Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In case you didn't notice, everybody answered your question based on their personal opinion. I guess I am guilty because I added a little bit of personal experiences. My bad. Sorry.
I am sorry that I didn't realize I am not part of the "eyes of pubic".
There's more range in the term "programmer" versus CPA. Many of the richest people in the world have become so because they were programmers. CPA is a solid career but hard to become a Billionaire keeping "programmers" books.
There's more range in the term "programmer" versus CPA. Many of the richest people in the world have become so because they were programmers. CPA is a solid career but hard to become a Billionaire keeping "programmers" books.
But those billionaire programmers did not become billionaires by programming, but by marketing and generally being at the right place at the right time.
One thing to keep in mind is that generally speaking, programmers have to WORK for a living. They have to be productive- all day every (work) day. They have to solve semi-impossible and ill-defined problems... often on an arbitrary schedule that need not resemble reality.
Now this is common, everyday stuff for LOTS of people. Lots will scoff at the notion that there's any other life than that. It's a sad commentary on the hand they've been dealt... I know 'cause I've been there myself. If you're young there's a good chance you won't believe this... But it WILL take a toll on you. Mentally, physically, spiritually.
The good news is that not everybody lands in these kinds of jobs. MILLIONS of people have jobs that are insulated from competition, pay well, don't require you to sell your soul or work like a dog. Yes such jobs are far fewer now than they used to be... but they're still out there.
And the good news is that you have that choice right in front of you. A CPA is (somewhat) protected from competition via licensing schemes. They deal DIRECTLY with money- and so are hired by institutions with deep pockets (that's REALLY important if you want to avoid the rat-race). And best of all, the job revolves around a finite set of rules and regulations- no direct interface with reality (which can be brutal, especially when you're in charge of an end product and have to MAKE it work). Cultural norms dictate that CPA is pretty well a respectable 9-5 job- which is not necessarily true of programmers at all. And best of all, there are lots of female CPA's. This is good for several reasons. First of all I just like women- and if you're a guy, chances are you do too (and there ain't many female programmers). Secondly, any company that employs a significant number of women will allow A LOT more time off than an employer that hires mostly men. I've seen it over and over.
So even though I'm probably more naturally inclined to programming... personally I'd choose CPA without hesitation.
A CPA's job is pretty concrete, we can all appreciate what it takes to do their job. They say they spent the past week auditing a fortune 500 company and we can all imagine the stresses involved.
Software development on the other hand is very abstract. You tell someone that the past week you spent trying to put a button on a screen and make it functional, and they look at you like "that's all?". What they don't understand is that 95% of the work is behind how the application interacts once that button is pushed, details which would be pointless to add in a discussion with someone who knows nothing about coding. Also, the constant interaction with the business partners to make sure that the button does what they are envisioning, which can lead to changes, all while being expected to make this production ready in 3 days. Throw in writing unit test/integration tests/code reviews (which can also lead to code changes), and time seems to disappear pretty quickly.
One thing to keep in mind is that generally speaking, programmers have to WORK for a living. They have to be productive- all day every (work) day. They have to solve semi-impossible and ill-defined problems... often on an arbitrary schedule that need not resemble reality.
Now this is common, everyday stuff for LOTS of people. Lots will scoff at the notion that there's any other life than that. It's a sad commentary on the hand they've been dealt... I know 'cause I've been there myself. If you're young there's a good chance you won't believe this... But it WILL take a toll on you. Mentally, physically, spiritually.
The good news is that not everybody lands in these kinds of jobs. MILLIONS of people have jobs that are insulated from competition, pay well, don't require you to sell your soul or work like a dog. Yes such jobs are far fewer now than they used to be... but they're still out there.
And the good news is that you have that choice right in front of you. A CPA is (somewhat) protected from competition via licensing schemes. They deal DIRECTLY with money- and so are hired by institutions with deep pockets (that's REALLY important if you want to avoid the rat-race). And best of all, the job revolves around a finite set of rules and regulations- no direct interface with reality (which can be brutal, especially when you're in charge of an end product and have to MAKE it work). Cultural norms dictate that CPA is pretty well a respectable 9-5 job- which is not necessarily true of programmers at all. And best of all, there are lots of female CPA's. This is good for several reasons. First of all I just like women- and if you're a guy, chances are you do too (and there ain't many female programmers). Secondly, any company that employs a significant number of women will allow A LOT more time off than an employer that hires mostly men. I've seen it over and over.
So even though I'm probably more naturally inclined to programming... personally I'd choose CPA without hesitation.
All of this.
And I am what would be considered a computer programmer, because I do write code pretty much every day and have for the last 17 years. And if I knew then what I know now...yeah, CPA wins that argument every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
"ill-defined problems....often on an arbitrary schedule" might be the most accurate and succinct description for the life of a professional programmer/developer I've ever read.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Cpa
