So how's the computer job industry doing? - Page 2

gab00n · 01-18-2005, 03:37 AM

Good programmers will always have a job waiting for them. If you actually learn how to code or acquire a skill instead of just being a text book student then you won't have anything to worry about. Just because the market does not seem strong now doesn't mean that it will continue to be like this.

Political advice:
This is a forum run mainly by republicans so you should be careful what you say around them, they can be very touchy people. You can't argue with them or reason with them so just try not to spark up an argument. I know this from personal experince, lets just say it wasn't pretty.

RevTekniques · 04-16-2005, 06:19 PM

From working with the major companies out there like Google, Yahoo, and Nvidia, I have seen and heard a lot of positive comments from them. They work with my company and hire a lot of our top members.

I spoke with Yahoo and they have too many positions to fill, and in terms of internships and entry-level postions, they have about 150-200 positions to fill and can't fill them fast enough.

A lot of companies froze their hiring in 2001 because of the economy. Since then they have not hired and have had lay-offs and people who retire. These companies are now finally coming out of the recession and their budgets are freeing up, believe me, they are hiring like crazy, you just gotta find the right companies.

BoobieSrUs · 05-09-2005, 01:15 PM

Is Computer Programming looking pretty good out there?

Chankama · 05-14-2005, 04:08 PM

Nope. Computer Science/programming looks pretty bad. The last time I checked. And "Computer Engineering" is a much much more vast field man. You can't just say "I'll find a job in computer engineering". It can be communications, signal processing, chip design, semiconductors, etc.

A programmer is typically expected to know the popular languages and be able to learn other things fairly quickly as needed. And know the theory of computer science well.

In anycase, the economic downfall was not because of any president. People started investing in anything dot com. And companies that sell t-shirts online became multi-million dollar companies b/c of investor stupidity. When Allan Greenspan said "Enough is enough, let the interest rate go up".. Investors were like "oh ****! Time to take our money out of these unprofitable companies!".. And they went broke.

The universities started pumping out code monkeys by the ship loads, b/c there were so many companies around. Now they are gone. And we still have the ship loads of code monkeys swinging about. What will happen to them? Well, find other jobs I guess. Except for the good ones.

It's a very competitive world out there. No longer will you make top dollar unless u are really good. One of my buddies went to work at amazon just after finishing the BASc, and his initial salary was over $100K US and a bunch of other bonuses. Similarly, I have friends at Microsoft also, who got picked up fast. If u are not good and have no experience (these guys did coops at these companies), u are more screwed. You'll have to work for less etc.

I never even bothered to apply. I have programmed ever since I was small, and I have worked 2 years in big companies as a programmer during coop during undergrad. It's not for me. I can do it well, but I don't enjoy it. Coding is just too dull when u do it for years and years. I realize some of u have programmed for decades. But "2 years" is more than enough for me to realize what I enjoy and what I don't enjoy.

System design is fun. Being an analyst is fun. But, given a design doing "straight up coding?".. yuck. So I just went straight into my Masters. Then I can go back and work at a more design capacity.

Don't get me wrong, programmers "DO" design things, and that quite a few of them are smart people, and some of them are BRILLIANT people. Just that a lot of their time "IS" occupied with coding tho. It's a waste of talents IMO.

Anyways, thus concludes my programming *rant*.

ewomack · 05-14-2005, 05:00 PM

Coding for years and years is obvioulsy not for everyone, but some people really get into it. I have a friend who just wants to code and code and create software. That's all he wants to do. For me, I found coding lonely, repetitive, and a little dull. Not only that, my company looks down on coders. My supervisor pretty much told me "if you want to get noticed here, don't be a coder. Coders fall through the cracks. No one knows who you are. You never get recognized for your work..." Of course that's just MY company (but they do have a HUGE IT department). I'm not sure how that compares with other companies.

In the corporate world, it seems like most coders work for contracting companies. They get shipped from project to project and company to company. If you're into that, then it would be a great career. If you like stability, recognition, and prestige, then coding is probably not the way to go.

Not to mention there seems to be a time lag on it. Most full-time coders are under 40. There seems to be some bias against people over 40 doing coding. They are out there, but they're a vanishing breed.

