Qualifications
A formal education is typically less important in this field because the field itself is constantly changing. Even if you took four solid years of programming classes, nine out of ten times, some thirteen-year-old twerp is going to revolutionize database management before you can frame your degree.
Sure, you can nab a certification for this or that in the field, too...but because there's no real industry standard for what you need on a résumé to land a job, mileage will vary. Instead, you'll need to research how you see yourself fitting into the landscape, and then work on the skills required for that position. Usually, that will include at least a few basic things:
- A proficiency in one or more common programming languages. (C++ is a great place to start, but a bad grade to get if you decide to take a course in it.)
- An understanding of databases.
- Some knowledge of how security works.
- The basics of making a good UI. (That's "user interface," in case you were wondering.)
Coding apps is a lot like being a musician: You can go to Julliard and have an instructor force you to practice your scales until the tips of your fingers are just bloodied stumps of remorse, or you can buy a guitar at a pawn shop and flick the strings until "Mary Had a Little Lamb" accidentally pops out of the sound board.
School is cool for getting the basics: If you don't really know what a server does, or if you think Java is what you drink in the morning to wake up, then it might be worth your while to look into some paid courses. Otherwise, really, just fire up Google, search out some tutorials, and get to work.