Jobs for Non programmers in IT

Systems Administration
Network Engineering
Quality Assurance

Smoggy wrote: »

Automation eng.

That will have to include some programming or scripting.

Sparks wrote: »

That first one needs to be able to program (just because it's perl, python and shell scripts doesn't mean it's not programming); that last one, well, that's just made up. Seriously, never met one who had a job I'd call both real and distinct enough to warrant a different name.

And that middle one? A project manager who's never programmed? That's the source of much of the evil-minded bureaucratic buffoonery that turns our working lives into the plot for every Dilbert cartoon documentary ever.

Are there jobs you can do in IT without any programming experience? Yes. Are there jobs you can do well, without making everyone else's lives that little bit harder? Not so much really.

There are some Sys Admin roles that don't need scripting. Like your point about project managers, they could be done better with scripting, but arent. My girlfriend was a Sys Admin for a major corporation and she didn't do any scripting in her time there.

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

I don't think there has ever been a software architect that didn't once program.

Like a lot of threads on Boards, I suppose we have to define programming. Hello world in college shouldn't count.

I`m doomed.

Actually, I`ve only had about 4 months programming experience.. compared to, what, 3 or 4 years for undergraduates?

I might not have a natural ability for it but maybe I can learn enough to get by in other roles.

I hear scripting languages been mentioned alot.

What do you want to do? Do not, I repeat do not get into IT for a career if you are not passionate about at least some part or aspect of it(aside from the salary). It is a thankless, stressful, under-respected, under-paid field.

PC repair doesn't require programming, though it does get repetitive pretty quick and is very low paid.

We will be looking at php soon - this is scripting?

Programming usually refers to compiled languages, as in languages which are compiled into binary. The development process goes like this: write code, compile(and link), execute. Everytime you make a change, you have to recompile the code to get the new binary.

PHP, along with Perl and many others, is an interpreted(scripting) language. You write human readbale text, and it is interpreted by the interpreter and converted into binary by the interpreter and executed. One advantage of scripting languages is that the development process is quicker, you dont need to wait for it to be compiled, also, things like memory management and data types, are handled by the interpreter, so it can be easier to get started with.

I wouldnt worry. too much. If you have not touched scripting languages yet, then you have a long or short road ahead. Having spent 3 months learning C, I learnt Perl in an afternoon, and it was my crutch for a very long time. Then I learnt Python.

Woofstuff wrote: »

What kind of Jobs for Non-programmers are available in IT?

Depends on whether you mean a non-programmer in the sense that their job no longer involves programming or it never involved programming. If the latter, that narrows your field substantially as many non-programming roles (e.g. project manager) involve a prior knowledge in programming, and even where not, programming experience is pretty essential if you want to progress beyond entry level (e.g. IT support).

However some exist; generally when design or pure business related - online marketing/relationships management is one that comes to mind.

Sparks wrote: »

That first one needs to be able to program (just because it's perl, python and shell scripts doesn't mean it's not programming); that last one, well, that's just made up. Seriously, never met one who had a job I'd call both real and distinct enough to warrant a different name.

While I'd agree that a BA (or requirements analyst) still requires a background in development, they do exist as both real and distinct in many of the larger companies.

Sparks wrote: »

That doesn't mean that a project manager has to be a programmer on a daily basis - just that a project manager who tries to manage a project without ever having actually done a project themselves.... tends to be a complete and utter pain in the fundament to work with.

Indeed, they're the ones who are convinced that nine women can have a baby in one month.

syklops wrote: »

I feel the same way about software architects and a lot of Directors of IT. They did a degree in Information Technology 10 years ago, and most of their career working in an office and were called the IT guy because they knew how to change the ink cartridges in the printer. Then they get a job as Director of IT or Software Architect, in some company and their subordinates carry them.

What you're describing is not a CTO (or Directors of IT or whatever), but a CTO who is also acting as a project manager and potentially a team lead. A pure CTO should not be directly involved with the details of a project (that's the PM's role) or deciding how long a piece of functionality will take to code up (that's negotiated between the team lead and the PM, the former of which will negotiate with his/her team).

Instead, a CTO has more of a strategy/business role and doesn't need to be an expert on the specific technology used, just an expert in technology overall. Nonetheless, they still need to be an expert in the same area of technology; a CTO with a background in Website development is of limited value if they're expected to steer the IT roadmap of a mobile apps company.

However, especially in smaller companies, where the CTO ends up wearing multiple hats, they should be at the very least competent in the technology used and able to negotiate schedules with the programming team, if necessary. Naturally this often doesn't happen, because the wrong people are hired or promoted into such roles, as those hiring them fail to understand what is required.

Added to this is the practice of job title inflation, which is all too commonplace in smaller companies, as it is often cheaper to give someone a nicer title than a pay raise, which also leads to the Peter principle being triggered.

Dermot Illogical wrote: »

DBA

TBH, I don't think one would get very far as a DBA if they can't program SQL scripts.

Woofstuff wrote: »

Well I got a top grade for my SQL module.

But it seemed a lot easier than c/c++ but maybe that was just the module itself,

Depends on what's taught - often it's pretty basic, going no further than slightly more complex SELECTs, UPDATEs or INSERTs, but that's about it. Many don't touch on conditionals, variables, constants, loops and other more complex operations, let alone the more advanced stuff which is specific to the flavour of SQL you're working with, such as TSQL or pl/SQL.

I don't think I've ever known a competent DBA who could not code fairly complex stuff in SQL; it's kind of essential for some areas of database administration - unless you want to administer 1m+ records by hand.

imitation wrote: »

In my experience, IT support departments in non IT companies there isn't a huge level of programming proficiency in the staffers (apart from SQL, small scripts etc), maybe 10-20% would have the skills ? I would argue its certainly not required (or economical !) for everyone to be proficient at it. If things are working correctly the non coders should actually be making the coders life easier, instead of having to answer 16 calls from users, write up manuals etc .

Yes, but then what you're really talking about are entry level or junior roles. Unless you can segway into management from there, your options for career advancement are pretty limited, which is not really the best direction to be sending the OP.