I've only been learning new things. I put up a couple projects on Github, which is already on my resume. I admittedly haven't tried as hard as I perhaps should have to find volunteer work. I called around to a couple nonprofits and got in contact with professors at my school to see if they knew of anyone who had any volunteer work in the programming field. There's been nothing though. How do you suggest I look?
That New Guy
Posts
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My area (Flint, MI) is bad for programming work, but I don't have much experience. Will moving make a difference in that case? -
My area (Flint, MI) is bad for programming work, but I don't have much experience. Will moving make a difference in that case?I've gone through my story here a couple times. I graduated with a Bachelors in Computer Information Systems close to 3 years ago. Unfortunately, I did no internships or networking while in college. In terms of finding work, it's been rough. I had a junior programmer job at a printing company 7 months out of college, but got laid off 10 months ago. Since then, I've been looking for work and learning languages. I have only 2 projects on Github, but I'm looking to put more up later. I've had a few interviews, but nothing panned out. My main issue is that I don't have enough experience. Though I'm aiming for programming positions, I only got in a year and a half at my previous job. That was in an obscure language called FoxPro. Also, my degree was CIS. I didn't appreciate the difference between CS/CIS in college. I knew fairly early I wanted to program, but after transferring from Community College, a CS degree would have taken way longer and cost way more at that point. Now that I'm trying to learn all this extra stuff on my own, I feel I should have taken that hit and switched majors. Now I don't have the cash to go back (and don't want to take on more loans).* The second issue is that I live in Flint, Michigan. Aside from topping "worst crime in Michigan" lists every year, there's not a lot here in terms of programming work that I haven't already applied to. Heck, I've been applying to places 3-10 cities over since the start of my hunt, and not getting many bites. Due to meager savings post-layoff and my closeness to my relatives, I didn't want to move at first. Now I recognize I have to at some point. I was thinking of Lansing, because I see plenty of job postings coming from there and I've had relatives who lived there before and say it's nice. Any spot in MI where entry-level programmers are in demand will do though. I'll probably find some temp jobs to save up the money. However, there's still the main issue. I don't have much work experience in programming. I also have a 10+ month gap on my resume. These things will still be true, even if I was able to move tomorrow. So, does it matter if I move? I think I can get temp work and save money, but the cost of moving will still be huge, and I don't want to take the gamble of moving if the move is ineffective. I'm going to save money either way if I can find "stepping-stone" work, as well as put up projects. But should I move as soon as I have enough money, or wait until I have an offer from a company? The offer doesn't have to include relocation; I'd move
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So, how do you guys network within the IT industry?I've been out of work thanks to a layoff for 6 months now. I want to be an entry-level applications developer/programmer within a company, but the last job I had was just a junior version of that which dealt with an obscure language. My skills in relevant languages going into that job were about the same as they were coming out. I've been trying to learn more about programming (to fill the gaps I missed in college) so that I can build a portfolio to show off to employers. I still feel like I'm way off from that point though. Aside from that, I've been applying to jobs online, because I know no other way. I've gotten a few interviews, but they never went past non-technical interview questions. I only said all the above to answer questions you guys my have when I ask this: how do I network in the industry of computer programming when I have nothing built from before? My previous co-workers can only help for references. Beyond that, I only know college professors in the IT arena. They can't offer much help beyond critiquing my resume. My area (physical location) isn't good for programming jobs unless you have a ton of experience already. I would have moved to a better area if I could've afforded it. The thing is, applying for jobs online is (in most cases) like throwing your resume into a black hole. Especially since I'm applying to places 1-3 towns away most times. I've pumped hours into new cover letters and such only to hear nothing back. This is indeed the most ineffective method to find a job. It took 7 months to find a job like this fresh out of college, and now it's taken just as much fresh out of my last job. I don't know how else to do it though. I wanted to ask about this, because even when I get a new job, I don't know how I would network from there. I had my last job for close to a year and a half, and didn't do any there. You can take your time responding to this. This isn't an emergency; I'm living fine off my emergency fund until I find a job. It's just angering me that I don't have the first clue how to do things outside of job boards.
