What should I do to prepare for and begin a career in software development?

Question

I am a freshman in highschool and I've decided I want to be a software developer in college and later. What can I do now to prepare? Are there specific classes I should take? I've learned a couple programming languages, but now I want to put them to use. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Answer 1

As you are only in high school, theres no major pressure in getting an internship in programming.
However you can definitely consider signing up for extra classes where you complete projects to add to your portfolio.

Check out Udacity's nanodegree as well as teamtreehouse. If you choose to pay you can get real feedback on projects you complete and receive a certificate at the end.

You can also build a portfolio for free - its quite easy in front end development. Simply have an online portfolio where you compile your projects. A great site for this is www.codepen.io

Look into local coding bootcamps. These are classes in coding and many people love them.

Answer 2

Just try to get an internship. The most important thing in any career is experience. Don't give up if you don't get an internship for the first time. Only this way you gain experience. This is the key to your career.
Although there is an alternative way - develop your own project.

Answer 3

Define ur career as in whar actually thing u like to build then be orientated by an experienced programmers