What a long strange trip its been

@fbclh

Sweet. Thanks for your links!

I’ve been considering working towards becoming a web developer but I have found it difficult to get an understanding of the job market in Australia. Do you think it is important to get some form of formal qualification in the field to get a job?

In terms of the value in having a formal qualification (ie. a degree from university), in Australia specifically, the short answer is yes and no.

Now, for the longer answer.

The reason I say no is because from my experience hiring junior devs in my previous role, it was never a mandatory requirement in our view. If the candidate had some good code examples (codepen, or personal projects), and communicated well in response to the advertisement, that was their foot in the door. The next step in our hiring process was to give a take home coding project (cutting up the front end for a design). At this point we’re no longer concerned by your history, you’re being qualified for the job based on how well you performed in the cut up and your attitude when interviewed in person.

I really believe everything you need to become a competent web developer is within the Free Code Camp curriculum. It’s really an incredible resource.

The reason I say yes is because, invariably in the process of pursuing a formal qualification (say a degree in computer science), you’re going to spend several years studying the subject matter and creating things. You’ll have a really solid understanding of core programmings concept and a portfolio of projects. Though, this is just a formal and traditional way of doing it. It’s not to say you could be just as knowledgable and skilled by studying resource readily available and free online, but there’s a great deal of determination and self-motivation involved. The obvious advantage of engaging in a formal qualification is that you’re accountable and embarking on this journey with a group of peers like you. The disadvantage is the time and cost.

I think the yes argument would be stronger in the case there was an over supply of developers, but at the moment everyone I speak to in the industry struggles to find juniors that are ready for the next step. If there was an over supply, I imagine when an employer is gazing over your resume / application, there would be a bias that if you have a relevant qualification you’re probably more likely to perform well in later stages of the interview process (unfortunately, but I believe this is the case), unless you have something else to wow them. This often also applies for large companies (especially corporations) - they’ll get a lot of candidates, so will often use inclusion of a qualification as a way of filtering their candidates.

One final note.

You’re bound to encounter Bootcamps (including General Assembly) that will present themselves as a happy and convenient middle ground. In my personal opinion, I don’t think they are worth the amount of money. I think the idea that you can cram all the content to become a “full stack” web developer into three months is pretty unrealistic, the prices are outrageous, and it’s pretty unfair that they sell that dream at that price to people desperately looking for a change in career. We’ve had a lot of candidates apply after Bootcamps and they simply aren’t ready. This being said, I’ve heard in other agencies that they’ve found strong candidates. If you’re reading this as someone who’s had a positive experience from a bootcamp, feel free to weigh in and counter me.

I would save the money, and go hard with the Free Code Camp curriculum and derive the sense of community and accountability you might get from a bootcamp or university from the Free Code Camp community & forum. Work through the content at your own pace, and apply for junior positions when you feel ready.

Thank-you for your insights Allan. This has really given me a clear plan. I think that for myself I wont get the value of a formal qualifications that someone else might. But perhaps if I’m struggling to get a job down the track it could be something I pursue.

A part of the reason I am interested in web development is because of the possibility for me to have more flexible work arrangements. My dream is to have a job that I would be able to do anywhere as long as I have an internet connection. Is remote employment common?

I personally have not worked remotely, though I’m sure that there are some users here who have (hopefully one can chime in and give their account).

The good news is, yes it is common!

We can find some when we peruse job boards:

But, I imagine it has its challenges. Here are some that come to mind:

  • Competition: As a remote worker you place yourself in competition in a global market of web developers, as opposed to local.

  • Cost Expectation: Going remote means you sacrifice a competitive point of difference - being able to meet in person physically with the client. Clients expect because of this a freelancer will be cheaper as opposed to a local agency / studio.

  • Work: If you’re working inside of a team, I often see grunt work offloaded to remote workers. For example, while the core team is working on building new sites in the latest Javascript Framework and web technologies, maintenance and patch up of old WordPress websites might be outsourced to remote.

  • Community: I’ve worked in a couple of co-working spaces in the past few years, and it’s quite common to see solo or duo teams there, despite the fact they could save a lot of money by working from home. It’s because they actually work better with the buzz of having other people working around them - having people to bounce words off is not to be underestimated!

Bear in mind, I’m playing devil’s advocate here! I’m sure there’s a lot of perks of going remote too.

I imagine the best way to launch your remote lifestyle would be to start in the buzz of the city, build up skill and network in a team environment, go freelance while staying in the city for a bit, build up a set up clients, then go remote once you’re confident you’ve got a regular stream of work to keep you going.

Hope this helps.

Very helpful! Thanks for your insights Allan - I don’t feel like I’m heading into this so blind now.

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