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Posted by Stan McCann on 08/06/06 06:42
Armando Padilla <mando81@prodigy.net> wrote in
news:VBeBg.1297$%j7.291@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net:
> Sharon O. wrote:
>> Sorry, this is a little off topic. The on-topic groups seemed to be
>> mostly spam bots chattering between themselves and I think people
>> here are likely to be able to answer my questions.
>>
>> If I search on Monster.com for IT jobs I see a lot of demand for
>> experience/knowledge of PHP as well as SQL, XHTML, C#, etc.
At least become familiar with what each does, is used for, and maybe an
advantage, pitfall, or two. Be honost in an interview, don't try to
fake it, but know the basics. Most importantly is to show that you can
learn on your own. I've hired based on that several times.
>> If I do any sort of CS or SE degree I'm likely to only briefly skim
>> over these languages if I'm lucky and learn about things such as
>> RAD, UML, lifecycles, etc. instead. I've very rarely seen these
>> "skills" come up in job adverts.
>>
>> So, if someone wants an IT job where does one learn the skills
>> mentioned in job adverts? In your own time? Then why go to
>> university and do a CS/SE degree?
Concepts. As Mr. Padilla says, the fundamentals.
>> People who do some kind of programming job: did you find a CS/SE
>> degree helpful in getting a job? And did you find you learned
>> skills that helped you with your current job?
I had the sort of job that grew. Many IT jobs are like that, as
technology increases, and dependance on the technology, so does IT's;
sometimes quite quickly. A friend of mine was working for the DA's
office for less than two weeks before they promoted him and gave him a
big raise. He was hired to do some database work and now is THE IT guy
for two county's DA offices.
> I cant speak for everyone but here are my thoughts on this.
>
> Im currently wrapping up a CS degree and yes they dont cover much of
> PHP and AJax and most internet languages but CS is mostly taught so
> you can pick up the fundamentals of software development (Software
> Architectures, Algorithms, etc etc) since thats universal throughout
> all languages, from C++ to Ruby On Rails.
That's why a lot of programming course studies vary in languages, it's
about the concepts. I always told my students that the best thing they
could learn in college is how to open a book and find an answer, thus
all of my tests were open book, but hard.
> if you want a job NOW. then i suggest you start cranking away at
> reading material such as books, web sites, and most importantly
I'll add that you should stop by your college's computer center and see
about a job. I ran the one at our local branch of NMSU for 15 years
and was always more than happy to hire those with interest.
Helping others in the lab helps you understand your studies and can
teach you a lot of skills you'll need in a better job later.
> writing some of your own apps, even if they are some that people
> have already made. You can take classes that are specific to a
> language, such as PHP
> or JSP training but i always found them to be pointless and
> useless.
> Reading books is recommended.
Good advice, but some people do better in a structured classroom
setting. Don't rule it out. I was a self learner also but saw many
students that needed the structure in order to learn.
> Your last question. Did i find my CS degree beneficial in the job
> market? I use close to 12% of the CS stuff I learned. This is not
> because most of the items that i do at work dont use CS related
> "stuff" but its mostly because I dont need most of the
> subjects/material picked up through my education. Also Im mostly
> going through the CS path becuase I plan to do other things with my
> time (when i get home) other than web related items, mostly machine
> learning.
Part of the value of the degree is just showing that you can set a goal
and achieve it. I changed from CS initially to Management CIS. I was
headed for management anyway so avoided ~160 miles roundtrip a day
attending a branch of another college on the Air Base just outside
town.
--
Stan McCann, RETIRED!!, "Uncle Pirate" http://stanmccann.us/
Implementing negative score for googlegroup postings, see
http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html
A zest for living must include a willingness to die. - R.A. Heinlein
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