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Is Software Development for you?
Every once in a while, on the Discussion Boards at CramSession.Com and on other sites, I see people asking whether or not they should consider programming. I constantly get emails about it from curious people. Some are in college, some are still in high school, and some are considering a change in careers.
First, there are a lot of stereotypes that are associated with software development. Unlike what developers were
portrayed as in movies of the 1980s, you don't need long hair, you don't need a beard, and you don't need torn up
jeans with raggedy t-shirts. That era is done. As a matter of fact, you don't need to be a man either! (I sure would like
to see more female developers!)
The Bad News: There's no magic test that you can take that will say that you will make it as a Software Developer/Programmer. You'll get out of it what you put into it. You won't become insanely well off (like happened in the DotCom boom of the late 1990s). You'll have to spend long hours in front of a monitor, books (less prevalent thanks to the internet), magazines... It's very much like medicine in some ways - you have to stay on top of the latest development technology, and you should expect to understand hardware and networking concepts.
It's not easy as a job; it requires a lot of time and devotion to be good at it. Sure, you can be super smart and so on, but you have to keep up. And that demands time. It demands concentration. Most importantly, it requires tenacity.
The Good News: If you've read this far, and still are interested, you should delve in a bit further. Programming itself is not as complicated as one would think either. I wrote an article that you can read which describes programming to the uninitiated: Programming: The First Steps. As you read it, you'll find that you may already be a programmer, and not know it.
The next questions that follows that is usually 'Which programming language?', followed closely by 'which book?' and/or 'Should I take classes on it?'. The first two questions I answer in the article Beginning Programming - Which Language, Which Book. I have also done some research on popular books for beginning programming (up to date as of 5 May 2002), and have put them below with a brief explanation of what you should expect.
The last question, regarding classes, is difficult to address properly. Formal training is expected in the business world, but sometimes
isn't required. I would encourage people to take at least some formal classes at a college/community college or their
equivalent - otherwise you will try to enter a very resistant job market, and become frustrated. I often
hear Microsoft Certified Software Engineers (MCSE's, a.k.a. Wireheads 
)
ask about the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) program, or other Microsoft related certifications. These
do not really teach programming - they simply show that you can use Microsoft Technologies AS a programmer!
If you have survived reading the pros and cons, and are still interested - start thinking about what kind of software you want to develop. Ask around on discussion boards such as Dev-Session. As people you know in the industry. See what is current, what you can do well at... And... if you still want it...
Roll your sleeves up and start coding!
Here are some books that you can peruse for beginning programming:
Beginning Programming for Dummies: Uses QBasic.
Beginning Linux Programming: Uses C++.
Beginning Mac Programming: Uses C++.
Sams Teach Yourself Beginning Programming in 24 Hours: Uses Liberty Basic and Java, and introduces other programming languages.
Beginning with C/an Introduction to Professional Programming/Book and Disk: Uses C.