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How do you guys study programming books?OK, so from all you guys' responses, programming is more important than note-taking because I can just reference the material later. However, what do you guys think I SHOULD take notes on? Just A-HA moments I come across, or anything new that confused me before?
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How do you guys study programming books?That's one thing I wish I could do: find mentors, or at least 100% trustworthy sources of information. However, I don't have strong computer-wise connections from college, or even my last job, so I'd be starting from scratch in terms of finding a living being willing to guide me through.
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How do you guys study programming books?I apologize if this is too much about programming, but I didn't know where it would fit in the programming forum. It's about note-taking in tech books, not a particular language. If it's still bad, please let me know. Over the past 4-6 weeks, I've been reading this 1000+ pg book trying to learn more about C#. It's come to me that my method of absorbing information from this book (and perhaps tech books in general) is ineffective (either that or just slow as a snail). I've only been typing up the programs from this book if the topic was 100% new to me (the programs come with the book, so no need to type things up if you know the material in question). When I type out notes on what's going on alongside typing out the programs, I'm realizing that I'm just saying what's in the book, but shortened. So, I'm like a bad copy/paste function. Typing things out in my own words helps me recall things a little better, but not enough to justify the time I'm burning. It can sometimes take me a 90 minute study block to clear 5 pages (that's typing up a program AND notes, but still). My method sucks, so I was wondering how you guys approach this type of thing. Do you just do the programs and comment as much as possible? What approach do you take to notes?
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Are there any good "substitute" ASP.Net lessons for "C# for programmers 2e"?I know this question is kind of broad, and I apologize. I read the rules, and think I can ask this. However, if this is against the rules, I'm fine with that and will delete it. I'm new to C# in general, and am now in the 21st chapter of the book "C# for Programmers, Second Edition" by Deitel (isbn 0-13-134591-5)*. I'm on Visual Studio 2010, and this book's examples deal with 2005. Still, that's been no obstacle up until now, with ASP. I got by OK earlier in the chapter, but I'm now being asked to link a particular database to a datagridview control. When I try to link up this database, I get an error that basically says my version of SQL Server is incompatible with the pre-release version of this database. All solutions to this problem indicate that I'm supposed to install SQL Server 2005 just to update the permissions on this database. I went through a lot just to get 2008 fine and running on my computer, and am not going to dip my toe into that river of confusion. The thing is: it's this particular database. I tried to import another DB from previous lessons just to see, and that one come in fine. I'm going to try to continue the lesson with that one. However, I feel this will be a growing problem until I get back into non DB stuff later. So, I was wondering what ASP.Net/SQL material you guys would recommend (from here or elsewhere) that's thorough and can match what's in this book. I'm looking around here, but I'm drowning in random topics and don't know what to "trust" because I really don't know where to start.
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How do I change the experience on my resume without it looking weak?Hey guys. I just got back from a meet with a lady at my college's career center, and a talk with a previous professor of mine. When I voiced my concerns about exaggeration, the lady suggested several things, like: -"Course work completed in [all the languages listed in my resume]". This seems very weak to me, but is the most accurate. -"Experience in [all the languages listed in my resume]". Just cut off the "extensive." This seems like an easy fix. However, what if an employer calls me in and I still don't have the experience they're looking for? The professor recommended the second one above, but said later that he probably isn't the best one to talk about these things (he hasn't had to apply to a job in years). He's going to refer me to someone else who might be better. Still, I think it's a toss up between the two above. I don't know which one to go with though. Like I said, I want to be accurate without being scoffed at (even though I'm aware people aren't expecting those 2 years out of college to have serious company experience under their belt)
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How do I change the experience on my resume without it looking weak?Yeah, I feel really stupid that I had "extensive experience" on there now, without even thinking about what that meant outside my context. This resume is mostly a carry-over from my fresh-out-of-college days with my latest work history in there. At the time, I did feel pretty confident in C++/VB. Now I'm looking at intermediate interview questions to get an idea of the things I should be studying and my brain is melting. So, I have to do something more accurate. Thank you guys again for all your help. I have a meeting scheduled with my Alma Mater's Career service today. I'll let you know how it goes.
