Question:
Does CGR have any occupational programmers? I am going to school for a Computer Science degree and I really want a job in programming and software development when I am out.
My question: How hard was it to get a job? What was base starting salary for you guys? Just... Information about the career field in general.
Thanks!
Answer:
I think several people on CGR have such jobs... look around the computer forum.
I will hopefully have one within a few years.
Word of advice: Program as much as you can outside of class. Especially try to solve problems that involve using the language's libraries (standard or not). For example, if you're learning Java, browse through the Java documentation, find something that sounds interesting, and learn how to use it. If you're learning C/C++, do the same thing with the libraries. One of the things I've realized in my time at Loyola is that we really haven't learned to do this well in class, and it's a pretty important skill.
Answer:
Originally Posted by bobthecockroach I think several people on CGR have such jobs... look around the computer forum.
I will hopefully have one within a few years.
Word of advice: Program as much as you can outside of class. Especially try to solve problems that involve using the language's libraries (standard or not). For example, if you're learning Java, browse through the Java documentation, find something that sounds interesting, and learn how to use it. If you're learning C/C++, do the same thing with the libraries. One of the things I've realized in my time at Loyola is that we really haven't learned to do this well in class, and it's a pretty important skill. Thank you. I am starting to get back into C++, so I will continue my reading until I am at a place where I can implement it, and I will do just that. I absolutely love hard coding, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Thanks!
Answer:
Been a professional Java guy for 10 years now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
It was not hard for me to get a job (or my wife), and by the looks of things, if you are in the right area, it won't be hard for you either. The number of computer science majors has declined over the last several years during the dot-com bust, but VCs are starting to invest their money again and the tech sector is doing pretty well by most accounts. This means a high demand for software engineers and a low supply coming out of college, which means a good amount of jobs out there.
If you want to learn about base salaries in your area, go to salary.com.
I also would like to stress that you should definitely look for some professional experience before you get out. Interships, small local startups, T.A. for classes... something that gives you experience to put on your resume. I already had over a year's worth of professional experience when I graduated college.
Answer:
I've been a developer for 6 years now. We where a small company when I started so I did a little bit of everything - C++, VB, SQL, ASP, PowerBuilder, Java, C#. At this point I've been only working with Java and C# for the past 2 years.
As for jobs - I know in my area there always seems to be open jobs. I know many of the company in the area had started to outsource heavily oversees, but that trend seems to have slowed down and even started to reverse it's self.
I would agree with Exo about salary - there are plenty of places online that can give you average starting salaries.
~3e3c3e