Can treehouse really help get you job ready in 6 months

I'm in a very similar situation to yourself. I have never coded before using this site and very impressed by how quickly you can pick things up! The videos are very simple and easy to follow. I do admit I have a degree but that was in sports and business. I have worked for a start-up for the last year which made an app but never got involved with the coding. I completely agree that it is going to be very difficult to get a job without a degree but I have many friends, some with masters, who are awful in coding as this is not a skill they all learn with their degree (computer science). They decided to do different things with their degrees or didn't feel coding was the way forward.

I have just recently started helping another startup with a web platform and the only developer is completely self taught, she has work doing a few projects, some for free, but since has found a very good job as a ruby developer. I don't believe this was using the treehouse platform however I'm just showing an example of how a self taught coder can achieve this goal.

I have no idea how I will secure my next position but with the openness of the apple App Store, IOS 7 coming out and the many start ups, you can gain experience as they need any assistance they can find! Check out work in start ups and other meet up groups to meet as many people as possible and you will land that experience easily. You may have to take a pay cut but will be worth it in the end.

Hope that gives you some positivity! Good luck!

I would say its definitely possible without a degree, or with an unrelated degree. But you will have to do more than just watch the videos/do the projects etc on treehouse. You are going to have to develop your own projects create a portfolio of what YOU can do and things that YOU have made. That's whats nice about web development is that its easy for you, a single person, to create something that looks great and works well.

Now for some this might take 6 months, however it could take longer depending on the person.

And you are right, skills might not matter to hiring managers, but if you show them how you can USE those skills that will take you easily into consideration.

Pretty sure most hackers will disregard the absence of a degree as long as you can code. A portfolio should do the trick.

Are you opposed to getting a degree? While I do not think that having one is the end-all-be-all I do think they help tremendously with the situation you are in.

I recently acquired my degree at 31 years old, and while that is a bit on the older-side for a BS, it helped me land a development job before I graduated.

Having a degree will open a lot of doors, but that does not mean all of them are closed. Build a portfolio and more skills. Use hot frameworks like Bootstrap or Foundation for some of your designs. From what I have seen the Y-Combinator start-ups like to use Bootstrap since many are trying to build a functional website in three months.

Look to work for a start-up if you feel that hiring managers won't bother with you. Start-ups want skills more than anything.

Keep a positive attitude!

It is certainly possible. I happen to also have a degree (in History, so completely not related to CS), but I taught myself to code with treehouse being one of the sources of how I learned. It was actually around 6-7 months from when I started learning to when I actually got my current programming job, so that time frame happened to be pretty close to how long it took me. That being said, I studied really long hours nearly every day during those 6-7 months. If that is your time frame, you really have to dive in super hard and want to learn. A college degree isn't necessary, but like a lot of people said above, if you don't have a degree than you are going to have to have a really outstanding portfolio to physically show this skills you have. Every project you work on, and every feature you have made should be documented somewhere that you can pull up come interview day. That is what helped me the most when interviewing; I had compiled a portfolio of many of the projects I had worked on while learning to code.
Hope this helps.

I am currently working on my Associate degree, and my major is computer programming. Yet out of 96 credits required to graduate, only 16 credits are from classes directly related to my major. The rest of the classes are either general computer classes such as hardware, Excel etc, or completely unrelated classes. So the school may give me a better chance to get an intervie but I am actually learning programming outside of the school by myself because I feel the school will not adequatelly prepare me for it at all. So although you may have a hader time getting the interview, you may actualy have better skills than many graduates who rely solely on the education they receive in school.

Rachel, I'm in a very similar place. I haven't finished college and it is not feasible for me to go back to school right now. It can feel really daunting sometimes and sometimes I get really discouraged. But then I remind myself that a lot of the great entrepreneurs of our day were college dropouts like Bill Gates and Larry Ellison. I know those guys are the exception to the rule as far as the amount of money they made. But a lack of a degree definitely in no way determines your ability to gain employment in the programming industry.

One of the great things about coding is you can prove your skills and really show others what you can do by getting involved and doing projects.

Also, I think that the formal education bubble is about to burst. As places like Treehouse show the world that people can learn at home online for the fraction of the cost of a brick and mortar school society will start to take notice. In a lot of circles people already have and articles are popping up all over the place about the future of formal education. Not that I think formal higher education is going anywhere any time soon or even that it should but many are starting to recognize that there are many ways to gain the skills and knowledge necessary for a career. College is not the only path.

