Would you hire a developer with no degree or experience?

Question

I want to be a front end web developer but I have no degree or experience. I know HTML Css javascript php, and I have been creating websites since I was 9(I am 22 now). I don't want to go to college because school was boring to me, plus it is too expensive and I tend to fare better when I teach myself. Do I really need a degree to be a developer? I have a github account and contribute regularly. I also know basic c++ and ruby on rails. As well as data structures and discrete structures.

Answer 1

Hi Rachel,



Are you disappointed with all the answers saying 'No' for hiring a developer with no degree? Thats fine. Anyone in your place would get disappointed with such answers.



However my answer to this question is - YES! I will not hesitate to hire a developer without a degree in my company. We are a small to medium scale company with a team size of 10+ developers. I have some developers in my team who are yet to complete their graduation degree but have an excellent coding abilities and best logical skills. They do the assigned work properly, systematically and with minimal or without error. They are a group of young and dynamic college students (just like you) who work with us mostly to earn for their studies and household income. I have observed that the amount of energy and dedication these youngsters put in the work is really awesome. They always try to learn new things and implement in their project. Technically too they are as sound as some graduate counterpart.



My point here is as a small to medium scale business owner I would definitely not hesitate to hire a developer with no degree provided he is technically sound and is dedicated to his/ her work. I am sure you possess all these qualities!



However if you want to make career with MNC's and big companies then they will surely judge you on the basis of your educational achievements. That is absolutely correct and there is no wrong in that. If you want to join any such big company in future then DO consider joining any degree or diploma course in correspondence. It will always prove to be useful to you in future.



At your age and with the technical knowledge that you have, I would recommend you to consider developing your own business of web development and not to look at others who have higher educational achievements just to get demoralized!



And I have a small disclaimer here for all those who happen to disagree with me: These are purely my own views and are based upon my own experiences in this industry since past 10 years. You are still free to and have a full right to be disagreed with my views.:)



So Rachel, how do you feel now? Spirited? Energized? Thats cool...hope my answer will help you in some way. All the best.

Answer 2

I'm sure you are very gifted and experienced.



Unfortunately, you are going to find that with no degree you will never even get an interview in today's competitive job market. With 50-100 people applying for every Tech job and many having degrees and experience you will never get a call back after turning in your application. Only about 10 out of the 100 applicants will get an interview. Several of the people who beat you out will have Master's degrees and the others Bachelors degrees. The people with Associates degrees and no degrees will never be considered.



If you are sure that college is not for you it is possible you can find a contractor company that is full of other non-graduates or you can become self employed. Most of these jobs tend to be contract gigs where you work on something for a while and when the project or contract ends you will spend long times looking for the next job.



Best wishes!

Answer 3

IT usually refers to pc repair, help desk, systems/network administration, and not C#, web design, programming, etc. Yes, you can get a career in IT without a degree. The problem I have is that I'm very skeptical about the program. You didn't mention community college, but just said school. I'll assume it's a technical school or for profit school. They are usually scum that overcharge, overpromise, and almost always never deliver.Getting a certificate from their school means nothing because they will give it to anybody that is willing to pay them. What matters is getting certified from the computer industry, and I can tell you that most people that go to these schools do not get the certificate from the computer industry, which requires examination that is irrelevant of the school. Go to a community or university. They may have certificate programs. Stay away from these technical schools.

Answer 4

I have to agree with the others. No degree, no interview. Your resume won't even hit the hiring managers desk.



You're competing with college graduates out there. At a minimum, you need a 2 year degree (if you want to have a chance).

Answer 5

You said you don't want to College because school was boring. You are wrong!

Most probably school was boring because you're smarter than your friends.

If you choose the right career, College can be very exciting, completely different from your school experience.

Actually, if you really are that smart, the right thing to do would be going to College earlier than your friends!

Good luck!

Answer 6

It depends from job. If it is full stack project, i would reccomend you to hire middle developer, like in our company(vironit.com, btw). If your jobs is small script, you can hire a junior developer.

Answer 7

No, I don't know why I'd take a chance on you, an unknown, when qualified people are available.

Answer 8

Most jobs wouldn't hire you or even interview you.