Junior PHP developer job requirments

[ken213]

I'm 18 years old, fresh out of high school and with no plans of advancing my education by going to a university. So i have no degrees or diplomas in computer science. However i have been interested in computers and programming and have done it as a hobby for the past 5-6 years. I learned to program using C++ and then went on to learn Python, PHP, HTML, CSS and JavaScript (not advanced on this one). In about a month i'll be starting to look for jobs and i'd like to apply for a junior PHP developer position but i don't feel capable enough to be one. By researching on the internet i have found many opinions and requirements ranging from 'capable enough to code' to '4 years computer science degree with a good understanding of data structures and algorithms'. I'm really confused about the whole thing and scared to apply for a job because i don't wanna be embarrassed in front of a potential employer and if i do somehow get the job i don't want to disappoint them because they were expecting something else. So i would like some advice and maybe some of your stories regarding the job requirements and the technical tests and questions i will have in a job interview.

 

My skills:

 

HTML, CSS, JavaScript along with Python and PHP (i mainly use PHP), SQL for databases, OOP, the MVC architecture, some basic security principles and how to apply them to write safe code, basic understanding of data structures (the types of data structures, when to use them and how they store data as well as some basic understanding of the ways data can be stored in memory) and algorithms.

As personal projects i am currently polishing the code for a Youtube video downloading and mp3 converter app (written in PHP with a bit of Python and JavaScript for the interface) and want to start building a social site (similar to Tumblr) using the MVC architecture and the OO way that is easily scalable and maintainable to have something to show a potential employer. I know most companies will use a framework for development so i wanna start learning a popular PHP framework as well as learn jQuery and maybe Bootstrap to add to my skill set. The reason i don't wanna use those just yet is because i like the challenge of programming without them.

 

Until i start applying for a job i wanna improve myself by studying areas where i lack (like security and data structures and algorithms) and on whatever else i might need. But i am aware that i might not be employable just yet and that is why i post this here so i know if to wait some more or not. Thanks for any advice and i hope this is in the right section since i saw a similar post to this one in this section.

[conoroco]

Here's a free CS course: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BD8BJJUNaX63m2QmySWMGDp71nx4W4MyyiIBlfMoN3Q/htmlview?sle=true

 

It is very useful and it's definitely going to be useful! I hope you'll like it

[dalecosp]

The good news: most all business need a web presence these days.

 

The OK news: some of them will pay for it.

 

The bad news: lots of people have jobs in IT already, or are getting degrees.

And some "superstar" development shops get a lot of work and their personnel

loop is fairly closed.

 

Still, there's going to be programmer demand for quite a while, at least until

we figure out how to get machines to program themselves....

 

If you don't want to do university, you might consider a certificate program,

(Zend certification, MS Ceritifcation, Oracle, Puppet Labs, A+, etc.), if such

exists in your locale. Also you might look for paid or unpaid internships with

IT departments or companies ... it seems that everyone loves to make people work

for peanuts.

[conoroco]

I agree with @dalecosp, there are tons of people who are becoming programmers nowadays and only people who work very hard will get a good job as a programmer. One day I hope to quit my current job and become a full-time programmer.