Hi Rachel,

I only signed up to treehouse today so I don't know if it will help you get a job in 6 months. But I have worked in IT for over 12 years in testing/QA - the last 6 years as a freelance contractor and I have only ever been asked about my degree once, in fact I didn't even have a degree when I started - i completed it in my spare time.

I think if you have a portfolio of a few web sites to show prospective employers and a bucketload of enthusiasm then you'll do just fine - so ditch the pessimism :-)

hth

Si

After working at interactive design and technology agencies for the past few years, you absolutely do not need a degree. In fact, my last two jobs never even asked where I went to school. That goes for both designers and developers.

You do, however, need a solid portfolio and a great attitude.

Employers want to see what you can do; the most important thing is that you have created your own projects and can explain what your code does. I have been working as a programmer for the past year or so; previously, my top education was a B.A. in Psychology. I had a few community college programming courses under my belt, but that was about it, as far as directly relevant education went.

Do freelance jobs to build a portfolio then apply for jobs.. freelance.com Odesk.com

just think of this site as an expensive self learning book, like (how two for dummies). I would recommend taking classes, once you've learn some basics on here.

I have a degree in Graphic Design but it took me 18 months to get a job and the job I was in didn't even relate to my major (Insurance) Then I started digging deeper in HTML/CSS from a previous class that I took. I used a Nettuts course, tons of YouTube videos, did volunteer work at my church, and finally started to refine my skills with Team Treehouse; through this and much self discipline I was able to get a very well off paid internship. I know this may not be the answer that people were looking for, but I will say that if you use Team Treehouse, apply the skills you learned to projects, (whether they be a personal or from a local facility), and some faith you can get to where you need to be. I took coding not just as a means for financial provision but more like a hobby and desired skill and didn't worry too much about the job, because I started to enjoy what I was learning.

Anyone here end up landing a job ?

Exactly my same question

Wow, it's been two years and this question is still relevant! Unfortunately I have not found any developer jobs and I currently work at a marijuana dispensary(I live in Colorado, so it seemed like the obvious choice), and I actually love my job for the first time. I am still coding on the side but I am re-thinking my career aspirations. Right now I can't imagine going back to work in a traditional environment. I am thinking of remote work and freelancing. I am at a point where I am pretty sure I can land jobs solely as a designer. Anyway, I still like this website and I plan on being involved in technology, but maybe as more of a second job or moonlighting.

Good luck on the designing Rachel, this thread has really been an interesting read, and I am sure it will forever be raising comments!

Let me add my own view to this post: I do not have a college degree of any kind. None. I went to community college for Liberal Arts and didn't even finish the degree. I've been coding since I was 12, though. It's something I just enjoy doing. I got my first job, without a degree, working as a tech guy at a local factory. I basically fixed computer problems and, when called to do so, made program changes on their midrange computer system (IBM AS/400) in an archaic language called RPG (Report Program Generator). Anyway, fast forward to now, I work at NASA's Kennedy Space Center as a Software Engineer. I still don't have a degree. I came in for an interview last year and knocked it out of the park. I beat out several other applicants that DID have Computer Science degrees. How'd I get the job? One part was due to my experience and documented skills that indicated I was a quick learner when it came to new programming languages and technologies. The big part that got me hired, though? My attitude. The hiring manager said I was outgoing, easy to talk to, was able to explain what I knew and what I didn't know. She said that I was open, honest, and very enthusiastic. So, now that I've been here for over a year, I've met several other developers here that DO NOT HAVE college degrees. One guy that's been here for four years just finished his Associate Degree and he's helping to develop a HUD for astronaut's helmet faceplates. It's called IDEAS (look it up). My point is, almost none of the developers that I've worked with here at KSC have a college degree in Computer Science, or a degree of any type. YOU DON'T NEED A DEGREE TO GET A GOOD JOB! I'm serious! Read the book, "No Degree, No Problem" by Josh Kemp. This guy was a blacksmith with NO computer experience. After getting his hand broken by a horse that he was trying to shoe, he decided to embark on learning a new career. That career was web development with Ruby on Rails. Nine months later, he got a Junior Programmer position making $75k per year with no experience, and no degree. Here's what it takes: 1 Practice 2 Patience 3 Some networking with peers (get out there, mingle on the boards where developers frequent) 4 Confidence in yourself 5 The desire to learn

That's inspiring to hear Kevin.

