Tagged Questions

Questions about migrating from one profession to programming or software development.

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3
votes
5answers
858 views

What are the most needed skills for someone entering the workforce as a software engineer?

I am currently doing a PhD in analytical chemistry, however I am a reasonably good programmer and consider myself to be best in the lab apart from my supervisor. I spend most of my time coding and ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views

Career change: from programming into more human-oriented area [closed]

I have been a software developer for approximately 9 years, starting with part-time work during my graduation year at uni. During these years I worked for number of companies, sometimes changing ...
0
votes
2answers
463 views

Switching from Java/Java EE career path to C POS path?

I am a Java/Java EE Developer with about 3 years in this field. I like low-level programming so much... I favor back-end code over front-end. I've a knowledge in C and know little about C++. I got ...
5
votes
7answers
1k views

How to become a professional web developer from a C/C++ programmer? [closed]

I am currently a high school student and know how to use Pascal and C/C++ to take part in competitions such as the Informatics Olympiad. I have learned data structures and many algorithms to solve ...
3
votes
4answers
234 views

How can I transition from being a freelance PHP developer to working for a company?

I've been a freelance web developer for about three years, mostly dealing with non-framework based PHP projects. I'm thinking of moving on to an employer-based job, but I'm not sure what will be ...
12
votes
13answers
1k views

Does switching from one programming language to another cause a loss in experience?

If I was working for a programming language X and want to switch to Y (from Java to C++, or from Java to Objective-c), does this cause my years of experience in the previous languages to be lost (from ...
5
votes
3answers
289 views

Transitioning into a programming career from system administration [closed]

I have a bit of a unique story. I have some work experience in IT, which I've come to generally loathe, and about a year left on finishing my physics degree. I would like to pursue physics further but ...
1
vote
5answers
374 views

Transitioning To Java

I'm primarily a VBA/VB3-6/VB.Net developer of 15+ years with several years of C# experience. Myself and another developer (a seasoned senior level java developer) were hired on at this new company at ...
2
votes
1answer
151 views

What do I need to know to move from Win32 client development to .NET services?

I’m not new to programming - for the last 4 years I’ve written C++ code for Windows client applications, but I’m considering a career change into the world of .net services. I expect this sort of ...
29
votes
7answers
5k views

Becoming a “maintenance developer”

So I've kind of been getting angry about the current position I'm in, and I'd love to get other developers' input on this. I've been at my current place of employment for about 11 months now. When I ...
0
votes
2answers
953 views

Career Switch from testing to Development [closed]

I have few questions regarding the switching from testing to development. 1) Do you think the QA exp wont be counted? 2) Does switching from mnc to startup company for skills development will ...
5
votes
5answers
3k views

Math Major wants to become a Software Engineer

I am a math major, what would be the best field of computer science/computer engineering for me to go into, where I could apply my skills that I used as a math major(i.e. Linear Algebra, Real ...
4
votes
4answers
957 views

Is it possible to successfully transition out of being embedded software engineer?

I'm a recent college graduate, and I'm mainly involved in high-level programming (e.g., Java, C#, and Python). I've received an offer form a good company for an embedded software engineer position, ...
14
votes
5answers
757 views

Company Size and Career development

I am currently working as a software engineer for a large company (around 1000 employees). I recently got a job offer for a smaller company but with more pay (enough that I am really considering the ...
11
votes
5answers
2k views

Does being a software tester make you a more well-rounded developer?

I'm interested in the prospect of spending a few years as a tester: it seems like two or three years as a tester in anyone's CV is a big gain. Are there any skills you can get as a software tester ...
18
votes
9answers
1k views

Promotion or De-motivation [closed]

I am working as a programmer for last 3 years, recently my company has promoted me as a project manager. Now I am facing resource management issues and I am not comfortable as a manager and I want to ...
8
votes
2answers
236 views

What should I know moving from a startup to a corporate role?

