[rythemposition]

Hello. I am doing a career report on computer programmers. One of my assignments is to interview a computer programmer. I dont know any in my area, so Ive decided to give this forum a try. If any of you are computer programmers(for a living) and have a few minutes to spare to answer a few questions, continue reading this post and reply.



1) How much schooling did you have to go through to become what you are today?

2)What was your first language learned, and how long did it take to learn it.

3)After schooling, was it easy or difficult to find a good programming job?

4)Do you enjoy programming, or is your job sometimes stressful?

5)Are there any benefits you get from being a programmer? If so, what are they?

6)Any advice for future programmers?


-Thank you for your time.

[developer]

I am still in College but i have worked for a few web publishing firms. From my personal experiences i feel that professional education is not necessary, but is helpful. My first language was C.
I found a job with ease and enjoy my work, though it may be highly time consuming. There are no benifits of being a programmer just personal satisfaction.

[Iron_Cross]

1) How much schooling did you have to go through to become what you are today?
High school. Although nearly everyone of my electives was in computer science and the like. Also I'm in the middle of MCAD. I hope to go back to college sometime soon.

2)What was your first language learned, and how long did it take to learn it.
I started with Python, but that's the first language I actually started to use constructivly. Java was my first (well I was doing C++ at the same time) and I'm still learning today. But I would say it took me several months to grasp some of the concepts well enough to use. By several I mean around 6.

3)After schooling, was it easy or difficult to find a good programming job?
Considering I'm working for my brother in law, it wasn't hard at all. But I don't know how hard it would be in the "real-world"

4)Do you enjoy programming, or is your job sometimes stressful?
It's sometimes stressful because of the nature of the job. But I really enjoy it 99% of the time.

5)Are there any benefits you get from being a programmer? If so, what are they?
Depends on what you're talking about. There will probably ALWAYS be a job for you. You've got pretty good problem solving skills, the money isn't bad...just depends on what you mean by benefits.

6)Any advice for future programmers?
Many people spend weeks or months switching languages trying to find one they like. Or to make sure that the one they're learning isn't a "waste" of thier time. In actuality, it doesn't matter what your first language is (to some extent), learn it well, then learning the next language will be 1,000,000x easier, and you won't have to worry so much because you'll have a great grasp on the ideas and concepts of programming.