What was your first programming job like?
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I hate to complain about my job considering how much unemployment there is but, is my situation normal as a first programming job? I was hired into a technology consulting division of a consulting company. I was led to believe that I would be programming and that is my official title. The first month I went through a 1 month training program with a large number of other new hires to learn SAP/ABAP. I did do alot of programming in the training program. However, the project I was put on after the training program involves zero programming. 100% of my job is writing documentation for old programs written by other people. And none the other new hires I've met are programming either. In fact only a small percentage of the people I've met at the company actually seem to program. I was wondering is this what your first programming job was like or is my company an abberation?
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I hate to complain about my job considering how much unemployment there is but, is my situation normal as a first programming job? I was hired into a technology consulting division of a consulting company. I was led to believe that I would be programming and that is my official title. The first month I went through a 1 month training program with a large number of other new hires to learn SAP/ABAP. I did do alot of programming in the training program. However, the project I was put on after the training program involves zero programming. 100% of my job is writing documentation for old programs written by other people. And none the other new hires I've met are programming either. In fact only a small percentage of the people I've met at the company actually seem to program. I was wondering is this what your first programming job was like or is my company an abberation?
Anonymous12345678 wrote:
100% of my job is writing documentation for old programs written by other people. And none the other new hires I've met are programming either. In fact only a small percentage of the people I've met at the company actually seem to program.
Actually this seems to be software consultant job. In my company these people called as software consultant. They provide requirement to programmers, anlyse the client requirement, make doumentation of the project. :)
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I hate to complain about my job considering how much unemployment there is but, is my situation normal as a first programming job? I was hired into a technology consulting division of a consulting company. I was led to believe that I would be programming and that is my official title. The first month I went through a 1 month training program with a large number of other new hires to learn SAP/ABAP. I did do alot of programming in the training program. However, the project I was put on after the training program involves zero programming. 100% of my job is writing documentation for old programs written by other people. And none the other new hires I've met are programming either. In fact only a small percentage of the people I've met at the company actually seem to program. I was wondering is this what your first programming job was like or is my company an abberation?
Anonymous12345678 wrote:
100% of my job is writing documentation for old programs written by other people.
It's a long time since my first programming job, but I never had to do this. It almost sounds like a Technical Writer position rather than programmer. However, you may find that looking at others' code will help you learn more about some of the programs you work with and that could benefit you in the longer term. It's certainly something to discuss with your boss at your next review, or even earlier if you feel strongly enough about it.
It's time for a new signature.
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I hate to complain about my job considering how much unemployment there is but, is my situation normal as a first programming job? I was hired into a technology consulting division of a consulting company. I was led to believe that I would be programming and that is my official title. The first month I went through a 1 month training program with a large number of other new hires to learn SAP/ABAP. I did do alot of programming in the training program. However, the project I was put on after the training program involves zero programming. 100% of my job is writing documentation for old programs written by other people. And none the other new hires I've met are programming either. In fact only a small percentage of the people I've met at the company actually seem to program. I was wondering is this what your first programming job was like or is my company an abberation?
My first programming job was a work placement at a local firm who where producing military avionices equipment. That was over 20 years ago and I received excellent mentoring from the Software Engineers there that has stuck with me all these years. This is what you need right now. A mentor to help you through and mostly to champion you. I was certainly cutting my own code there and I sincerely believe you are in the wrong job and what you are being asked to do is not good for your career. What you are really doing is the boring documentation job that original developer should have done in the first place. Yes, you are looking at some other people's code, that is what this website and other's like it are for. Right now you should be furiously coding as much as you can, building up your OWN development skills. IMHO you are doing the programming equivalent of being the 'tea boy'. Sorry to be so blunt, but I think you knew this already. You need to have a word with your management about what your and their expectations are of you. If they can't find problems that suit your skill and experience, then don't wait to be handed them. Invent them for yourself. Put yourself into the firing line - challenge your management - and prove that you are a DEVELOPER and can be trusted to do the serious work. Ultimately, if the situation hasn't improved in six months time, don't faff around. Go to another firm, but be careful not to let on to what you are doing. Final advice, since you are new to the world of software development. Never, ever stop practicing your programming and development. You will be working on your own projects at home, whatever they are. You are involved in open source projects when you have the time. Find out about new technologies and build up your technical library, don't just rely on the net. Don't neglect to learn about old technologies too, because they will inform you on the modern technologies. Evolve with the computing industry, otherwise 5 or 10 years from now you'll find your skills obselete and you could find yourself out of IT altogether. Hope this helps.
