Quote: (07-25-2013 06:49 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:
did you already know how to program in another language?
Nope, I had no previous programming knowledge
Quote: (07-25-2013 06:50 PM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:
Great writeup, FrenchCorporation.
Some questions:
1. Why did you choose Python over other languages?
2. You had no programming experience before moving forward with this 8 month process? What were you doing to pay the bills while teaching yourself Python?
3. 30 days of practice before applying to jobs seems extreme. It's not just about getting past the interview but also actually performing on the job. However, your point is that you want to figure out what they are asking for in terms of what you DO need to know, right?
4. What was the general process of coming up with the idea for your app and then making it a viable commercial reality? Let us know the marketing end of it all in particular.
1. As I said above, I had no previous programming knowledge, so one reason I chose it due to its easy-to-read syntax.
Another is that there are quite a few jobs for it, I did job searches by programming language on quite a few jobsites, and there were a lot of jobs knocking around..The fact that I got interviews after stating I only had very little experience also means theres a lack of python programmers in the UK
And i have friends in the field, they also reccomended python to me, as well as ruby and C++, but i chose python as my first language, I will likely start learning a complimentary language to python at some point.
2.I was a bouncer ..going from working nights and getting attacked by trannies to working days in an air conditioned office has been interesting
3. Yes exactly, I went into the interviews with no expectations, was just looking for info from the horses mouth on what they want, rather than second/third hand info, it was invaluable
4. When I was doing the tutorials, I would think about what other uses there could be for certain bits of code/functionality in the tutorials, brainstormed a few, and got to work on my own projects after i finished the tutorial
What your project is doesnt matter as much, as nearly of the things you will code are transferable skills.
As for marketing, there was none, people I know, knew that I was coding, Id mention to them what i was currently working on when they would ask, then some of them would mention how they needed something similar for their small business, I kept my mouth shut, went away and worked on creating it, even if they didnt want it its still something I could add to my portfolio.
I leased it out to them for a low cost,and refined the apps as I went. Theyd mention it to other people and these other people contacted me..the setup was already there so it was pretty much extra money for no extra effort.
I dont even have a website advertising it, just an email address and my phone number.Purely word of mouth so far
Quote: (07-26-2013 12:59 AM)speakeasy Wrote:
Why would one choose Python vs Ruby vs PHP?
pythons easy syntax was a pull for me, as it was my first language
ruby is also a good shout for a beginner ,
you can do scripting and object oriented stuff with python, not sure thats the case with php
edit: according to the graphic above apparently you can