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How do I change the experience on my resume without it looking weak?Do you think it be something concrete, like "Over 2 years academic and personal experience writing small programs in C++, Visual Basic and [all the other languages I've encountered], with over 50 programs written."
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How do I change the experience on my resume without it looking weak?Wow. Thank all of you guys for your quick replies. It means a lot. I can't relocate right now; don't have the money, and I might have to rely on my emergency stash to survive past December. 1.) I have my resume out on Monster and my state's Talent Bank, but am not aiming for recruiters/staffing agents (though they've been calling me about it from Monster). I don't know anything about them, and I want a direct hire (no contract work) in the first place. So, I haven't been paying them the most attention. Should I start using them? So far, I've been applying to postings that match my experience, and that hasn't gotten me too far. 2.) Whenever I find a position that matches my experience, I typically keep the same resume, but craft a cover letter where I try to match all of their listed requirements with my qualifications. Should I be morphing the resume as well? As of now, I only change the resume if the posting says they don't want Cover Letters. 3.) Does work really heat up in Feb-May? My unemployment isn't going to last past December. I've got money to last for about 2 months after that (barring no disasters). Crap. 4.) As I mentioned before, I plan on making a portfolio I can show off to prospective employers once I'm done learning what I can about C#. However, I don't know what project I can do or how to set up a site on a webhost (told you I'm rusty). I can probably scrounge around on sourceforge for projects to help with or code to inspire me, but do any of you know of a good, cheap web host I can use for a site that won't see very much traffic?
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How do I change the experience on my resume without it looking weak?Wow. Thank all of you guys for your quick replies. It means a lot. 1.) I have my resume out on Monster and my state's Talent Bank, but am not aiming for recruiters/staffing agents (though they've been calling me about it from Monster). I don't know anything about them, and I want a direct hire (no contract work) in the first place. So, I haven't been paying them the most attention. Should I start using them? So far, I've been applying to postings that match my experience, and that hasn't gotten me too far. 2.) Whenever I find a position that matches my experience, I typically keep the same resume, but craft a cover letter where I try to match all of their listed requirements with my qualifications. Should I be morphing the resume as well? As of now, I only change the resume if the posting says they don't want Cover Letters. 3.) Does work really heat up in Feb-May? My unemployment isn't going to last past December. I've got money to last for about 2 months after that (barring no disasters). Crap. 4.) As I mentioned before, I plan on making a portfolio I can show off to prospective employers once I'm done learning what I can about C#. However, I don't know what project I can do or how to set up a site on a webhost (told you I'm rusty). I can probably scrounge around on sourceforge for projects to help with or code to inspire me, but do any of you know of a good, cheap web host I can use for a site that won't see very much traffic?
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How do I change the experience on my resume without it looking weak?Hello, all. I'm new here, and have a resume question. I warn you, this will be long. I've been on the job hunt since being laid off in August. However, a new fear has cropped up that has me truly shaken. I feel I am exaggerating my experience on my resume. I've heard this is the type of stuff that can get you blacklisted from a company. I want to change it. It's one section; the skills section at the top. In it, I say that I have extensive experience with C++, Visual Basic, and SQL. I also say that I have experience integrating database interaction into VB applications. Everything else in the resume is standard. The truth is that my experience with those is mostly from Community College and University. I listed those as "extensive" because of all the languages I ran across in CC and Uni, those are the ones I handled the most. I did integrate DBs into VB apps, but that was in a class (and a volunteer spot, using VBA). Since graduating with my Bachelor's Degree (Computer Information Systems) 2 years ago, I haven't coded much at all on my own time. Since then, I had a job for almost a year and a half, but they had me mostly doing stuff in FoxPro. I might have done .Net work there once or twice. Since my layoff, I've been looking for work, but have recently shifted to learning C# in order to perhaps build a project I can show to the world in a portfolio. I'm not nearly at that level yet though. I've also realized I'm not at the level with C++/VB where "extensive experience" is justified to say. Not with my level of rust. So, for now, I'm trying to change what that skills section says. But how can I address a lack of experience without seeming weak?