I recently took a position with a fairly large company. So far, I've worked with small companies (just a few employees) and startups so I've gotten used to a certain style of working. I'm a bit ...
17
votes
16answers
1k views

Changing jobs and leaving a project without a leader (aka, me) [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: At what point during a project is it unreasonable to leave? I'm the lead on a project that has been underway for about a year and a half. Two of us have been working on ...
13
votes
6answers
4k views

Returning to programming/math after a years long inactivity; becoming a better professional; setting goals

I am in a somewhat, hopefully, common situation to many of my peers in NYC. I will be brutally honest here. I've graduated with CS degree (minor math) from a top 20 school, worked programming/qa jobs ...
11
votes
4answers
523 views

From Freelance to Software Company [closed]

So I've been teaching and doing freelance work for years. I make great money and I love what i do. However, recently I that I have more personal project ideas than I can work on. I have tons of ...
8
votes
5answers
4k views

PHP to Java career change [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Going from PHP to Java I have been working at my current job for about 4 years. I have been doing PHP for twice as long. I am completely self taught (with lots of ...
34
votes
6answers
1k views

What should I do to leave a job professionally?

Given that the current employer knows and has been given appropriate notice ahead of time, how can a programmer make a clean job transition from his old job? What things should the programer consider? ...
5
votes
3answers
334 views

Industry switch to space technologies [closed]

I'm a CS grad and have been programming for past 5 years. I like it. As an experienced programmer I'd like to transition more towards the Space industry. What skills do you think a programmer would ...
9
votes
2answers
640 views

Working as a programmer for gas and oil

I currently work as a programmer for an investment bank. This means being able to write multithreaded code to handle huge realtime streams of data and displaying them using minimal screen real estate. ...
26
votes
7answers
3k views

Is there any benefit by switching from C# to Java? [closed]

I've been a .NET developer for about six years. In those six years, I've worked at exactly one .NET shop that followed any kind of actual design pattern or industry best practice. That realization has ...
41
votes
19answers
2k views

What can I expect when moving from University to a real programming job? [closed]

I'm about to move into my final year at university, and it's finally kicked in that in just over a year from now, I'll be doing my best to secure a job. Yet I still have no clue about the level of ...
16
votes
2answers
2k views

How to present self-taught knowledge?

I work as a senior software engineer (5+ years of exp) at the moment at my company, developing some networked systems. Since a year, I've noticed that I'm becoming increasingly interested in ...
3
votes
4answers
677 views

What route to take to become a systems developer?

In the past I have done a lot of Java and Python coding. Mostly, I worked on web apps and some simple console or gui apps. I also have a formal education in computer science. What route should I take ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views

Pros and cons of low-level vs high-level software development careers [closed]

I am in the progress of moving on to a new software development job. There are openings for both low-level control software and high-level application software. To me, both opportunities are exciting. ...
5
votes
4answers
546 views

10 years out of programming, wanting to return… How to best approach it?

I've searched, but found nothing directly applicable. I have 15 years or so development experience, in Unix, C, C++ mainly, (along with assorted script / minor languages) the last 5 years of this was ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views

How should I restart a career in software development after a 7 year gap?

I am a graduate in electronics, and I worked in the analog electronics field for around 4 years, but now I have a gap of about 7 years in my career. What are my options to restart my career? Can ...
9
votes
6answers
700 views

Does anyone work in / know much about programming jobs for scientific / medical research?

Sometimes I get a bit disillusioned with the types of projects that I work on as they are just basically business apps that aren't exactly groundbreaking and are usually redundant as far as other ...
5
votes
3answers
148 views

What strategy to landing an enterprise postion given a non-enterprisey past?

I'm at a place of potential career change. Among the options is to stay in software development but move into commercial and enterprise systems work. My past has been mostly working with scientists ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views

From Programmer to System Admin?

