how do you become a junior VB/C#/C++ .net developer without a formal programming education ?

Question

do i need to get the Microsoft Certification ? will this guarantee a job or improve my chances ?

do i show a portfolio ? (sorry i used to be web programming but enjoying it less)

do i need to get comp sci degree ?

Answer 1

You goal is to get to an interview with a technical lead (not HR). They would be able to asses what you know and done and not what degree you have.

Try to apply to small software development companies or contractors. They tend to prefer actual knowledge to formal degree.

Remember that after scoring your first job (and working there for a while) you will have enough experience (CV-wise) not to be bothered by the lack of a computer science degree.

Answer 2

Just as an example of someone having difficulties finding a job with out education see http://stackoverflow.com/questions/360981/it-managers-when-hiring-do-you-look-for-experience-or-education

I would suggest you need some way of getting in the door for your next interview, you will need to tell a story about development. One way is to go to a mixed job of WebDevelopment/Programming. Plenty of companies have both skills and you could try and get programming experience by leveraging your web development skills. That will be a long slow road.

Another way to get the first interview is through education or training, if you want to be a top notch programmer I would suggest a comp sci degree as this will help you not just to get your first job but in every job after that. If you are still wondering what programming will be like or you a happy with being a middling developer for now, you can start with a shorter education course. Either a 3/6/12 month course at a local college or technical institute. Or through certification.

Most people I talk to do not hold certification in high estimae but if its a quick way to your first job, then it might well be worth it.

Good luck

Answer 3

My suggestion would be to see if you could find a testing position and then from there transition into being a developer. The testing position may have less technical requirements so that you could get the job, however remember that attention to detail and being analytical are likely strengths you should have to do such work.

No, you don't need a Microsoft certification. It may improve your chances though probably not enough to justify the cost if you do pay for a lot of preparation work before the exams. A portfolio may work if you are going for ASP.Net positions rather than Winforms, but even then I'm not sure how great that would be. A comp sci degree isn't a bad idea as I do have one of those but I'm not sure how much of a requirement it is in all places.