4 answers
Adam
Student
Canton, Georgia
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I heard it can be difficult to find a job in coding because different job qualifications are so specific that they need someone either with experience or very capable of learning and adapting is this true
a family friend who has a job in coding drones had told me it was very difficult for him to find a job out of college because the different jobs had such specific requirements in qualifications that he had to find a job that would accept him and offer job training is this true for most jobs in coding and computer science
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4 answers
Fred Rosenberger
Data Analyst
462
Answers
St. Louis, MO
Updated
Fred’s Answer
Yes and no. Part of it depends on how flexible you are. If you only want to code drones while working from home and be paid $200,000/year with six weeks of vacation, then yes, it may be hard to find a job.
On the other hand, if you are willing to re-locate to another city, work in what may not be the most exciting (to you) industry, etc., it gets much easier.
My company right now has almost 500 positions open in our main tech hub, with hundreds more around the world (not all are programming positions). Jobs are out there, but maybe not the job you want, in the place you want, with the benefits you want, and the salary you want.
On the other hand, if you are willing to re-locate to another city, work in what may not be the most exciting (to you) industry, etc., it gets much easier.
My company right now has almost 500 positions open in our main tech hub, with hundreds more around the world (not all are programming positions). Jobs are out there, but maybe not the job you want, in the place you want, with the benefits you want, and the salary you want.
Thank you for the advice.
Adam
Eric Liszt
AVP Product Management, Product Development, Customer Support
11
Answers
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Updated
Eric’s Answer
I'll agree with Fred to a large extent. When we hire engineers we often look for people with experience in a specific language or framework. That said, we also recruit people with zero experience out of colleges. My path into coding was an odd one. I was working as a data-entry clerk. In doing so, I found a problem the company had, and that I could fix by creating an app. I ended up reading a book to learn the tool/language and then did the work in the off hours, and delivered them something useful even though I was only being paid a data-entry clerk and was doing this on my own time. That was the start of my experience and my career in software.
I'd suggest going to the career sites of companies you'd want to join and look at the posting for the types of jobs you'd like to have. In the postings, get a sense of the languages/tools those companies need. Once you get a sense of the languages/tools that are in demand, and the ones that seem interesting to you, you could then take classes to get knowledge and even certifications in those languages. You could then volunteer your time to local charities and build tools for them that will give you real experience you can put on your resume.
You could also build something just for the heck of it and use that as evidence that you understand the fundamentals of the language/tools. Pitch yourself as someone who will grow quickly and deliver a lot at an entry-level price. Win for you, win for the company.
I'd suggest going to the career sites of companies you'd want to join and look at the posting for the types of jobs you'd like to have. In the postings, get a sense of the languages/tools those companies need. Once you get a sense of the languages/tools that are in demand, and the ones that seem interesting to you, you could then take classes to get knowledge and even certifications in those languages. You could then volunteer your time to local charities and build tools for them that will give you real experience you can put on your resume.
You could also build something just for the heck of it and use that as evidence that you understand the fundamentals of the language/tools. Pitch yourself as someone who will grow quickly and deliver a lot at an entry-level price. Win for you, win for the company.
Ramesh Narayanaswamy
Computer Scientist
47
Answers
Palo Alto, California
Updated
Ramesh’s Answer
Almost all technology companies do University hiring of well qualified undergraduates in Computer Science, and related fields. Finding a job you like in a field that interests you shouldn't be a problem. As an Undergraduate student you should take courses, do projects, and find internships in your field of interest.
An Undergraduate degree in Computer Science prepares you with foundational courses in data structures, algorithms, database, etc. In addition there are a number of elective courses which allow the student to specialize in one or two topics.
For example, Georgia Tech undergraduates have the option of working on a planned specialization (Threads is the School's terminology). You can see the Intelligence thread prepares you for a career in sub-areas like Robotics, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, etc. - https://www.cc.gatech.edu/academics/threads/intelligence . There are other threads as well - https://www.cc.gatech.edu/threads-better-way-learn-computing. Computer Science courses will have a big project content that will teach you implementation skills, knowledge of relevant languages, libraries, etc.
Couple the courses with Internships, and you will graduate with highly sought after skills. I.e., you will land multiple job offers.
Check out the Computer Science program of Universities in your home state.
An Undergraduate degree in Computer Science prepares you with foundational courses in data structures, algorithms, database, etc. In addition there are a number of elective courses which allow the student to specialize in one or two topics.
For example, Georgia Tech undergraduates have the option of working on a planned specialization (Threads is the School's terminology). You can see the Intelligence thread prepares you for a career in sub-areas like Robotics, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, etc. - https://www.cc.gatech.edu/academics/threads/intelligence . There are other threads as well - https://www.cc.gatech.edu/threads-better-way-learn-computing. Computer Science courses will have a big project content that will teach you implementation skills, knowledge of relevant languages, libraries, etc.
Couple the courses with Internships, and you will graduate with highly sought after skills. I.e., you will land multiple job offers.
Check out the Computer Science program of Universities in your home state.
Hanley Loller
Computer Programmer
14
Answers
Lexington, Kentucky
Updated
Hanley’s Answer
Computer programming is essentially problem solving and as a career it generally requires a lot of flexibility and learning as you go. Technology changes and new platforms emerge, so most programmers need to spend some time keeping up to date. There are some who work mostly with legacy code maintaining old software... but that requires a proven track record and even if that's what you're doing, new issues pop up that require you to learn new things to solve them.
Most computer programmers coming out of college with a BS in computer science have more limited options than they will have once they've been in the work force for a while. Typically programmers end up working in some area that might not be what they had studied or planned for, but after a few years they have proven expertise in that area and quickly become much more in demand. It takes a few years past college to really be a valuable commodity in the programming world.
It's not a career for everyone, it can be both challenging and tedious at the same time. However, a job is a job for a reason. In the end, most jobs are less about "finding your passion" (a mythological ideal that only the very luckiest 1% of 1% of people are able to turn into a career) and more about finding a job that you're comfortable with that can hopefully support your passion, whatever that is. If you think you can be happy doing it, then it's probably a good choice.
Most computer programmers coming out of college with a BS in computer science have more limited options than they will have once they've been in the work force for a while. Typically programmers end up working in some area that might not be what they had studied or planned for, but after a few years they have proven expertise in that area and quickly become much more in demand. It takes a few years past college to really be a valuable commodity in the programming world.
It's not a career for everyone, it can be both challenging and tedious at the same time. However, a job is a job for a reason. In the end, most jobs are less about "finding your passion" (a mythological ideal that only the very luckiest 1% of 1% of people are able to turn into a career) and more about finding a job that you're comfortable with that can hopefully support your passion, whatever that is. If you think you can be happy doing it, then it's probably a good choice.