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Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai
(Post 2462878)
Curious what the best avenue is to enter this field.
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Varies based on lots of stuff, but if you want a generic answer, save up for some courses in a specific language such as C# .net and get certified. A certification is pretty much a guarantee that you'll get your foot in the door at the entry level.
Quote:
Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai
(Post 2462878)
Are there many freelance opportunities?
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Not really. I'm sure there is such a thing, but it's rare, and there's almost always going to be a contract involved if you find work with an actual company, which brings us to
Quote:
Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai
(Post 2462878)
Independent contracting?
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which you more or less need a proven track record to find gainful work in. Independent contracting is something programming veterans will find success in because they'll have a desirable skillset and an extensive resume.
Quote:
Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai
(Post 2462878)
Remote opportunities?
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Another thing I wouldn't exactly count on at the entry level, or in general. If you're on salary you may be allowed to work remotely if you've proven reliable, but almost all companies are going to require a physical presence at a location at least some of the time, if not all of the time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai
(Post 2462878)
What sort of education is necessary?
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None.
Quote:
Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai
(Post 2462878)
What sort is suggested?
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Again varies based on lots of stuff. If you have a particular interest in one language, get a certification for that language. If you have a more generic interest in programming without a specific goal in mind then you might want to enroll in some college-level courses to learn the fundamentals and then find out what interests you from there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai
(Post 2462878)
What are most popular languages? Which are most useful? Which most needed?
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C# .net and Java are really popular these days, and probably the only two I'd recommend for object-oriented programming. There's still huge value in learning C++, but if your primary concern is landing a job I'd worry about that later. JavaScript is also hugely valuable and definitely the most widely employed for web development.
Quote:
Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai
(Post 2462878)
What sort of drawbacks are there?
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Hard to say, and I'm probably not qualified to really expound on which languages excel at doing what, but I've seen programs consisting of a bunch of lua scripts compiled in C, such as Zaela's EQGExport, hugely outperform C# programs like Shendare's EQ-Zip. Drawbacks are mostly contingent on programming knowledge and skill level, and the better understanding you have of fundamental programming concepts the better you'll be able to utilize a language and write functional code.
Quote:
Originally Posted by maskedmelonpai
(Post 2462878)
What else?
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You don't need to be an expert programmer to understand programming concepts. I've found it's easier to learn a language by researching how to do something specifically - I'll have a specific, simple idea in mind, and set about researching how to do that by performing a flurry of Google searches and by studying the code of software that might be instructive so as to achieve that goal.
http://stackoverflow.com/