What do you like most / least about in this career?

Hi Chase! I have worked for Verizon Wireless for 19 years now and this a very thought provoking question because there is so much I could say. If I had to pick one part I like the most, it would be that I work for a company that is ever evolving and focused on helping people. If I had to pick what I like the least, it would be that I have not made the time to take advantage of all the opportunity i.e. tuition assistance, job changes. Find what interests you about this field and get connected to it through social media, books, and/or mentor in the field.

Hi Chase,

For me it is very fulfilling to solve problems through code, it is an incredible power to be able to build any sort of solution and help others. It is a nice way of keep your brain active and learning new technologies that will broad your perspective.

It can be intimidating when you start working professionally, you are doing something you never did before, something is coding in college than in a professional environment. But think that every single of us we started there, so keep learning, keep practice over and over and be passionate.

Thanks!

Hi Chase,

This is a great question. I am a graduate of a program called Year Up Puget Sound (for underprivileged Youth between the ages of 18-24) and was more than ecstatic when I graduated. The hardest thing that I have had going for me that I dislike the most is the fact that it seems that this industry is pretty competitive in my area (SEATTLE) and right now I can only find contract work and not permanent work at this time. I've been rehired by employers and also told that they would "keep me on" full time if they could, but the way the budget works there usually isn't an option for me.

So I only stay in a role anywhere from 4-18 months at a time.

On the flipside though, I do like the fact that I get to work with so many amazing companies and it was really a great opportunity starting out my career but I'm ready to stick with one company and be a value add for years to come.

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The thing that I like most about this industry is my continuous opportunity to learn new things, new people and connect with others. Working in the tech world has opened a whole new world for me, where I get meet new people (even non-technical folks), and learn about their work and how we come together as a whole.

Chase, I agree with most of what the people that already replied had to say. For me the ability to solve problems and apply my knowledge to help my company save millions every year is the most rewarding aspect of it. Working for a big company, like I do, has its pluses and minuses. On the plus side you get a lot of opportunities to solve such problems, and on many different fields, but on the down side, many times your work gets lost in the shuffle and does not get recognized. If you can cope with the latter, then it can be very rewarding!

Working for smaller companies, or for yourself, can have additional challenges, but also many more rewards! It's really a preference that sometimes you don't get a chance to pick, circumstances will sometime dictate decisions like this. However, make sure that when you get to start working on something, you really like the subject you are working with, otherwise it will get "old" and uninteresting very quickly. Do not be afraid to experiment, especially early in your career, before you start having a family and additional pressure is put on you.

The field is huge and it expands by the day, so there are many options to pick from (AI, Cyber Security, Financial, Automation, Data Analysis, etc.) that are current today but may not be tomorrow. Be ready to stay up to speed with technology changes and keep educating yourself (another perk of being in a big company, you get a lot of opportunities to do that, for free!) If you don't, you'll be quickly left behind and stagnate in your career.

Hi Chase!

For me, working in IT/computer-science for last 9 years, I would agree with others that some of my most rewarding days are when I was able to solve real problems for customers and creating solutions that add real value in production. Digging into a challenge, working with others on issues with software or technology can be very rewarding and challenging! You will grow from this experience in many ways.

I would have to say what I like the least in my current role is the fast pace at which you need to pick up new skills and emerging technologies. Sometimes you just don't have enough time in the day/week to learn as much as you'd like on interesting topics in addition to the normal day-to-day research and learning new skills, as things change in IT sometimes very rapidly. I love learning new and exciting technologies, but sometimes you cannot go as deep as you'd like if you have to move very quickly to keep up with the changes in the field.

If I had to pick one for each I'd say I like problem solving. I like being able to look at something and run down the list of possible fixes. It's even funner when you know the code that's breaking and can instantly say what's going on and how to fix it, that is as long as it wasn't you that broke it.

For what I don't like is the code monkey work and having no control over anything. I'm a developer so I code all day. But at work I have no control over what I do or how it's implemented. It's the managers who have all the say. So I always end up coding something the wrong way and having to fix it next sprint because that's what the managers want. So that kinda sucks. Aslo not being able to choose what you work on so you get stuck with very boring work a lot of the time.

Hi Chase,

Great question!

I am retired now but my favorite aspect of the job was the challenge. I loved having a problem and figuring out how to solve it. I also really enjoyed being on the cutting edge and creating products that helped people.

My least favorite aspect was the stress, although I used to love that part of it. It just became a bit too much for me as I got older. However, that was after 38 years so it took a long time!

I like the independence to learn new tools and processes. I like learning new computer languages and writing/testing new scripts and programs. I like working with very knowledgeable and helpful professionals who has a lot of experience in my field. In my own background, I like to watch software releases being released and knowing that I had a part in building software that goes into production.