How to become a programmer

Pathways to this career

1. Develop your curiosity, experiment and play with different techniques. Once you're ready, enrol in a programming degree and take your skills to the next level.
2. Talk to established agencies and companies, and secure an internship while you're still studying. Learning from experienced web developers will whet your passion for the industry.
3. Gain as much experience as you can by building a portfolio outside study. Use what you learn in the classroom to create and showcase projects potential employers may be interested in.

Not sure if programming is right for you? Study a single subject in programming and see if it's the right match before committing to a full degree.

What does a programmer do?

Tasks and duties

• Research, design and analyse system programs and clients' needs.
• Write and maintain program code to ensure it meets system requirements and meets industry standards and best practice.
• Write and develop computer programs in order to locate, retrieve, and store specific data, information, or documents. 
• Test code and identify bugs to be fixed to ensure programs and applications perform to specification.
• Leverage expertise to provide advice and guidance to implement new software and update existing software.
• Write and maintain technical and end-user documentation and operational procedures.

Industry bodies

• The Australian Computer Society
• Information Technology Professionals Association (ITPA)
• Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA)

Related jobs

• Analyst programmer
• IT support and test engineer
• Software engineer
• Systems engineer