Honest opinion on types of avalible jobs
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Hi all, I am a recent graduate of a two year computer engineering program (3.98 GPA). My intentions are to take the MSDN exam 70-016 then look for a job. I have not held a programming job. What are the chances of landing a coding job in the New England (USA)area? What types of positions might these be? I really really really do not want a tech support position!! Should I take one anyway to get my foot in the door? Thanks for all responses
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Hi all, I am a recent graduate of a two year computer engineering program (3.98 GPA). My intentions are to take the MSDN exam 70-016 then look for a job. I have not held a programming job. What are the chances of landing a coding job in the New England (USA)area? What types of positions might these be? I really really really do not want a tech support position!! Should I take one anyway to get my foot in the door? Thanks for all responses
Hi, Paul. Congrats on your graduation. I'm in Virginia so can't speak for the New England job market but can offer some general comments. Most employers seem to want a bachelor's degrees (4 years) for programming positions. That's true for job postings I've seen from just about everywhere in the U.S. Here in Virginia, near Washington DC, many employers ask for Master's degrees. I have seen companies that only require a 2 year degree for web development positions. If you're interested in that you'll need either ASP, Flash, or Cold Fusion skills. Don't take a tech support position unless you get really desperate. I haven't seen them lead to programming jobs very often. It would be better if you can join a company as an entry-level programmer and then work your way up. You might even consider doing a low-pay or no-pay internship to gain some documentable experience. Good luck!
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Hi, Paul. Congrats on your graduation. I'm in Virginia so can't speak for the New England job market but can offer some general comments. Most employers seem to want a bachelor's degrees (4 years) for programming positions. That's true for job postings I've seen from just about everywhere in the U.S. Here in Virginia, near Washington DC, many employers ask for Master's degrees. I have seen companies that only require a 2 year degree for web development positions. If you're interested in that you'll need either ASP, Flash, or Cold Fusion skills. Don't take a tech support position unless you get really desperate. I haven't seen them lead to programming jobs very often. It would be better if you can join a company as an entry-level programmer and then work your way up. You might even consider doing a low-pay or no-pay internship to gain some documentable experience. Good luck!
Thanks Ed
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Thanks Ed
I'd concur with the warning about tech support. I've worked my way up the tech support ladder from the help desk to system engineer, working at several companies, and at no time has my programming skill been of any real use to me... except of course when working with programmers on a problem. It's a whole different path, and usually attracts a whole different kind of person. :cool: Stick to your guns, maybe you'll have to start out as a junior programmer, but you'll get there without having to install Office on thousand computers. what if the hokey pokey really IS what it's all about?
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I'd concur with the warning about tech support. I've worked my way up the tech support ladder from the help desk to system engineer, working at several companies, and at no time has my programming skill been of any real use to me... except of course when working with programmers on a problem. It's a whole different path, and usually attracts a whole different kind of person. :cool: Stick to your guns, maybe you'll have to start out as a junior programmer, but you'll get there without having to install Office on thousand computers. what if the hokey pokey really IS what it's all about?
Paul -- I think it really depends on what you mean about "coding work?" What types of apps do you want to develop? What programming tools/languages do you want to use to develop these products? I am co-authoring the Codeproject.com's new Career Column, Career 2.0, which launches July 29. I'm not a developer (yet!) but have a lot of experience recruiting for Compaq, EMC, and Microsoft -- among others. In this market, corporate recruiters usually prefer 4 year degrees -- but so what? It just means you need to bypass companies' recruiting departments, and directly contact hiring managers. Many hiring managers want people who have the skills necessary to successfully do the work/job, but are usually less specific as to where and how you developed those skills. Bill Gates doesn't have a 4 year college degree ;-). Do you have any code that you've written that you could demo to future employers? Can it run as a web app that a hiring manager could easily access from an html email that you would send him/her? If not, start writing now! The first Career 2.0 article is focusing on how to do this -- so please be sure to check it out on the 29th -- Hope this helps -- and please ping me after the article posts if it doesn't answer all of your questions -- Andi