Do you think it would be possible.

['Bruno]

Ya know. This Portuguese guy that was studying in University, he was like a guru of programming, but he never went to these damt classes, he never completed the first year because of it.

Somehow that same year, he joined crytek "noob" team, a few time after that, they released far cry, then crysis came out, etc etc etc...

What school qualifications did he have? ...

It's a lot about taking the opportunities that you may encounter, either crap ones or not. Of course that a degree will help you. But it's not a must... Show them that you can do it. Prove it somehow that you can work as a team (like nextgen said). But you can't really hide yourself in a hole and expect someone to contact you..

[freedompeace]

@freedompeace , Portfolio may look good on a resume (to an extent) HOWEVER, NO job will hire you for your portfolio experience, unless the task is still individual or freelance, the only thing a portfolio tells your interviewer is you are able to work by yourself on small to medium projects and if all your jobs are landed from a website, then it tells me that you are unable or determined enough to go out and get your own jobs and rely heavily on others (or a system) to do it for you. I wouldn't hire you.

You have to realize, the Real world (which you don't have enough experience in) as far as Dev's go, it a lot different then internet based freelance, You can still freelance, in NYC there are 1000's of freelance dev jobs that go up for BID and communication is face to face, if you came to me with a portfolio that displayed face to face bids and actual real world jobs, and you have worked with a team, have good ethics and devotion, plus you have the knowledge to do your job, and understand what you are doing, not just going through the moments, then you will get it.

Everything has a underlining meaning, and as someone who has hired before, I look at every detail, as everyone will.

I understand, NextGen1. You are correct in that your portfolio won't be the all-determining factor in you getting a potential job, but it still plays a role, especially if you have no formal experience of qualifications in the field.

If you've got no previous experience in the field you want to work in, a portfolio, even a small one, will help a lot. It's the equivalent of experience that demonstrates you have knowledge in the field. A portfolio demonstrates experience. It might be the determining factor in getting your first job, however low it may be, in "the Real world".

This is especially for underage people, where you aren't able to go out and work in "the Real world" and don't have any qualifications (yet), it's a great way to build up your resume from a low age. It was the reason I got my first job "Real" job with a company that serves international companies.

Yes, but it's not always as easy for people my age, and even less likely freedom's age to get strong coding positions at a face-to-face level. IMO a portfolio would help you get into the ground floor for those jobs, THEN you can start bulking out your resumé with 'proper' job. Meh, it may be different in Aus than the US, but there's not many job opportunities around for people < 18 in coding positions if they find out you're 17 with no actual official qualifications (degrees...etc) Freelancing lets us earn money doing what we enjoy while we work towards finding a proper coding position.

+1

[NextGen1]

@Jason & @freedompeace , You're both making moot points.

I agree that you should do freelance work. Especially if your looking for cash now, You should also try and to do face to face (for professionalism) why not have a portfolio in the works?

I was merely stating that Freelance is not (necessarily) a stepping stone for a "Job", But it is a stepping stone for starting your own business.(always)

Interviewers look for specific things in a applicant, Someone who has done what they are hiring them to do in the past, they do it well, and they also look at past actions and jobs (on record) to determine how they will handle this job, IE: if I was going to hire someone , I would look to Viable non relation references, like past employer, though I could call a past client from a freelance job you have done in the past, I wouldn't consider it "Viable" unless the source had real backing themselves, but a random name and number wouldn't be sufficient. Developers who want to work in the commercial field with no college degree should be smart & able to perform any task handed to them, they can use references & guides to learn something new, but should be willing to learn & apply it if there is something they dont know.

I also would love to see contributions to open source projects, to me having your name listed as a contributor on a open source project shows me some experience, plus it is viable, I can review the work and prove it is yours (or disprove) If you can show me a full work week's worth of hours (40 +) on any large community or open source project, I will count is as Work Experience & again, because you have worked on open source projects it becomes a viable reference, I can search for you on the internet and find your name on Open Source projects which will validate your claim.

