Member Avatar for BobLewiston

I'm trying to break back into programming after 12 years away. I was a programmer for only about 4 years but I was good at it. I coded mostly in C and Pascal.

I have no degree in computer science but I have a 20 year old four-year engineering degree. People have suggested I go back to school. I'm middle aged and I don't have time for a four- or even two-year degree.

Some have suggested an accelerated one-year associates degree. I've looked into that at both colleges and tech schools, but the programs seem to be surprisingly low level with a lot of non-computer courses even at the tech schools.

The Microsoft certifications seem much more to the point, but I'm told there's not much to them and they're not taken very seriously by employers.

And of course I have no recent work experience in the industry.

But maybe my old engineering degree (and maybe even my old work experience) mean SOMETHING to employers, and if I study hard for 6 to 12 months and can get some ADVANCED Microsoft certifications, maybe I can get a lousy, entry-level job for 6 to 12 months, do well, and in a year or two actually get a decent job for, I don't know, 60K?

For what it's worth, what I'm leaning towards pursuing is .NET / C# / C++ / ASP / SQL / Javascript (web, both server- and client-side, as well as desktop).

What do you think?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by bryansiegel

Dani AI

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A realistic, project-first path will usually beat another long credential when returning to development after a long break. For the 4-year engineering degree is an asset: frame it as evidence of analytical skills and systems thinking on the resume, then let recent, public work prove current technical ability.

Suggested 6- to 12-month plan: pick a narrow stack and finish a small set of end-to-end projects. Learn core C# and the modern .NET web stack, relational databases and basic JavaScript. Build three public projects with clean READMEs and tests: (1) a CRUD business app with auth and SQL persistence, (2) a small REST API with unit tests and simple CI, (3) a client-facing interactive page or single-page component. Put everything on a public git host, include a short writeup explaining architectural and tradeoff decisions, and publish at least one live demo so hiring managers can click and try.

Turn networking into deliverable experience. Echoing , attend local meetups/user groups but take them further: volunteer to demo a project, ask speakers for introductions, follow up with a pull request to a project someone mentions. Contribute a small patch to an open-source repo or do a short paid/volunteer build for a local business to get a dated, tangible reference. Contract, QA, or support roles can also open doors if they produce shipped work.

Certifications help structure study and clear HR screens, but they rarely replace demonstrable projects. Tailor the resume to outcomes (what was built, problems solved, measurable results), prepare for interviews with debugging, SQL and concise architecture explanations, and expect steady persistence: focused learning for a few months, portfolio building, then active applications and networking.

Member Avatar for bryansiegel

Since March I've been wondering the same thing myself. I was hoping to use some of my SEO knowledge to get an asp.net in c# gig, but I'm afraid of the pay scale. I've heard the same thing you have about the certifications that they don't mean much to employers and if you've searched careerbuilder for jobs you'll notice that they all require a computer science degree.

One thing that has given me a lot of insight is user groups. Every month I attend a .net user group close to me. The attendance is really good and usually there's a lot of opportunity to network with people. Since you have experience close to programming maybe you can network your way into a career.

Member Avatar for BobLewiston

bryansiegel:

What and where are "user groups"?

Member Avatar for bryansiegel

User groups (or .net usergroups) usually are monthly meetings where industry professionals come together to talk about .net technology and the industry. They allways have a presenter that talks about a certain .Net technology. I found mine by typing in "city" user group into Google and found a few in my area.

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