I know this sounds like a weird question, but do you think it's possible to go from a Programmer Job to a System Admin job? I mean the pros: You're a programmer, so you know scripting pretty well ...
6
votes
8answers
869 views

Career Shifters: How to compete with IT/ComSci graduates

I am wondering what are the chances of a career shifter (mid 20's), who have maybe 3-6 months programming experience vs. younger fresh IT/Com Sci graduates? You see, even though I really love ...
8
votes
10answers
3k views

How do I transition from physics and math to programming?

I'm a physics PhD with little actual programming experience. I've always liked programming and played around with BASIC, Pascal as a teen, but the extent of my experience writing complex programs ...
4
votes
5answers
712 views

How can I move from Java and ColdFusion to Ruby on Rails?

Currently I work with ColdFusion 9+ and some Java in a Windows environment. Prior to ColdFusion, my background was in Java and JSP. I'm considering a move towards Ruby on Rails, as I think it would ...
2
votes
4answers
584 views

How can I change my career from Windows server administration to software development? [closed]

I am an Engineering Graduate in Telecommunication Engineering. I got into a server support job soon after finishing college. I have a total of 2 years experience in Windows server support. However, I ...
2
votes
3answers
275 views

How do I make the jump from developing for Android to Windows Phone 7?

I'm planning on making the jump over from developing apps for Android to developing apps for Windows Phone 7 as well. To start, I figured I would port over my simplest app. The code itself isn't much ...
6
votes
3answers
184 views

In transitioning to C# from Java, how can I ensure that I am not only proficient, but competent?

My biggest fear with getting back into C# (I have rudimentary .NET skills) is that although I may find the solution to a problem, it will not be the optimal solution. What is the best way to ensure ...
11
votes
8answers
3k views

25 years old and considering a career change…possible? practical? [closed]

I'm new to this site and new to programming as well. I've spent some time going through an intro cs book that uses python as the language of choice. I find the exercises interesting and engaging and ...
13
votes
7answers
2k views

Coming from QA, how can one land that first development job? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How do I transition from testing to programming? I have been in QA for 10 years, trying to get into developement for about 5 of them. I have taken classes in C++, Java ...
6
votes
5answers
349 views

How do I transition from software support to software development?

I am at a crossroad - I've been working for whole 4 years as a support person fixing countless bugs, developing (minimal) changes and improvements to our software, working together with our clients ...
5
votes
7answers
8k views

Career Advice: Change from developer to tester [closed]

I have three years and nine months of java development experience specifically in finance domain and now I want to move into testing (functional). But I took a break from my job due to location ...
9
votes
6answers
615 views

Problem with understanding how to start

I've been working as sysadmin for at least 5 years now and I quite enjoy the IT field in general. Somehow, I was never interested in programming much but always wanted to learn something easy for ...
6
votes
8answers
484 views

Been doing .NET for several years and am thinking about a platform change. Where do people suggest I go? [closed]

I've been programming in .NET for several years now and am thinking maybe its time to do a platform switch. Any suggestions about which platform would be the best to learn? I've been thinking about ...
3
votes
1answer
195 views

Suggestions on switching from lamp based web design-development to game design-development

I have around 2.5 years of experience as a web developer cum designer working mainly on the LAMP platform. Now, I want to try out game development (of the likes of First Person Shooter games like Call ...
11
votes
7answers
5k views

Software Developer vs. Project Manager vs. Product Manager [closed]

I've been a software developer for 10 years. I like being a developer and no surprise I strive for sense of achievement. However, I normally find myself doing stuff that needs to get done regardles of ...
7
votes
1answer
2k views

How to get back to Software Engineering after a break?

I have been browsing the questions here for advice on how to prepare and approach for going back to the job market. The Q&As have been a lot helpful but I would like to share some of the questions ...
2
votes
3answers
467 views

Engineering support to development career switch

I'm looking for some input about switching careers from engineering support to development. I graduated with Information Systems degree (85% comp sci and 15% business) six years ago. My programming ...

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