Quote: (04-18-2011 11:53 AM)Samseau Wrote:
Quote: (04-17-2011 11:13 PM)UrbanNerd Wrote:
Quote: (04-17-2011 06:41 PM)Samseau Wrote:
Quote: (04-16-2011 06:50 PM)UrbanNerd Wrote:
Quote: (04-15-2011 08:19 AM)Samseau Wrote:
If I could do it all over again I'd do computer science/programming. My buddy made 60K right out of college, and has been since offered with 110K jobs by Google in New York.
He also sits in a cubicle for 40 hours a week but only works 15 of them. He trades penny stocks all day and reads shit on the internet while waiting for his boss to let him go.
Sounds like me. I have been in software engineering for close to 20 years and have never regretted it. With the right skill-set there is no competition for jobs, you get called be recruiters all day for new jobs and your bosses treat you nice because they know you can leave them.
Just to be even more "secure", I went and allowed my life to be open to the government and now have a security clearance. That comes with $50K/year on top of whatever you made in the private sector.
I cannot recall the last time I worked a full 40 hours.
I'm still young enough to change career paths. Would you recommend it? How should I do something like this?
The key about getting into software engineering is that one really does not need a computer science degree. You just need certain courses of the computer science program to best prepare you. If you are talking college courses, the following can be taken as electives. I was a Math major so it was pretty easy for me to include the following courses:
Introductory Programming I (Java or C++)
Introductory Programming II (Java or C++)
Algorithms
Data Structures
Theory of Programming Languages
Operating Systems
Database Systems
Computer Networks
Computer Security/Information Assurance
Software Engineering
That is about 30 college credits. On top of a degree, one needs to keep their skills sharp which can be done with some I.T. certifications. Now once can try get the knowledge from the above courses only through I.T. certifications with no degree but keep in mind that some promotions and higher-level software positions are still tied to academics. Yes, you can still be employed without the degree but employers can always hold the "no BA/BS degree" over your head and not give you top dollar and/or promotions.
I have a degree, it's just not in computer science. Do you think I could just learn this shizz by myself and then try to get a job somewhere?
Both my undergrad and grad degrees are in Comp Sci. The experiences of Samseau's buddy and Urbannerd are not typical. For every IT guy making that kind of money in IT there are at least 10 former IT guys who are either unemployed or mixing paint at your local Home Depot.
The golden age of IT was from 1980's to up to the end of the dot com era. I.T. was skull fucked by Bush when he allowed IT companies to import HB1 visa Indian tech workers and engineers en masse. Why would IBM hire an American programmer and pay him $70K a year when they can get 4 Indians for that same price and hold their immigration status over their heads? That's capitalism for ya!!! Also, I don't know any fortune 500 company that will hired somebody in IT unless you have a degree in Computer Science from an accredited school(this leaves out the Devry's, ITT's, University of Phoenixes, etc).Unless your Comp Sci degree is from Stamford or MIT I would be very impressed if you can get a job at Best Buy "Geek Squad" making $11 an hour let alone get hired by Google. The above also applies to engineers.
If I was a young buck again, I would look for professions that can't be outsourced. I would go to school for anything health care related short of a MD. Nursing, Respiratory therapy, Pharmacist, Radiology, Physician assistant. Also, I would try harder to get into union apprenticeships like plumbing, electrician, carpenter, steel worker, mason, boiler maker. There's also Teaching and civil service even thought it looks like the system have decided that those workers have it too good and want to destroy those jobs just like they did to dock,factory, auto, airlines and IT workers. This country is heading in the direction of the Saudi Arabia where 95% of the population is going to be employed servicing the top 5% and you'll get paid just enough to have 3 squares and a cot.