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I am a beginner in programming, playing around with C++.

I will be starting college in the UK and I will only be there for a year, but to be honest I don't know what language I'm going to learn there.

I would really want to know what an Interview for a job related to coding would be like, and have the following questions regarding these interviews:

  • Would I be asked about what grades I've got in my exams in year 11 (16 years old)?

  • Will they matter more than what I can do with the code?

  • Will the fact that I have low grades in the exams affect my salary?

I would also want to know if anybody knows of a site where I could browse through some of the questions that people have came across in an interview.

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  • I think it will only matter in terms of being considered for a job interview. From the interview onwards, it should only matter what you know and how you code.
    – Tas
    May 30, 2017 at 3:45
  • You're just beginning to learn about programming languages; it's a little early to worry about job interviews. Work hard, learn everything you can, and talk to your instructors. If you do those things, you'll likely end up with decent grades, and between the good grades and the good knowledge, you'll be ready for any interview questions.
    – Caleb
    May 31, 2017 at 1:49

3 Answers 3

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GlassDoor is a site that will let you check on interview questions for a specific company, if a candidate has posted them there. There are many others that I'm not specifically aware of.

The company interviewing you May be interested in the overall GPA you had in school, but in my opinion, they won't place a ton of weight on the specific grades you received for software development classes unless you bring it up on your own during the interview or on your resume. Of course that could vary, but it's my opinion.

I believe that you'll receive a similar salary as others in your shoes - A college student and/or college graduate (Depending on when you apply for the job) with no actual work experience in the field. You'll likely receive a higher salary than someone without a degree, as things generally tend to go that way.

Depending on the size of the company, you may do well in the interview based on what you can 'do' with your software development skills, and what you can demonstrate of them, or you may run into a company that explicitly is looking for candidates that meet a set of criteria (a.k.a a series of questions 'Has degree?' 'Met GPA requirement in school?' etc) - These are usually the larger companies, or government, while smaller companies and startups will be looking more for the value that you can demonstrate that you're bringing.

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  • thanks for your reply. At the school Im currently going to Im not studying software development at all , I wanted to know if the grades in subjects like history , science , etc. would affect my salary or the post on that specific job. I worded the question badly ..
    – Mister Dukk
    May 30, 2017 at 1:12
  • Trust me. University or college courses are just there for the basics. Once you walk into the door on your first day you'll find that there was a lot of things they didn't teach. For interviewing for a first time dev, most times it's more to check into your logic and if you'll be a good fit to them.
    – Snowlockk
    May 30, 2017 at 9:57
  • Just a point, there is no such thing as GPA in the UK - you get individual grades across different subjects, not an overall graduation mark.
    – user34687
    May 30, 2017 at 10:28
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Hiring people is expensive and time consuming. Firing people is even worse. Therefore companies almost universally want to see some evidence that you'd be able to do the job. No two people will agree on what the best evidence is, but generally, already are being paid to do a similar job somewhere else is high on the list. Failing that, being able to provide a body of code for them to review can be good. Failing that, and if they are willing to hire a complete beginner, having had good grades in the appropriate coursework may be enough. If you haven't studied computer science, and your other grades are poor, you are backing yourself into a corner. Essentially you are depending on some random person to go out on a limb to give you a chance, just because they like your personality or your haircut. That is not a great plan.

My suggestion would be to work on your grades and begin building a portfolio of code projects that you can show to potential employers.

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I work in software development in the UK so hopefully I can be of use here. As a rule of thumb only your highest level of qualifications, and specifically only those that directly relate to the skills for the job matter. My GCSE results got me accepted on to my A-level courses and haven't mattered since, my A-level results got me on to my undergraduate degree course and they haven't mattered since that.

If you're applying for a coding job I want to know if you can code not what grade you got in your history GCSE so only the performance in relevant exams would be factored in to any hiring or wage-related decisions. Other than an extremely rough indicator of general intelligence your exam marks for non-coding related subjects are completely irrelevant and I wouldn't give them a second thought.

In terms of common interview questions google is your friend for this and there are a multitude of sites offering example questions. Searching for "common interview questions" and reading through the top ten results is a good starting point.

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