What's the fastest way to become employable in tech

Question

Hello HN,I have quite a few friends who didn't study CS and don't know anything about programming but they hate their fields and want to switch.What's the best book, course, etc. that can take someone from zero knowledge to somewhat employable in tech? Employable is a vague term but when I think about most online college courses I imagine they teach more theory than practical skills used in most tech jobs to me.I'd imagine learning web development is probably the fastest track to becoming employable today but I'm curious what your recommendations are for how to learn that in the fastest way.

hartator · Accepted Answer

Unpopular view here, but if they want to do code just because they hear it pays well, steer them away.Coding is not easy. And it requires a lot of fiddling with things and a lot alone time trying to figure things out. Transcribe your own solutions in working code and communicate elegantly about them is also an art form by itself and it&rsquo;s not accessible to many.

jstx1 · Answer

- When you try to do things as quickly as possible you often end up cutting corners, sometimes too many corners.
- There's a lot of people trying to fast-track their learning and get into software and it's not an easy position to be in. It's a saturated market.
- It might turn out that software isn't for your friends either - personal preference, interests, aptitude etc.
I would point them to some beginner resources and let them explore it for a while in their spare time before jumping in and committing seriously.

brian_spiering · Answer

Related to starting in tech support, try to get an entry-level job in quality assurance (QA) / quality control (QC). You'll get exposure to software engineering and software engineers, then make more an informed decision about the field.

noman-land · Answer

Start in tech support. You'll learn an insane amount and be right near the people you want to become.

sovietmudkipz · Answer

Hmm&hellip; Google &ldquo;top frameworks for JavaScript,&rdquo; go get a book that teaches the hottest framework, and then demonstrate that knowledge by building something with it. Host on GitHub pages.See if that framework has a local meetup group. Attend to network. Being associated with a meetup helps.At that point, find a job posting or a recruiter looking for people who know that framework and try to land the gig.In my experience, the barrier of entry of dramatically less for front end roles than other roles. Once you&rsquo;re in, it&rsquo;s easier to move away from front end if that&rsquo;s what you want.Be nice and enthusiastic in the interview to make an impression.I think that&rsquo;s the fastest way?Warning: programming is challenging work and not everyone is cut out for it. It can be miserable work.

yuppie_scum · Answer

If it was easy, the salaries wouldn&rsquo;t be so high

sushsjsuauahab · Answer

If you already have a college degree, just write your own program that does something. That's the best way to learn and gain marketable xp at the same time.

sebisebi · Answer

Bootcamp.Friend of mine did a bootcamp recently, and had three offers two weeks after finishing. It was pretty intense at 6 days a week 10h each. They seemed to cover a lot of ground. There are bootcamp comparison sites that show how the people landed after a few month. The market is pretty hot right now which seems to translate into easier entry for new people, which was usually the hardest part.

toomuchtodo · Answer

A bootcamp with a good reputation. Fastest way from zero to entry level SWE.

winkelwagen · Answer

I would invest learning to develop for enterprise tools. Things like episerver, sitecore adobe cms, Shopify or sap stuff. Definitely would say it&rsquo;s the most interesting way to develop software but companies are willing to shelve out the big bucks after buying some of these obscenely expensive license&rsquo;s. Pretty well paid cushy jobs

qualudeheart · Answer

6 month cyber security study and then go blue team. Don&rsquo;t bother with penetration testing.

weatherlight · Answer

First get a job in Customer Operations, Technical Support, Manual QA or Platform Configuration Management.
Then try to find a mentor in your work place that will champion you and help you grow into the area of tech that you want to do, whether that product, data, engineering or what ever.
Side note: Software engineers never graduate. The moment an engineer at any level decides to stop learning because "they know it all," their career will go into a death spiral. I state this because there's no fast and easy way to do something. Any corners you cut upfront you'll need to figure out later on in order to move your career forward.

new_guy · Answer

Why do people insist on trivialising our profession so much?You don't get bootcamps for doctors or airline pilots. But people think they can go on some course, shit out a few lines of javascript/ruby/whatever and go get a job.

mrtrombone · Answer

The right starting point is probably "what are their skills and interests" and based on that what is the simplest thing to segue into. Obviously this forum is mostly focused on developers but there is a while world of business analysts, technical writers, testers etc out there and these are often pretty convenient to get into if a person comes from a more 'liberal arts' / soft skills type job.

speedgoose · Answer

Why the fastest way ? Usually people ask for the best way.

Cyberthal · Answer

I imagine there are always opportunities around to solve technical problems, and pursuing those opportunities builds momentum towards a tech career. Most businesses interact with databases, personal computers and the Internet, for example.Small org tech support appears to be the best answer. It fits with my suspicions that a willingness to be humble about doing ops or support entry-level work gains one valuable exposure.

sys_64738 · Answer

Steer non-CS people away from software development. In the python world the number of people who don't know the basics are terrifying.

EdSharkey · Answer

Are they intelligent and conscientious? Look for DevOps engineering jobs. Great, low risk way to gradually become tech savvy that can lead to more technical, higher paying gigs over time. Fake it till you make it, just like any other career.

Shadonototra · Answer

tech?what do you mean exactly?

What's the fastest way to become employable in tech

Related to starting in tech support, try to get an entry-level job in quality assurance (QA) / quality control (QC). You'll get exposure to software engineering and software engineers, then make more an informed decision about the field.

Start in tech support. You'll learn an insane amount and be right near the people you want to become.

If it was easy, the salaries wouldn’t be so high

If you already have a college degree, just write your own program that does something. That's the best way to learn and gain marketable xp at the same time.

A bootcamp with a good reputation. Fastest way from zero to entry level SWE.

6 month cyber security study and then go blue team. Don’t bother with penetration testing.

Why do people insist on trivialising our profession so much?
You don't get bootcamps for doctors or airline pilots. But people think they can go on some course, shit out a few lines of javascript/ruby/whatever and go get a job.

Why the fastest way ? Usually people ask for the best way.

Steer non-CS people away from software development. In the python world the number of people who don't know the basics are terrifying.

Are they intelligent and conscientious? Look for DevOps engineering jobs. Great, low risk way to gradually become tech savvy that can lead to more technical, higher paying gigs over time. Fake it till you make it, just like any other career.

tech?
what do you mean exactly?