12 answers
Bryson
Student
Ohio, OH
3
Questions
Asked
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What advice would you give to someone considering being a programer?
I am a sophomore in high school, who is taking college courses for programming right now from a local college. I have been interested in coding since 8th grade and now I feel like that is what my future will be. #college #college-major #tech #technology # #computer #computer #computer-science #computer-software #program #programmer #programming
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12 answers
Stewart Wachs
Software Executive
1
Answer
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Stewart’s Answer
A few thoughts, Bryson:
- Be comfortable with the notion that programming is something that you'll never 100% master. Nearly every day you'll be required how to learn how to accomplish a new task - that's part of the fun
- Being able to figure out why your program isn't working (debugging) is a significant part of the job. The more adept you are at solving tricky riddles/problems, the more successful you'll be as a programmer
- Being a programmer is about more than just getting your code to work - it's about understanding the business that your application is supporting. For example, one of the applications that I worked on was used by call center agents who were processing applicants for medical insurance. When I took the time to understand the "day in the life" of the call center worker I was able to develop better software that made their jobs easier
- Lots of people see programming as an insular activity and appropriate for people aren't great at (or don't want to) collaborate with others. However, in my experience a big element of programming is working with teammates on planing, designing and even developing applications
- Last, nearly everything you need to know to hone your skills/knowledge can be found on the internet. No need to wait to take a formal high school/college class. Think of a fun project and get started coding - there's no wrong place to start!
- Be comfortable with the notion that programming is something that you'll never 100% master. Nearly every day you'll be required how to learn how to accomplish a new task - that's part of the fun
- Being able to figure out why your program isn't working (debugging) is a significant part of the job. The more adept you are at solving tricky riddles/problems, the more successful you'll be as a programmer
- Being a programmer is about more than just getting your code to work - it's about understanding the business that your application is supporting. For example, one of the applications that I worked on was used by call center agents who were processing applicants for medical insurance. When I took the time to understand the "day in the life" of the call center worker I was able to develop better software that made their jobs easier
- Lots of people see programming as an insular activity and appropriate for people aren't great at (or don't want to) collaborate with others. However, in my experience a big element of programming is working with teammates on planing, designing and even developing applications
- Last, nearly everything you need to know to hone your skills/knowledge can be found on the internet. No need to wait to take a formal high school/college class. Think of a fun project and get started coding - there's no wrong place to start!
Joseph Raczynski
Futurist & Technology Consultant
6
Answers
Washington, Washington
Updated
Joseph’s Answer
Agreed with the others to find your passion here in this space. Consider distributed ledger technology or blockchain as an area to explore. Blockchain is the backbone of cryptocurrency and NFTs, but will soon become a revolution in computer programming. Another area to consider is AI. Both have a massive role within tomorrow's computer programming. Just a thought!
Gerald Paul
16
Answers
Updated
Gerald’s Answer
What advice would you give to someone considering being a programmer?
Computer programming is awesome and you can make a great career out of it since there are so many paths it can lead you to.
There are so many different programming language so I would say a good starting point would be to identify which language you want to program in. Programming can come in the form of a GUI interface or pure code or script; some language provide both.
In addition, I am a firm believer in enjoying what you do so I would advise you to give it a try to see how you like it or feel about it...hope that helps.
Computer programming is awesome and you can make a great career out of it since there are so many paths it can lead you to.
There are so many different programming language so I would say a good starting point would be to identify which language you want to program in. Programming can come in the form of a GUI interface or pure code or script; some language provide both.
In addition, I am a firm believer in enjoying what you do so I would advise you to give it a try to see how you like it or feel about it...hope that helps.
Patti Skoda
2
Answers
Updated
Patti’s Answer
I hope you get some computer programming professionals to respond here, too. As an HR professional working with software engineers I'd say that first you are doing the right thing by following your interest and finding a way to explore a career out of something so enjoyable to you. Consider how to find classes and experiences now and in college that provides other STEM skills and business skills. This could really open up opportunities in a variety of industries as you specialize in software engineering. You will also find specialties within Software engineering that could really be interesting to you and valuable to future employers. Find others who are also exploring programming so you can learn from each other along the way.
Find others with similar interests (through clubs or classes?)
Patti recommends the following next steps:
Thank you!!!
Bryson
Gerald Paul
16
Answers
Updated
Gerald’s Answer
If you want to be a programmer you have to learn how to program. There is no other way around it.
To learn how to program you can just go on youtube or google, you'll find tons of free training on any programming tool you'd like to learn.
You have to put in the time. Programming can also be tedious so you have to be patient with yourself in the first few weeks or so.
Go for it. You can do it.
Andrew Ip
Software Development Manager
9
Answers
Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
Updated
Andrew’s Answer
Beyond programming, I would really look to expand your horizons into the humanities or psychology. There is a lot of cross-pollination between fields, especially in this day and age, and these can be significant drivers of innovation. For instance, UX design combines the arts, statistics, psychology, and computer science. For AI/ML, biology and computer science.
Tim O'Brien
Development Manager
5
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Tim’s Answer
Think about an area of interest that you would like to pursue. There are many to chose from - AI/ML Data Science, Cybersecurity, Mobile Apps, Game Developer etc...
