Updated December 2022

Interested in becoming a programmer? Concerned that it might be too difficult to break into the field?

The good news is that you can complete programming training in a fairly short time and be ready to join the workforce.

But if you want to land great jobs and move up in the programming field, you will need a specific set of skills and characteristics. You’ll also need to know how to handle a few challenges programmers typically face when trying to move their careers forward.

We studied industry data and spoke with some programming pros to get a sense of just how hard it is to get started in the field.

Here’s what you need to know.

Photo: Chao Zhang at his desk at Jesta, where he was hired as a full-stack software developer after graduating from Herzing's Programmer Analyst program.

When Chao Zhang enrolled in the Programmer Analyst program at Herzing, he had virtually no experience in software development. He had a degree in Electrical Engineering and had worked as a game tester - but that was it.

Looking to get into the industry as fast as possible, Chao signed up for the 15-month accelerated program. He graduated in March, 2019 and landed an impressive job as a full-stack software developer for Jesta I.S.

Jesta is a global software company with a 50 year track record of quality products. They were recently named the #1 software vendor for retail businesses.

We interviewed Chao this week to find out how work is going, and what he thought of Herzing's program. We asked him to rate the quality of the instructor, the skills he learned, and his overall experience at Herzing.

Here's what we found out.