I have been lurking a lot but never got around to posting much before. I've got a bit of a problem now, however, so perhaps you guys can offer me some advice.
(P. S. If you don't feel like reading all of this, I'd be grateful for your opinion on at least the last two paragraphs, even if you skip the rest)
I'm studying Computer Science in a local university at the moment, first year (I'm 19). I've been into programming since I was 12. I started out with Delphi because that's what my brother had been using, then I switched to a variation of basic called Dark Basic, then I switched to C and C++. In between C "periods" I've used Java and C#. I've done various freelance jobs using PHP, MySQL, JavaScript and standard-abiding (as much as possible, at least) xhtml+css. In high school I was in the International Baccalaureate programme where I studied Computer Science (CS) at the higher level (had to use Java, but it didn't really teach me anything I didn't already know about it) + spent one of the years in IB studying English as a native language (analyzing literary works).
I love programming and I don't think about it in terms of what language I'm using. I perceive it more as a logical exercise where the goal is to find the optimal solution to a problem with the given language.
Two years ago I had a summer job at a company that develops web apps. They were very satisfied and impressed with the decisions I made and now, two years later, they've contacted me and asked if I want to work for them again.
(I realize that this may sound like I'm pretty full of myself but I have a point here, please bear with me. What I'm trying to get across is, is that I like programming, I am not a complete beginner and I'm an enthusiastic learner. I'm a pretty humble guy actually, the most praise I'd give myself seriously would be that I'm "not the worst"
)My problem is this - my girlfriend moved to the UK to study (she was in the IB programme too). I'm not satisfied with the prospect of having to wait for 4 years for her to come back, so my idea is to become a self-studying student (not sure what the term for that is but the idea is that I only have to show up to do some exams once every few months) and move to UK. This will increase the time I have to spend in uni till I get a degree and means I have to give up my scholarship and pay tuition, but apart from that it is a very appealing idea.
In UK I would very much like to get a programming job, if possible. I'm confident that I could manage it as I'm under the impression that new employees get to fix bugs and code what they're told to (i.e. mostly mechanical programming, instead of problem anaylsis and software design) (If anybody knows better, please correct me on this).
Do you think it's possible for a foreigner (though with reasonable language skills) without a degree (yet) and with almost zero official work experience to put on a CV (though I've done a lot of freelance jobs and intensively pursued every bit of software engineering, programming, etc. theory for the last 7 years) to get a job at a software development company?
What I want to try is to create a sort of portfolio to demonstrate my skills to companies to which I'd apply. I'm hoping that some example work + a carefuly thought out, custom tailored, attention grabbing CV and a motivational letter could do the trick.
Well, at least it's worth a try.
So, what do you think? If you were responsible for hiring new employees, could/would you overlook the absence of degree and invite a candidate to an interview, if he/she was passionate about the job and demonstrated some skill?
I'm betting that many members here have real programming jobs, perhaps you can tell me how reasonable/unreasonable this idea is and how draconian are the average hiring policies at IT companies.
Cheers
!