Re: new programmer seeks advice

Good employers are more concerned with whether you can show that you can write software, than they are about your credentials. Of course this means that you must have software that you have written to show them. Other employers will not feel safe without a credential. This will vary depending on the field and on the job. I work for a company that makes trading systems software for banks and hedge funds. We hire people with graduate degrees in physics, mathematics, engineering, or of course computer science. A bachelor's degree in physics, math, or engineering is almost as good as a graduate degree in computer science. Anyone with a degree in any of these fields will normally either be a competent programmer, or certainly be able to learn it. Financial software is pretty demanding and salaries and requirements are correspondingly high. 

There are many other fields of programming -- database programming, Web programming, Flash programming, JavaScript, and so on. There is a whole continuum. There are plenty of people working as programmers who have no degree in the field -- I am one myself. Sometimes you can find an employer who will hire somebody with less experience because they can't afford to pay as much, or their own situation is somewhat more risky (they are a startup, or whatever). This is how I got into it. I also think some people have gotten experience by doing volunteer work (programming mailing lists for charities, etc.).

It would also be helpful for you to learn how to set up simple computer networks and set up people's operating systems and other software. Also, how to set up a Web site with Apache or Internet Information Server.

But most of all, you should develop a feeling for what kind of work you want to do -- what field appeals to you, what computer languages you like, what kind of software interests you, that sort of thing. The other things should follow pretty naturally from that.

Hope this helps,
Mike


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: johnfritchey 
  To: [email protected] 
  Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2006 7:41 PM
  Subject: [cppug] new programmer seeks advice



  Forgive my ignorance, but I am just beginning to study programming at a 
  community college and need some guidance.

  What is the lowest level of education which is useful for searching for 
  a job? I would like to get some real world experience as soon as 
  possible. Can I begin looking for a job with an associate's degree? My 
  college offers a vocational certificate-- is that worth anything?

  Thanks for any feedback.

  John



   

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