01-18-2005, 03:37 AM	#11 (permalink)
gab00n Super Techie Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 295	Good programmers will always have a job waiting for them. If you actually learn how to code or acquire a skill instead of just being a text book student then you won't have anything to worry about. Just because the market does not seem strong now doesn't mean that it will continue to be like this. Political advice: This is a forum run mainly by republicans so you should be careful what you say around them, they can be very touchy people. You can't argue with them or reason with them so just try not to spark up an argument. I know this from personal experince, lets just say it wasn't pretty. __________________ \"Today\'s scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality.\" Nikola Tesla

05-09-2005, 01:15 PM	#13 (permalink)
BoobieSrUs Junior Techie Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 89	Is Computer Programming looking pretty good out there? __________________

05-14-2005, 04:08 PM	#14 (permalink)
Chankama Monster Techie Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Canada Posts: 1,524	Nope. Computer Science/programming looks pretty bad. The last time I checked. And "Computer Engineering" is a much much more vast field man. You can't just say "I'll find a job in computer engineering". It can be communications, signal processing, chip design, semiconductors, etc. A programmer is typically expected to know the popular languages and be able to learn other things fairly quickly as needed. And know the theory of computer science well. In anycase, the economic downfall was not because of any president. People started investing in anything dot com. And companies that sell t-shirts online became multi-million dollar companies b/c of investor stupidity. When Allan Greenspan said "Enough is enough, let the interest rate go up".. Investors were like "oh ***! Time to take our money out of these unprofitable companies!".. And they went broke. The universities started pumping out code monkeys by the ship loads, b/c there were so many companies around. Now they are gone. And we still have the ship loads of code monkeys swinging about. What will happen to them? Well, find other jobs I guess. Except for the good ones. It's a very competitive world out there. No longer will you make top dollar unless u are really good. One of my buddies went to work at amazon just after finishing the BASc, and his initial salary was over $100K US and a bunch of other bonuses. Similarly, I have friends at Microsoft also, who got picked up fast. If u are not good and have no experience (these guys did coops at these companies), u are more screwed. You'll have to work for less etc. I never even bothered to apply. I have programmed ever since I was small, and I have worked 2 years in big companies as a programmer during coop during undergrad. It's not for me. I can do it well, but I don't enjoy it. Coding is just too dull when u do it for years and years. I realize some of u have programmed for decades. But "2 years" is more than enough for me to realize what I enjoy and what I don't enjoy. System design is fun. Being an analyst is fun. But, given a design doing "straight up coding?".. yuck. So I just went straight into my Masters. Then I can go back and work at a more design capacity. Don't get me wrong, programmers "DO" design things, and that quite a few of them are smart people, and some of them are BRILLIANT people. Just that a lot of their time "IS" occupied with coding tho. It's a waste of talents IMO. Anyways, thus concludes my programming rant*. __________________ C++ compiler, Wikipedia - online encyclopedia, Free online textbooks, Yahoo! Desktop, Avast! anti-virus, Best freeware tech forums links: Important websites, Freeware list

05-14-2005, 05:00 PM	#15 (permalink)
ewomack Newb Techie Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 46	Coding for years and years is obvioulsy not for everyone, but some people really get into it. I have a friend who just wants to code and code and create software. That's all he wants to do. For me, I found coding lonely, repetitive, and a little dull. Not only that, my company looks down on coders. My supervisor pretty much told me "if you want to get noticed here, don't be a coder. Coders fall through the cracks. No one knows who you are. You never get recognized for your work..." Of course that's just MY company (but they do have a HUGE IT department). I'm not sure how that compares with other companies. In the corporate world, it seems like most coders work for contracting companies. They get shipped from project to project and company to company. If you're into that, then it would be a great career. If you like stability, recognition, and prestige, then coding is probably not the way to go. Not to mention there seems to be a time lag on it. Most full-time coders are under 40. There seems to be some bias against people over 40 doing coding. They are out there, but they're a vanishing breed. __________________ Ed Womack Get Milked

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04-16-2005, 06:19 PM	#12 (permalink)
RevTekniques Newb Techie Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 10	From working with the major companies out there like Google, Yahoo, and Nvidia, I have seen and heard a lot of positive comments from them. They work with my company and hire a lot of our top members. I spoke with Yahoo and they have too many positions to fill, and in terms of internships and entry-level postions, they have about 150-200 positions to fill and can't fill them fast enough. A lot of companies froze their hiring in 2001 because of the economy. Since then they have not hired and have had lay-offs and people who retire. These companies are now finally coming out of the recession and their budgets are freeing up, believe me, they are hiring like crazy, you just gotta find the right companies.