I know this is a old post...But i want to add my opinion, i've only just started but my plan is to ideally go freelance, basically become a digital nomad, offer my services to new startups to begin with, also sites like o-desk etc. I'm not looking to earn loads just to feed my passion for travel...If i earn $1500-2000 a month i would be happy as this is plenty to live comfortably in many countries.

I'm going to create a portfolio site as i keep getting better and then add other projects or clients project that i would offer my services for free to begin with so i can build up a great varied portfolio.

I don't have a degree in coding, I read some books, did treehouse and made some apps. I am head of mobile development. Any one who comes to interview can show willingness to learn will find a job

My advice is think of an app you want for yourself. For me I did one for going skiing with. Build it and put it on the app store. When you go to interview, you will come across better if you are passionate about a project. If you can get some experience even if you have to do it as an intern. Don't get disheartened, if you go somewhere and they aren't nice people you don't want to work there anyway

It took me about 6 months to get it running, my first app was very complexed for a first one and I would recommend trying to do some thing simple. I think that employers are more impressed with hard work and enthusiasm than someone who says I have a first from a top uni I want lots of money.

While there are many place who interview you with a mindset of how much they can get out of you while you are there, there are others that will be interested in what they can put in to you while you are there. these places will be are worth searching hard for.

I am a fair way into my mobile dev career but in answer to the original question I think that in six months of treehouse you can be job ready

I did a few projects for friends and family. I got my first job because an employer messaged me on stackoverflow and asked me for an interview. try looking at workinstartups they dont pay mega bucks and some places they dont pay anything but before you can get hired you need at least two apps under your belt. I would avoid the big job site for your first job. the big sites are looking for experianced people. (generally). go to meet ups for iOS in you local town and meet other developers. I would even do a two week placement for free to get your foot in the door

Mark thanks for all your insight and help! I see you are in London, I however reside in the U.S. I wonder if can still do workinstartups here or if it will prove a problem. Not sure if they have stuff like that in the U.S. Great ideas tho, so thanks for all the valuable info!

if you are somewhere in the world far from a big city you will find that there will be a shortage of developer skills hence easier to get a job

Yup, this post is old but my opinion is that you really can do it. I've been learning on Treehouse for almost six months, and I am a living example that you really can do it. There are two major challenges that I have experienced so far.

The first challenge that I've experienced is the lack of a personal mentor, someone in a similar path to mine that has already accomplished what I'm trying to do. Treehouse tells you what you should learn according to what you want to accomplish, but I still find the need of a more personal guidance.

I was not sure about what do I want/need to have on my portfolio or how big this projects need to be, I created the first piece using html and css without knowing that flexbox or a grid system would have saved me a lot of time. I learned about jQuery and JavaScript on my first month but until the last week I didn't realize how I could implement it to enhance UX.

Now, answering your question you really can get job ready, but as many things in life, it requires that you put in effort. At least for me it is worth it. As I'm writing this, I have been to three interviews so far. The first one was a web designer, but I didn't like their offices so I didn't show up. The second was for a Front-End Developer in a startup but they didn't call me. The third was for a Web Developer position, I was more of a Front End Dev and they were looking for a Back End Developer.

And the fourth is about to happen tomorrow. The special thing about this one is that now I have a portfolio that shows some of what I can do and the technologies that I implement, the job requires a Front End Dev and is more code oriented profile.

I see this post is old but it popped up due to my similar query and I am inspired by some of the things I have read. I graduated four years ago with a degree in Architecture but struggled to find work in a country hit hard by the financial crisis and a dead construction sector. I decided to change careers and am about to graduate from a Masters of IT (two year conversion)program. I am really keen to become a developer but realise my skills are somewhat lacking. There is not enough taught in University compared to what is demanded by the workplace. I have a friend who finished my course six months ago and he works as a Web Dev now and credits Treehouse with most of his learning. I plan to spend the next few months here honing my skills so I can hopefully get an entry level job. My biggest problem is a lack of relevant work experience. I'm a competent Java and Swift programmer but haven't done enough with the web stack so really want to dive right in. I've used treehouse extensively throughout university and it has helped immensely.