Taylor Girard
17
Answers
Long Beach, California
Updated
Taylor’s Answer
A piece of advice I would give is to not compare yourself to others in this field. I've noticed a lot of people can take a pretty elitist stance when it comes to computer programming, but in reality there are so many different paths and options in the field. There is no singular path to success, so do whatever most interests you and keep learning in whatever way works best.
Jeremy Allen
Software Engineer
1
Answer
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Jeremy’s Answer
Hi Bryson,
Great to hear that you are interested in becoming a computer programmer!
My advice is to look for opportunities to gain some hands on experience with computer programming. There are a number of freelancing sites out there that offer opportunities to work on both small and large projects. UpWork and Fiverr are two that I can think of. Look for projects on these sites that could take you a week or less to complete. Writing a simple Python script to scrape some data off of a website is a good example of a first project. Focus on breaking the problem up into smaller chunks of work and coming up with a rough sketch of the finished product. This will teach you the basics of making network calls and give you a sense of the software lifecycle.
Completing even a single project will be great experience to list on a college application and resume down the road.
Good luck and have fun!
Great to hear that you are interested in becoming a computer programmer!
My advice is to look for opportunities to gain some hands on experience with computer programming. There are a number of freelancing sites out there that offer opportunities to work on both small and large projects. UpWork and Fiverr are two that I can think of. Look for projects on these sites that could take you a week or less to complete. Writing a simple Python script to scrape some data off of a website is a good example of a first project. Focus on breaking the problem up into smaller chunks of work and coming up with a rough sketch of the finished product. This will teach you the basics of making network calls and give you a sense of the software lifecycle.
Completing even a single project will be great experience to list on a college application and resume down the road.
Good luck and have fun!
Eric Albright
Software Engineer
3
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Eric’s Answer
Hi Bryson,
It’s a great feeling to have an idea where you want your career to go, and software development will give you many opportunities in the future.
Some ideas:
1. Technology is always changing, and programming is career of constant learning. Start now figuring out how you learn new things: reading books, watching videos, following tutorials, pairing with others, and even teaching are all good techniques.
2. Programming jobs and careers are often tied to a particular industry or domain, e.g. Finance, Energy, Healthcare, Transportation. Use your time in the next few years to identify some industries you are interested in to narrow down what kind of work to look for.
3. If University is in your plans, do some investigation on what the Computer Science professors are researching at your potential schools. Reach out to them and ask if they have room in their teams for you to help out.
It’s a great feeling to have an idea where you want your career to go, and software development will give you many opportunities in the future.
Some ideas:
1. Technology is always changing, and programming is career of constant learning. Start now figuring out how you learn new things: reading books, watching videos, following tutorials, pairing with others, and even teaching are all good techniques.
2. Programming jobs and careers are often tied to a particular industry or domain, e.g. Finance, Energy, Healthcare, Transportation. Use your time in the next few years to identify some industries you are interested in to narrow down what kind of work to look for.
3. If University is in your plans, do some investigation on what the Computer Science professors are researching at your potential schools. Reach out to them and ask if they have room in their teams for you to help out.
Trent Buck
Manager
12
Answers
Boca Raton
Updated
Trent’s Answer
There are several different types of computer engineers and different roles in a business. Even to say programmer might mean front-end, middleware, back-end, or full-stack. So there are many opportunities. In High school, find a project to work on. Start small, Hello world., then work your way to larger projects. It is best to work on something which interests you because you will really want to complete the project. I like to tell folks to work on something you will actually use, because you will want to make it user friendly and work the projects to completion. There are several details when it comes to completing a project.
As time goes by, get a github account so you can store your projects, this can later be used as part of your resume when you go get your first job. Everybody wants to know your experience and this will be a good way to show your experience with projects. There are many free courses and in-expensive courses to teach most languages out there. Don't let the hundreds of languages intimidate you, you need to start someplace. By the time you exit college there will absolutely be a new hot language at that time which does not exist today.
In this field you will always be learning, granted there are exceptions, I am sure some folks have been writing C++ or java for the last 20 years but new languages are created all the time. Good luck.
As time goes by, get a github account so you can store your projects, this can later be used as part of your resume when you go get your first job. Everybody wants to know your experience and this will be a good way to show your experience with projects. There are many free courses and in-expensive courses to teach most languages out there. Don't let the hundreds of languages intimidate you, you need to start someplace. By the time you exit college there will absolutely be a new hot language at that time which does not exist today.
In this field you will always be learning, granted there are exceptions, I am sure some folks have been writing C++ or java for the last 20 years but new languages are created all the time. Good luck.
Bob DeCrescenzo
SVP, Primary Storage Engineering
3
Answers
Franklin, Massachusetts
Updated
Bob’s Answer
Hi Bryson,
It’s great to hear that you are interested in programming and potentially a career in this direction. There are a lot of different career paths you can take when it comes to software development. As you start looking at colleges and majors, I would consider looking at a computer engineering major versus computer science. Computer engineering has a focus on both software and hardware which gives you a better all around understanding of technology. There are many great colleges for this major, but I would also make sure you consider colleges that have good coop program. I hope this was helpful and good luck.
It’s great to hear that you are interested in programming and potentially a career in this direction. There are a lot of different career paths you can take when it comes to software development. As you start looking at colleges and majors, I would consider looking at a computer engineering major versus computer science. Computer engineering has a focus on both software and hardware which gives you a better all around understanding of technology. There are many great colleges for this major, but I would also make sure you consider colleges that have good coop program. I hope this was helpful and good luck.