computer programmer salary

juanveron45

What is the general salary of a grad computer programmer after a 4 year degree, what does this salary get to after a number of years and what is the best area to branch into if contract work is what your interested in?relating to number of contract jobs avaliable and best money offered?

nesf

Honestly, it really depends on the area you are going into. The low twenties would be a good ballpark figure from what I've seen my friends earning over the past few years but how their wage progressed seemed to be very dependent on a) where they worked (Cork/Galway vs. Dublin) and b) the area they worked in (programmers vs. sys admins vs. networking).

ixoy

Speaking from folks I know, contract work can be pretty lucrative in the J2EE field. However, you'll want a minimum really of 2 years industry experience and have it backed up a certification if you want to be able to negotiate a good wage.
I'd also advise you know the latest technologies. From what I've heard, in the Java world that's currently the Hyberinate/Spring frameworks but that can easily change.

I'd agree with nesf on the starting salaries. You'll only get higher if you go for one of the bigger firms, although the rate of salary increase can be quite low after an initial decent starting wage (say high 20s to start).

comer_97

contracting straight out of college would not be easy to get into. It is quite common for sys admin roles though.

A dose of reality. college counts as no experience whatsoever, summer jobs do not normally count either. It's going to be tough to get a good position straight off. If you stick with emerging technologies you might get lucky but remember that if there is a new technology around you will have a lot of very experienced contractors willing to drop their rate to take roles which puts you on the back foot.

I remember going for roles just when interet rates were increasing a few years back and it was really difficult because lots of really experienced people who were contractors were going for permanent jobs for security.

My advice is, apply for everything computer related and getting a job is a great start, any programming related job will teach you so much more than college will.

I sound like a old man!

Raskolnikov

If you want to make decent money in IT you'll need at least a 2H1 (second best degree grade) in your degree. Most of the high-paying firms won't even look at you otherwise, infact, some firms won't look at you unless you have a 1H (the best degree grade). Not only that, but lots of companies discriminate against IT's. It's not my prejudice, but a university degree is generally more highly regarded than an Institute of Technology one. Not only that, but you'll need to be extremely socialable. Can you stand up and give a presentation infront of a room full of people? Can you work in a team? Can you express yourself eloquently in person and on the phone? Do you read up on the latest programming developments, are you interested in that? It sounds like crap (indeed, I used to think this while at uni) but the fact is, this sort of stuff is now the standard when a company recruits.

To some it all up. If you want to do well in IT, you need to be a computer nerd with a personality and business skills.

As for contracting? It's not that common in IT in Ireland anyway. The vat majority of people are full-time employees, so I wouldn't count on doing contracting. Having said that, it's possible but generally you'll have to be out working for at least 5 years so you can develop an area of expertise.

damnyanks

Best money offered is in the finance industry in the London or Soft dev roles in big softare companies in the US.

As for career progression and so on its always good to upskill. Development is a good starting point but long term unless you are very good or in a field with a low supply the salary wont be amazing.

Not really looked so much in Ireland - the only place I went for pays 30 - 33k a year for a graduate.

To put it short- if you are in it for the money you are in the wrong area.

Timmy_d

To some it all up. If you want to do well in IT, you need to be a computer nerd with a personality and business skills.

There are alot of non computer nerds that are doing well im sure...

BostonB

juanveron45 wrote:

What is the general salary of a grad computer programmer after a 4 year degree, what does this salary get to after a number of years and what is the best area to branch into if contract work is what your interested in?relating to number of contract jobs avaliable and best money offered?

Check out the CPL Salary guides as, well a guide...:)

As will any job, to get paid well you need to be professional and know what you are doing, and have some business skills. Thats not a nerd. So I dunno where thats comming from.

pwd

damnyanks wrote:

Best money offered is in the finance industry in the London or Soft dev roles in big softare companies in the US.

As for career progression and so on its always good to upskill. Development is a good starting point but long term unless you are very good or in a field with a low supply the salary wont be amazing.

Not really looked so much in Ireland - the only place I went for pays 30 - 33k a year for a graduate.

To put it short- if you are in it for the money you are in the wrong area.

If development is a good starting point, where should you go from there?

damnyanks

Well I'm no expert obviously

But...

Development - Analyst of sometype / Program manager / Tech project manager

You're still involved in the development process just not a code monkey. You have more say on how the project goes (but obviously customer has more). More responsability

Then a lot of the bigger companies have things like engineering / architecture which is a more technical area for senior people.

rick_fantastic

i know a lot of people who came out of IT hons degree who couldnt get a job. realistically with a 2.1 you can expect to earn between 25-28k a year starting.

i got a 2.2 degree and i started on 31k and have my mbs paid for which im doing at the moment. i had four years part time work experience as a helpdesk admin while i was in college. i started contracting with the company im with now the day i finished my exams on 160euro a day.

im doing jack of all trades IT stuff from programming to networking to helpdesk support to user training. working for a SMB with 150 users.

i am far from a computer nerd although i have good understanding of everything IT related.

try and get some relevant work experience while your in college to give yourself a better head start.

Timmy_d

i say fair play to rick fantastic,u see its people like this who want to get ahead and not sit on there arse after college that will reap the rewards,must get some tech support work for the summer months:D

damnyanks

SME's wont care about degree class, just how competent you are. Nearly all graduate programs wil require a 2.1