Eight Coding Careers for Self-Taught Programmers

People often ask me what kind of coding careers they can pursue once they learn to program. While you can work as a software engineer, there are many other careers you can pursue as well. Here are a few career options for self-taught programmers.

Software Engineer

Software engineers design, construct, test, and maintain computer programs. Whether that means working on Tesla’s diagnostic system, improving Google’s algorithm, or working on a new product at a startup.

Average salary: $115,462. 

Web Developer

Web Developers create (you guessed it) websites. There are three types of web developers: front-end developers, back-end developers, and full-stack developers. Front-end web developers design the user interface (the part you can see), back-end web developers work with the logic and data behind a website, and full-stack developers do both.

Average salary: $93,402. 

Mobile App Developer

Mobile Developers make apps for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.  Like web developers, mobile developers work on either the front-end, back-end, or both.

Average salary: $102,986. 

Data Scientist

Data scientists write programs that extract knowledge from data. For example, the data scientists at Netflix write programs that guess what shows you may be interested in based on your viewing history. There is a huge demand for data scientists right now, and it is one of the most promising coding careers to pursue.

Average salary: $139,840. 

Database Administrator

Database administrators control online information storage for companies. They install, configure, upgrade, and migrate database software, and do anything else necessary to maintain their companies databases.

Average salary: $93,164. 

Software Quality Assurance Engineer

Software quality assurance (QA) engineers test software for bugs. At every step in the development process, QA engineers work to uphold rigorous standards for quality and make sure their companies products are the best they can be.

Average salary: $86,236. 

Business Intelligence Analyst

Business Intelligence Analysts analyze data and use it to make suggestions and forecasts. While technical knowledge is not always a job requirement for analysts, knowing how to code is an enormous advantage if you choose to pursue this career.

Average salary: $87,949. 

Information Security Analyst

Information Security Analysts thwart malicious hackers and make sure sensitive data is secure. They are responsible for conducting tests to find holes in different programs, If you are interested in ethical hacking this may be the best coding career for you!

Average salary: $111,395 . 

Technical Writer

Technical writers use their experience with technology to write documents that help other people use their companies products and programs. If you have a knack for writing, this may be the perfect career for you.

Average salary: $70,577. 

Want to learn to program? Register for my free Self-Taught Coder Masterclass where I cover how I went from a novice to a software engineer at eBay in less than one year.