Also, Use your real name and sign up for programming contests here on MPGH, TopCoder, ProjectEuler and alike, by completing these tasks, you can display a real talent.

Harsh fact is, the programming industry is one of the most cutthroat if you are not well experienced. I know a guy who graduated top of his class, he graduated CIS with a specialization in application development & New Encryption, He still bounces from job to job, one job had him for 4 years (VERY BIG COMPANY) as a encryption dev. , He had 14 significant raises, and during a downsize, he still had to get another job.

Freelance programming may help you to a programming career but not with any large companies , most large companies will hire you if you have YEARS of real work experience that can be tracked however, smaller companies sometimes will hire you if you can demonstrate aptitude and ability.

So my overall point remains (without debate to moot points) Freelance is GREAT if you want money now & intend on working for your self in the future, but if you want a real world career in a large firm, I suggest

- Freelance (as a crutch to gain a portfolio & backing)
- Working on Open Source Projects (even if just a few Contributions)
- Completing tasks at sites like ProjectE , Topcoder & MPGH
- Build a "Showcase" website, simply screen shot your freelance work and post them on your site with images and descriptions
- Keep examples of past work.
- Finish College as a Computer Engineer or a masters in CS and specialize in a SPECIFIC language.

I agree with hassan , You really should (for your own benifit) have the ability to offer variation in dev & design, however, Programming dev jobs don't care if you know 3 languages , DB , and gfx, only that you can perform the single job type you are handed. , if you are looking for a application development job using C++ then you should focus on that, Database (MSSQL, MySql, Etc) are not needed, they hire Database Designers for that, MySql has it's own syntax, you should know how to implement it, not how to create it.

Another Example, Game Developers are not going to bother applying as a weather station application developer for the weather channel, he may apply for a game dev job, but he doesn't need to be a GFX artist, the concept is true to most any job (in dev). it's a BIG misunderstanding for those who think they need to focus on more, Focus in a language you want to learn and work with, then learn from there, cause again, they are not hiring you for 5 position, just one. , If you are working for a development firm, then you will make the applications and Mr. X will construct the DB.

Have Fun Reading This.

[why06]

This is absolutely true. If I choose to freelance it will just be for the extra money, and to gain skill and familiarity in the industry, but so far, the little work I have done, the only jobs I have ever gotten are ones, where I made a committed effort to meet the employer face to face, I've filled out lot's of online apps, and maybe it's just me, but I'm of the opinion it just doesn't work. Even if you have no choice, but to feel out an online application, I would still make an effort to meet the manager in question, and give them my name, and ask them what they are looking for. It doesn't work every time, but I've had a lot more luck doing the latter.

[NextGen1]

@why06, Person to Person is always best (when possible) gives the client the ability to see you, meet you & determine your "Worth" , If you can provide sufficient proof you can perform the task and do it face to face you have a good chance of landing the job & a better chance of offering a higher bid and getting it.

[MJLover]

Person to person is always best when you have something in hand. The only proof they will ask you is, your certification / degree. They will never prefer you on the one's containing degrees. And as for the number of languages you should be proficient in, it does matter even you have a simple application to develop. If you have sometime to spare from your busy schedule, go to Freelancer.com and explore the jobs. 30 - 40 % of the work on Freelancer are scrapping content from different webpages. They ask you to scrape content from particular webpage(s), and then ask you to export it to simple data-table, multiple databases, excel spreadsheets, PHP scripting for dynamically updating it on their site, querying it using MySQL, etc. The list goes on. The point is, that there are many technologies that work together to make an application work. Took me a bit long but I realized that I won't get work most of the time just by VB.NET and ActionScript. The more you know, the better your chances of being in the spotlight.

[Lyoto Machida]

You can do things like... Develop programs for some company, Websites (learn it xD) .. EVer is something to do.. Im 14 and already sold some websites..

[topblast]

You can do things like... Develop programs for some company, Websites (learn it xD) .. EVer is something to do.. Im 14 and already sold some websites..

or he can try to steals @NextGen1's job.. lol that might take a while