From: bob AT lintilla DOT demon DOT co DOT uk (Bob Cousins) Newsgroups: demon.tech.pc,comp.os.msdos.djgpp Subject: Re: OT: Career's in Programming Date: Sun, 25 Apr 1999 14:24:56 GMT Organization: RemarQ http://www.remarQ.com Lines: 58 Message-ID: <37251d00.4561649@news.supernews.co.uk> References: <039uZHAFNuI3Ewge AT dunvegan1 DOT demon DOT co DOT uk> <372303e5 DOT 7953712 AT news DOT clara DOT net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: 925050183 PU3IS5UMBC56C3E88 uk21.supernews.com X-Complaints-To: newsabuse AT remarq DOT com X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.5/32.451 To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com DJ-Gateway: from newsgroup comp.os.msdos.djgpp Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com In demon.tech.pc, Neil Edwards wrote: >I too am interested in being a Software engineer but am worried >whether this is the right road to take. I was thinking about doing a >course with a year in industry to get "real-life2 experinece in the >field. Anyone have any views on this? > >On Sun, 25 Apr 1999 10:41:25 +0100, Paul Richards > wrote: > >>Hi, >>When I leave school I would like to get a degree in Software Engineering >>and eventually become a programmer. What sort of degree/job do you guys >>have? Is that the right course to take to become a programmer? An SE degree can be a twin edged sword. A lot of employers will take any science degree, or any degree at all, and some positively prefer other degrees such as business or languages over SE or computing. Employers don't necessarily want people who know the "right way" to do something, they need people who can solve business problems and have an approachable manner. Speaking from my own experience, I initially found an SE degree a disadvantage compared to a guy who joined at the same time as me who had done Physics. I was expected to automatically do well, whereas his expectations were set lower. He was a very good learner, and was a good "Yes" man because he didn't really know what was involved, so got on really well. It was years before they realised in fact he was a bit of time-waster, and my depth of background was valuable. Eventually I've learned to be a "yes" man too ;-) However I don't regret doing an SE degree for a minute, I enjoyed the whole experience immensely, and the principles I learnt have been invaluable. I would certainly go the same route again, but with a few enhancements. So my advice which you may feel free to ignore is: 1. Choose a subject you are interested in, and will be most motivated to do well. You only really get one chance, its important to enjoy it. If you can get a good degree so much the better. 10 years later employers really won't care what degree you did. 2. If you do choose SE, mix in business related options, and any other subjects you are interested in. I was forced to do pure maths, which was totally pointless, but stats was useful. Technical subjects such as real-time computing or networking are good, but make sure you get the core principles of the SE lifecycle: analysis, design, implementation, testing, documentation, configuration control. I also wish I could have done a language option. Sandwich degrees are a really good idea, and I found my year out invaluable. Any subjects where teamwork is involved are a good idea too, IT 3. Read Scott Adams's Dilbert books, they are the best guide to industry I've seen, and I wish I'd read them before starting work! -- Bob Cousins, Software Engineer. http://www.lintilla.demon.co.uk/ "We demand that we may, or may not, be philosophers!"