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I hate to complain about my job considering how much unemployment there is but, is my situation normal as a first programming job? I was hired into a technology consulting division of a consulting company. I was led to believe that I would be programming and that is my official title. The first month I went through a 1 month training program with a large number of other new hires to learn SAP/ABAP. I did do alot of programming in the training program. However, the project I was put on after the training program involves zero programming. 100% of my job is writing documentation for old programs written by other people. And none the other new hires I've met are programming either. In fact only a small percentage of the people I've met at the company actually seem to program. I was wondering is this what your first programming job was like or is my company an abberation?
Anonymous12345678 wrote:
I was led to believe that I would be programming 100% of my job is writing documentation
If I were you, I'd bring this up with your manager and diplomatically and politely indicate your job expectations are not being met. Hopefully your manager will be able to move you to a programming position, else you may need to look for alternative employment. Be careful - if a programming position in your current company isn't available, you've basically flagged yourself as a potential candidate for being laid off.
Anonymous12345678 wrote:
your first programming job
My first programming job was a dream come true. I joined Digital's XCON[^] group in 1987 and was convinced I was the world's sharpest programmer. (I was a pretty good student and spent most of my waking hours writing code.) Within a few days (and about every week for the next 7 years), I met someone who showed me a nifty programming technique or a clever solution to a problem that blew my mind. DEC exposed me to life in a large software company and forced me to mature as a developer - not just technically, but interfacing with other teams, understanding software maintainability, defensive coding, end-user satisfaction, requirements analysis, etc. Don't get me wrong - all I did then (and all I do today) is 100% software development. But the ancillary skills I've picked up along the way have helped me tremendously. I don't know where you're located, but I recommend looking for a job in a company whose primary function is software development. The experience you gain over the years will allow you to eventually move to a smaller outfit (if you so choose) and be a bigger influencer of the product or service you develop. If a change of employment is not practical at this time, take the time (away from work) to write code. LOTS of code. Start with small utilities or maybe a game - something you know people will want to use, or even better, something that YOU wished existed that would make your job easier. The knowledge you gain by doing this will help you in the long run. And if your employer sees value in what you've built, you can expect to be taken more seriousl
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I hate to complain about my job considering how much unemployment there is but, is my situation normal as a first programming job? I was hired into a technology consulting division of a consulting company. I was led to believe that I would be programming and that is my official title. The first month I went through a 1 month training program with a large number of other new hires to learn SAP/ABAP. I did do alot of programming in the training program. However, the project I was put on after the training program involves zero programming. 100% of my job is writing documentation for old programs written by other people. And none the other new hires I've met are programming either. In fact only a small percentage of the people I've met at the company actually seem to program. I was wondering is this what your first programming job was like or is my company an abberation?
Thanks everybody for your responses and advice. Since the time I posted this message a few months back I've been looking for a real programming job. I've gotten a few phone interviews but haven't landed anything yet and with the economy the way it is it might take a little while. I had talked with management even back when I posted the first message but the truth is that the actually development is being done by another contractor the government hired. It basically is not possible for them to give me much programming work on this project cause that isn't what we were hired for. Having said that the other contracter is behind schedule and we are ahead of schedule so they are considering giving us some of the work so I might get a miniscule amount of programming work eventually. Thanks again everyone.
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I hate to complain about my job considering how much unemployment there is but, is my situation normal as a first programming job? I was hired into a technology consulting division of a consulting company. I was led to believe that I would be programming and that is my official title. The first month I went through a 1 month training program with a large number of other new hires to learn SAP/ABAP. I did do alot of programming in the training program. However, the project I was put on after the training program involves zero programming. 100% of my job is writing documentation for old programs written by other people. And none the other new hires I've met are programming either. In fact only a small percentage of the people I've met at the company actually seem to program. I was wondering is this what your first programming job was like or is my company an abberation?
Unfortunately, there are many companies who does the same with their employees. I was hired as a software developer in my first job. I was so excited to work everyday, even if I was always asked to carry desktop machines into their delivery trucks(By the way, the company provides hardware solutions for their clients). After a month of doing my software development job(carrying desktop machines for delivery) I got pissed off and talked to my manager. My manager said that the client who I was supposed to work to backed out because of budget. On my 3rd month, I was assigned to a client and my task was to provide support to their employees. On my 6th month, I got my first dev work. I was asked to do an online employee management system and that will be integrated on their existing payroll system. Unluckily, it wasn't finished before my end date because I was exposed to non-programming tasks for 6 months and my mind was like it needs a review before doing the application. Moral of the story: Be sure to clarify the details of contract with the employer before you sign it, especially the kind of work that you will be doing. :laugh: