where you make mistake because technical skills are not enough when a business person says he has already committed to the board that you, the developer, will deliver an affiliation platform in three months. Tech skills won't get you promoted to a lead role. Tech skills won't help you when some of your colleagues are toxic and they poison most people with their attitude.