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How possible is it to find a job as an uneducated C++ programmer?

I've been going through teenage depression lately, and since I'm in electroengineering high school, it reflects a lot on my grades as I used to be the best student in class, and now there's a chance I could fall my Electronics class.

However, I spend most of my free time either playing with my band or learning C++ because it makes me feel better, so I'm curious - how does a life of a non-schooled C++ programmer usually look like?

And how possible is it to live as a programmer without education?
Are you asking for my biography?

As long as you love something, nothing will ever "make you worse at it".
If you can show your experience, your brain doesn't need a degree.
Unless you plan on working for yourself, you're going to want a bachelors.
@EssGeEich - yeah, a biography could be useful. In fact, I'm currently learning C++ without a slightest idea about how would I use it in doing my job, or what the heck can I do with it in the first place.

@Cody0023 - what do you mean within "working for yourself"? How is it possible for a programmer to work 'for himself'?
How is it possible for a programmer to work 'for himself'?
By writing software that people want and selling it to those people. You can also write some software and have other companies pay you to put advertisements in your software. Usually when an application is free (as in beer) if it contains ads.
Not that I have tried those, but you can do freelance jobs related to programming.
closed account (3hM2Nwbp)
Unfortunately most employers will take a green code monkey fresh out of college over one with plenty of purely private / open source experience. Screwed up world.
You can get certificates and stuffs to give/show the employers that you are determined and dedicated for that job, but, that might not be enough though.
closed account (EwCjE3v7)
You could always work for yourself and sell your applications or whatever your making or make them free but have ads on it.

On the other hand, some people give jobs without a degree. I know someone who works for a college to sort out students information. So yea you can go out and see
The thing is Fr0zen1 without a degree you are probably never going to find a job that pays more than 20$ an hour and you are very limited to where you can work that being mainly food, retail, and call centers.
closed account (EwCjE3v7)
@giblit

That is true, it seems as he just wants the job for now, to get some money. So if he tries and see if he can find a job that he would be happy with for now.


There is also online tutoring.
Yeah but the thing is either way, he is a teenager so the best he will probably get it is working at the mall or fast food for 20 hours a week making minimum wage. If he does find some sort of programming job it will either be some sort of intern/apprenticeship or freelance work.
closed account (EwCjE3v7)
Yea I would agree mate.

It wouldn't pay much but you could still live off it.
The original post sounds awfully familiar. I gave up the pursuit of entering a coding career without having the education for it a while back because for a start all the freelance style jobs I spotted I had no idea what half of it was talking about.

From personal experience, I'd say don't limit yourself. Maybe try look for things that might not be completely what you want but can lead into your ideal career.

I started learning to program C++ in the last year of high school just from books and online tutorials (the ones on here helped a fair bit), went into college for two years and didn't study programming.
After that was when I started looking for programming jobs and gave up. After some voluntary I2E courses I'm now on an electronics engineering apprenticeship, which goes hand in hand with programming really. I got the job over my competitors because my employers actually really liked the fact that I'd been teaching myself programming for now the past 3 years. My electronics training hasn't actually started yet but I've been working on some software for them for the past 6 weeks I think =D. They've even took me into a meeting and asked me that if I wanted their may be the possibility to change my apprenticeship to software engineering instead.

The point is that it's kind of interesting, (and sometimes easier) in the different ways that their are to get into certain careers. If you do like other subject that tie in quite closely to what you want to do (I do like electronics engineering btw and that's why I thought I'd go for that as well as the tie in) then you may be able to progress into what you ideal job would be.
You might even learn that what you thought you wanted to go into, you like your current job better.
@SatsumaBenji

I'm planning to study on Electronics Engineering College in my city, so education is nothing to worry about - but I've been binge studying for a long time so I was curious about how one could find a job without college. Thanks for info! :)
good for you benji.
I was trying really hard not to sound like I was trying to "show off" or anything (I don't think that's exactly the right word but oh well) while writing that... I don't think I pulled it off too well but thanks Cody :)
I didn't feel that you have conveyed that message, Benji.
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