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So I just started my "career" as a software engineer ie I just started my master in Computer Science (Loyola University Chicago). I'm learning basic programming such as C++, C, Scala. But down the line if I wanted to get hired out of the college what are some tips/advice you guys have I can use to improving my not only the chances of getting hired but also becoming a good software engineer?
How do I work on Open-Source Projects?
Any mentor ship will be great, thank you in advance.
FYI, I have a BS in Physics and took Intro to Object Orientated Programming in undergrad where I learned Scala.
Now I am taking machine learning (object C) and data structures (C++ programming)
I'm slightly in your shoes except my degree is in Economics... I just happen to enjoy Software Dev, Programming and Engineering a bit more.
There's plenty of tech companies in Chicago, some driven and successful, others... Not so much.
Braintree, Groupon, SpringLeaf and the Academic institutions come to mind when I think of who's hiring pretty much regularly.
I currently do most of my work in Python and C++ myself. Language, however, doesn't get you into every door. A language is just a tool after all.
FinTech companies tend to prefer speedier (if you will) languages: C++, C, JavaScript (WTF?)
Marketing and Goods companies tend to orient towards Python and Ruby. I know for a fact Braintree is very much a Ruby shop but more than open to other approaches, you just have to show them you know your stuff through and through.
Knowing what sector prefers which tool set is very important too.
Here's a list of closing tips:
Know how to write tests - II still don't but know for a fact it's what stops me from landing jobs sometimes.... Iknow... I know... It's not a hard thing to learn but common... I put at least 15000 linear checks in the prompt, I know every possibly user input. Why I gotta write a test? Jk, testing is good.
Learn Python (or a fast development scripting language) - It's perhaps the easiest and most powerful language in terms of diversity. Not the fastest but not the slowest. GETS THE JOB DONE. If you need a speed boost, switch back to Scala but if you want something done... NOW... Python, Ruby. Something simple will suffice.
I literally wrote a script to automatically create facebook events in like 1-2 hours. Python has good libraries and a lot of community support... Why some people say it's dying is beyond me. I just consider those parties to be arrogant purists.
Get to know the Chicago Tech Community. We're big on meetups apparently.
I think you should decide on what type of place you would want to work at first. Do you want to potentially make a ton of money but potentially be more stressed at the same time? The financial sector might be a good choice. The primary programming language used at these places in Chicago is C++. Do you want to work in the health care IT industry? A company like this might use C#/.NET or perhaps Java. So that's why I think you should figure that out first. Also, ask yourself what kind of place do you want to work at? Does it line up with your values, does it seem like you're doing something meaningful, etc.? I've learned that this is important.
Once you have that figured out, try to find an internship at one of these companies. Once you get some internship experience, it won't be too difficult to find an entry level job depending on the type of company you're seeking.
I'm slightly in your shoes except my degree is in Economics... I just happen to enjoy Software Dev, Programming and Engineering a bit more.
There's plenty of tech companies in Chicago, some driven and successful, others... Not so much.
Braintree, Groupon, SpringLeaf and the Academic institutions come to mind when I think of who's hiring pretty much regularly.
I currently do most of my work in Python and C++ myself. Language, however, doesn't get you into every door. A language is just a tool after all.
FinTech companies tend to prefer speedier (if you will) languages: C++, C, JavaScript (WTF?)
Marketing and Goods companies tend to orient towards Python and Ruby. I know for a fact Braintree is very much a Ruby shop but more than open to other approaches, you just have to show them you know your stuff through and through.
Knowing what sector prefers which tool set is very important too.
Here's a list of closing tips:
Know how to write tests - II still don't but know for a fact it's what stops me from landing jobs sometimes.... Iknow... I know... It's not a hard thing to learn but common... I put at least 15000 linear checks in the prompt, I know every possibly user input. Why I gotta write a test? Jk, testing is good.
Learn Python (or a fast development scripting language) - It's perhaps the easiest and most powerful language in terms of diversity. Not the fastest but not the slowest. GETS THE JOB DONE. If you need a speed boost, switch back to Scala but if you want something done... NOW... Python, Ruby. Something simple will suffice.
I literally wrote a script to automatically create facebook events in like 1-2 hours. Python has good libraries and a lot of community support... Why some people say it's dying is beyond me. I just consider those parties to be arrogant purists.
Get to know the Chicago Tech Community. We're big on meetups apparently.
You love tackling really tough problems, and value the correct solution over a sloppy one
You have a passion for software development, with side projects to prove it
You understand test-driven-development, and you’re a master debugger
You’re comfortable reading & writing code, and can describe what each part of the
code is doing
You’re passionate about our mission to democratize financial advice
Those are things that are fairly to assess in a typical interview setting. If the applicant does not have those things there is not much reason to go forward, especially if they also have a MS which makes it even more disappointing...
Those are things that are fairly to assess in a typical interview setting. If the applicant does not have those things there is not much reason to go forward, especially if they also have a MS which makes it even more disappointing...
If your git repos look good though, your social and interview skills can be completely crap and you'd still be a pretty sure hire--I've come across that over and over again though a relatively small but very noticeable percentage of developers.
