Starting off as a Web Developer can be tough, and it usually helps if you have had an extensive background dabbling with a particular set of programming languages before you go to University; otherwise you have to be a superstar to even get noticed at University. Usually it does not matter how good or bad your communication is with people, or even how good your programming ability is, or even your grades; if the tutors and other classmates like you, your going to get noticed. Therefore, in conjunction with the skills you have, your going to have a greater chance of getting head hunted by a good company wanting to hire you directly after graduation; not to mention awards and rewards from the university when they approach you and offer you these things.
Now for those of us who have set out into the field the usual route, you have to pick your niche and stick to it, whether it’s Open source languages like PHP or Java; or .Net Languages like VB or C#.
If you have chosen to go into .Net programming you’re in for a real treat, as there will be lots of Jobs out there just ready for fresh grads, all offering training and quick progression; though the pay is usually low and the smaller companies might not have a good reputation with how they treat their staff. So do your research on that company; trawl through blogs if you have to and prepare yourself for what comes next! There are however, some graduate schemes through Microsoft Gold partners, which are a really good route to take to becoming a .Net developer, have a gander at those and see where that takes you!
Now if you have chosen to take the open source route, it’s a lot harder to get noticed and to get set up in a company; unless you’re interested in undertaking a graduate scheme. If you undertake a grad scheme you’re going to either be advancing your Java skills, or learning Java as you go; with all of these schemes you have to be a good team player, and work well in teams.
There will be a social exercise that is designed to see how well you work with others in a team; there is usually always somebody, or several people in the team during the exercise who will take your ideas and try to enhance them as their own, and they may even start ignoring you when you bring that to light. Therefore if you are in this situation make sure your ideas get heard but don’t be hostile, just be assertive and productive, get others in the team to listen and start working with them.
With this test the recruiters will most likely tell you it’s just a simple exercise that you’re not getting marked on, but all exercises are marked and this will always be the most important exercise in a graduate scheme.
Finally, if you’re planning on becoming a PHP developer, it’s a lot harder to be yourself and bring forward your own skills and ideas. PHP developers usually work for the small to medium companies; companies that already have their star programmer or lead developers who are very much a part of a team, and the company. Therefore when working for these companies, the way to program and style is usually set, and you have to adapt to the existing structure, and follow the programming style of the lead developer; forget about putting your own style forward, as that will most certainly get you nowhere, and the likely outcome is a pay cut, or loss of a job before you have even started, so use your smarts.
Whatever language you pick, pick the one that fits you best and weigh the available options, as it’s not going to be easy getting noticed by employers; you really have to know your stuff and show a potential employer what you have to offer and how both the employer and you can help each other develop together. Remember to show them that you’re a team player, and also that you can use your own initiative and can work on your own to solve problems as well.