3 answers
Adam
Student
Canton, Georgia
5
Questions
Asked
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If I were to study and make a career out of coding would I be able to have free time to workout and have hobbies
I like music and would like to start song writing and I value my personal health and would like to be able to have time for workouts and I would like time for my family and friends I know I would be unreasonable for all of these things but it would be nice to be able to find time here and there to work on some of these things and have a consistent workout schedule
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3 answers
Janet Reynolds
Director, software quality
12
Answers
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Updated
Janet’s Answer
Andrew's answer is a good one. I'd like to expand on this a bit with an answer that I gave previously to another student.
This varies widely and can be different from company to company and from week to week. A job that a computer scientist holds is typically a salaried position, not where you get paid hourly. You could work weeks where you put in 36-40 hours and other weeks, close to deadline, where you work 60-80 hours. The pay is typically the same each week. I have always worked at companies where I mostly had normal working hours (8-10 hours a day including time for lunch and breaks) and periods of time, usually no more than 12 weeks a year, where the hours were closer to 60+ hours/week. This is mainly during times when a project deadline or release was approaching. Nights and weekends could be required to get the job done. At times, the management would grant compensation time off after several weeks of overtime work or I could request it. If you land a position where you are routinely (most of the time) working 60-80 hours a week in a salaried position, this is known as a "sweatshop" and you should look for another job before you burnout or have a breakdown. This is not fair to you or your loved ones. Look for a better company that treats their employees better. All professionals should expect to put in some extra time to make it to a deadline, but life at some point should settle down to a normal pace. Hope this helps. A career in Computer Science can be lucrative, interesting *and* manageable (work/life balance). Computer Science graduates are in high demand. Best of luck!
This varies widely and can be different from company to company and from week to week. A job that a computer scientist holds is typically a salaried position, not where you get paid hourly. You could work weeks where you put in 36-40 hours and other weeks, close to deadline, where you work 60-80 hours. The pay is typically the same each week. I have always worked at companies where I mostly had normal working hours (8-10 hours a day including time for lunch and breaks) and periods of time, usually no more than 12 weeks a year, where the hours were closer to 60+ hours/week. This is mainly during times when a project deadline or release was approaching. Nights and weekends could be required to get the job done. At times, the management would grant compensation time off after several weeks of overtime work or I could request it. If you land a position where you are routinely (most of the time) working 60-80 hours a week in a salaried position, this is known as a "sweatshop" and you should look for another job before you burnout or have a breakdown. This is not fair to you or your loved ones. Look for a better company that treats their employees better. All professionals should expect to put in some extra time to make it to a deadline, but life at some point should settle down to a normal pace. Hope this helps. A career in Computer Science can be lucrative, interesting *and* manageable (work/life balance). Computer Science graduates are in high demand. Best of luck!
Catherine Crawford
Sales Manager
4
Answers
Argyle, Texas
Updated
Catherine’s Answer
As you explore the jobs available no matter what your focus is, you will need to drive work/life balance. It has been my experience there are times I have a deadline which may requires some extra hours but most of the time I can balance the two. If it consistently take extra time to meet your deadlines that would be a discussion with your manager. Perhaps, more people need to be added to the project.
Andrew Villa
Founder
8
Answers
Miami, Florida
Updated
Andrew’s Answer
Yes definitely. Close to 90% of coding jobs are flexible, in the sense that you can work remotely, and you don't have to work a set time of day. You aren't paid by the hour and instead are simply expected to complete the work on time.
Example: you are asked to code a specific task and the deadline is 1 week later. As long as you complete that coding task within 1 week and do so with good quality, your employer does not care at what time of the day or night you are coding, or how many hours you coded on Tuesday or Friday.
Hope this helps!
Example: you are asked to code a specific task and the deadline is 1 week later. As long as you complete that coding task within 1 week and do so with good quality, your employer does not care at what time of the day or night you are coding, or how many hours you coded on Tuesday or Friday.
Hope this helps!
I appreciate this, thank you for the advice.
Adam