If your git repos look good though, your social and interview skills can be completely crap and you'd still be a pretty sure hire--I've come across that over and over again though a relatively small but very noticeable percentage of developers.
That may be true in some places, but given the choice you don't want to work in those places.
Social skills and "soft skills" in general make work life MUCH less aggravating. And since in many tech jobs there will be at least periods where you work long hours, working with people who know how to get along with other people makes a huge difference. Which means to get into those places, you also need to be able to show you can get along with people because it will not matter how great your coding skills are if you present as an a-hole. Having soft skills doesn't mean you lack tech skills, it just means that a team can better coordinate and apply all of their tech skills together effectively. Never forget that in 99.9% of cases, teams build great software, not individuals.
That may be true in some places, but given the choice you don't want to work in those places.
Social skills and "soft skills" in general make work life MUCH less aggravating. And since in many tech jobs there will be at least periods where you work long hours, working with people who know how to get along with other people makes a huge difference. Which means to get into those places, you also need to be able to show you can get along with people because it will not matter how great your coding skills are if you present as an a-hole. Having soft skills doesn't mean you lack tech skills, it just means that a team can better coordinate and apply all of their tech skills together effectively. Never forget that in 99.9% of cases, teams build great software, not individuals.
Is "Facebook" about some magical software? Hardly. Google? Doubtful. Quicken ? Ha! Turbotax? You joke... Heck even "Word" & "Excel" are kind of nightmares of feature upon feature ....
But -- they are examples of stuff that is RELIABLE, understandable, and gets people to trust it. Too often stuff that is technically powerful software is too finicky, needs too much training and never gets many users beyond other "brainiac" types.
Even when it comes to stuff that is designed for financial firms the coding team that can successful COMMUNICATE with the user base beats out the team with "it is master piece of technology" attitude EVERY TIME!
So I just started my "career" as a software engineer ie I just started my master in Computer Science (Loyola University Chicago). I'm learning basic programming such as C++, C, Scala. But down the line if I wanted to get hired out of the college what are some tips/advice you guys have I can use to improving my not only the chances of getting hired but also becoming a good software engineer?
How do I work on Open-Source Projects?
Any mentor ship will be great, thank you in advance.
FYI, I have a BS in Physics and took Intro to Object Orientated Programming in undergrad where I learned Scala.
Now I am taking machine learning (object C) and data structures (C++ programming)
Thanks!
Programming and software engineering is something you work at if you want to be good at it. You won't get there by just doing your school projects/homework and reading a book. You are going to have to spend a decent amount of time just doing random projects, even if you think they're dumb - in the end it's what you're learning to do that's the most important thing. At least if you want to be good. There are a lot of people who think it's not necessary, but it is - and plus on the side, it will show a future employer that you are actually passionate about your work, which is a very important thing to show.
So really, my suggestion is to definitely do it on the side a lot. Do projects for yourself - they don't have to be ones that make money. They're for your personal advancement.
Quote:
Originally Posted by emathias
Social skills and "soft skills" in general make work life MUCH less aggravating. And since in many tech jobs there will be at least periods where you work long hours, working with people who know how to get along with other people makes a huge difference. Which means to get into those places, you also need to be able to show you can get along with people because it will not matter how great your coding skills are if you present as an a-hole. Having soft skills doesn't mean you lack tech skills, it just means that a team can better coordinate and apply all of their tech skills together effectively. Never forget that in 99.9% of cases, teams build great software, not individuals.
1000000% agree with this. Almost everyone who works in the industry in some capacity will be working in a team setting (even if you're doing research, you may have a small team) at one point or another.. As you work in these settings, one of the most frustrating things you will come across is communication. That's very broad, but it covers a lot of things from being able to communicate requirements, status on something, what has happened, how one of your technical designs works, defect management, etc.
Every team faces it though and no team or person is perfect with communication, but there is definitely good communication and bad communications. Bad communication can mean hours of wasted time when things aren't really succinct. When I am doing software engineering (I have duties in leading a technical team so I have to tend to that too) and programming, there is a fair amount of time per week where it's just communication. It's only covered a bit in school about communication, but it's absolutely one vital part of the formula to a successful product/sprint/milestone/iteration/whatever.
Last edited by marothisu; 01-26-2016 at 11:04 PM..
if I wanted to get hired out of the college what are some tips/advice you guys have I can use to improving my not only the chances of getting hired but also becoming a good software engineer?
!
Internships... co-ops. Anything you can do to get real experience while in college.
The crazy thing is, top firms are paying big money to learn.
Some universities like Drexel actually bake this into the program. A 5 yr program with no summer breaks and includes 3 coops as part of the curriculum. Their graduates are getting great offers.
Even if your university does not offer co-ops they should have an entire department to find you summer internships
Secondly.. independent efforts are huge on a resume. Building your own "real" website or app, gets noticed or at least help get you an interview. There are a lot of kids jumping in to computers because they heard the pay is well... doing independent projects because you find it fun an interesting is a great distinguishing factor.
Third... be able to explain your work and projects. What you did, how it fits into the larger system. Data flows. To many students focus on the coding puzzles "I can sort an array 5 different ways" but then ask them to explain at 500 ft the project they listed they were a key contributor on, and its blank stares.
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Good ideas, but focus is key...
