Python also has implicit conversion.
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In my experience (6 or 7 years now), the differences between languages are GREATLY overstated (at least until the PhD level). I have started using Python at work recently in addition to JavaScript, and I find there are pros and cons to each.
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I would just second this for anyone reading the thread. We had some developers laid off at the company I work for. It took developers with over 2 years of professional experience 8 months to find another job
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Are you also in the US? Previously deleted instead of edited.
I take on board what you guys keep saying about layoffs and development being difficult to get into, but I think a little context for anyone else reading this thread, this could be said for the majority of tech fields these days.
The graphic design field is far more saturated worldwide, with more people being given jobs that have little experience just because they can operate Illustrator, thereby devaluing the industry for those with years of experience, meaning those of us with experience get priced out and either have to drop our rates to work for peanuts or do something else. That’s off topic, but just a little context.
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There is a lot of focus on jobs here. Is a job crucial, or could you make your own apps/services and market them?
I cannot give you any coding work experience, since I have none. I’m learning. I’ve been learning PHP (no framework for now), and as my learning project, I’ve been building a big web service that all being well, people will want to use.
I’m in my 50s, so the prospect of another boss does not thrill me. I’m not hanging around for another spoon to serve me a salary, so that’s why I’m taking control. Whether or not the project is a success, it will serve as a good project to show people, and while not a tic-tac-toe game or yet another to-do list, it will exhibit my ability to create a secure full-stack application that implements many aspects of code. It will also show people that I can take the initiative to create something that is not from a tutorial.
I’ve learnt a lot by making my own project. I have made use of Grok to point out potential refactors, but I have never relied on it to code for me. That whole vibe thing takes away learning opportunities.
I realise that was a bit me, me, me, but you can imagine it being applied to yourself as an alternative or complimentary approach to the market.
All the best.
I have not yet met implicit conversion in Python
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It is a core feature that’s been there for ages: Type Casting in Python (Implicit and Explicit) with Examples - GeeksforGeeks
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oh, between float and int, you are right
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It’s also a general capability that can be used 3.4.8 Coercion rules
Unfortunately the docs are horribly dense
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Not at all, appreciate the perspective and helpful comment. Yeah, I reckon in time I’ll look at freelance options. Having no working knowledge of the dev industry, I don’t know if it’s easier to find freelance work, or a junior position in a company when starting out.
I imagine (maybe ignorantly) that it would require a broader range of knowledge to freelance that it would to work an entry-level position in a company where you learn on the job. Suppose it depends on what area of development you’re working in.
Definitely agree that the best way to expedite the learning process is to get busy building something.
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Freelancing is generally considered difficult to make a living at these days. You are effectively running your own one person company.
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Yes, I am in the US. Personally, I think finding contract work may be easier to get into rather than finding a normal full-time position at the moment. Working with a recruiter with a company who can contract you out to a client would be better because they have the resources for working with companies who need developers. However, that being said, a person would have to be OK with lower pay than a typical person would receive for that job. It would still be a good option as it would get people job experience, and they could then decide to try their luck in the market with actual job experience.
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Again, I think that can be applied to any industry.
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Thanks, I think the takeaway from this thread is that software development is not an easy industry to break into, and certainly not made easier when tech companies prioritise max profits over anything else.
But that can be applied to almost every industry. If everyone looking to break into or change career into an industry started with the pessimistic view that it was nigh impossible and all the odds were stacked against you, what’s the point of trying. I feel this is a mindset that creeps in the older and dare I say more jaded one gets, but if you can think creatively outside the box…
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Yeah, its definitely not easy. Most people think programming is a good career path because it pays a lot, and that’s all they think about (not saying that’s you). Unfortunately, it is not an easy career switch, or to start out in as people think after googling, but its definitely a great field and leads to good opportunities for those that stick with it. People should just be ready for the long road ahead
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I mean if I manage to make this work, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking at the remuneration as a way of adding to my retirement pot, but of course the money only comes many years into the career.
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That wasn’t my experience. I actually took a pay cut when a company I did contract work for wanted to hire me on full-time. Granted, they more than made up for it over the next 7 years and there were great benefits, but contract work always paid more. I do agree that it’s probably easier to find contract work than a full-time position, at least, that was my experience. I was able to break into IT by making myself available to work anywhere. But that gets old after a while, which is why I ultimately accepted less compensation for a full-time position. Oh, and about the age thing, I finished my college education the same year my daughter started hers. I struggled to find work in IT until 3 years later when I decided to make myself available to work anywhere in the US.
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Interesting. Of course there’s always several variables when it comes to pay. I did contract for three years, and the pay was not bad by any means, but compared to the experience I had I was definitely on the lower end of the pay range compared to other jobs in the area. I would do it over again though, I had a job offer from the recruiting company a month after I graduated college, and gave me three years of experience which helped in landing my current position
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Yes that may be true about freelancing, but I am not freelancing. I’m creating a service, not for a client, but for the world to use. Besides, I reckon many companies start off as one person with an idea, and then has to expand with success. The freelancer can choose to stay an individual freelancer or build into a firm.
After all is said and done, when a job comes to an end, so does the income despite your work continuing to make money for the company, but if you independently build something useful for people to use, the job can end before the money does, and that money belongs to you.
Trying to start a company is hard in very similar ways to freelancing