My Job as a: Software Engineer.

Creamy Goodness

Stumbled upon this forum a bit back and said, I must make a thread giving an insight to my job as a Software Engineer I wish there was a forum set up like this when I was doing my Leaving Certificate. So here I am.

Occupation: Graduate Software Engineer at one of Ireland's largest websites.

Qualifications Held: Leaving Certificate, Bsc. Computer Science.

Age: 23

College: Attended DIT Kevin Street, and studied Computer Science. 4 year course and covered basic computer science modules.

* Year 1: concepts of programming (using the C programming language), algorithms and algorithm design (algorithms are solutions to problems in case anyone doesn't know). databases, communications.

* Year 2: concepts of ObjectOriented Programming (most popular form of programming using C++ language), more database and database design, microprocessors design and programming, network structures, network programming, web development (html/php/mysql).

* Year 3: user interface programming (using java programming language), computer system administration, games programming, 6 month work placement.

* Year 4: component based development, advanced databases, systems programming (C programming, Perl etc.), advanced internet development.


Above is just a brief outline of the course i did, included are some of the main programming languages/concepts covered so people can google them and see their pro's and con's that really isn't for this thread.


Why Software Engineering?: Many people pick Computer Science on their CAO because they see "ohh it's got computers, I use the internet everyday", but in reality it's much much different. The drop out rate is high, that's not to say choosing this career path is a difficult one, it's not. It is one that is rewarding for the right individual.

I used to sit in class all day, thinking about how things work, what's behind a certain web site, when i click my mouse what exactly happens, how does a pc turn an mp3 file into sound that I can hear, how does it turn tiny pixels on and off so I see what I see. If you've thought anything remotely among them lines, then you will like this career.

How did I get the job?: It is difficult to get a job in this industry especially now a days. Companies are still hiring, there are plenty of jobs out there in Software Engineering but the problem lies in... it's an employers market. They choose who they pick they know that they need the best of the best, unlike a couple of years ago when all graduates walked into a job.

I don't mean this to scare you all, in fact as most of you are doing your leaving certificate let me remind you... in 4 years (when you graduate) things will be different than what they are now and that's what my experience is based on.

I was extremely lucky that I had a course that had a 6 month work placement. I believe this was one of the few factors that elevated me over other candidates for the job. So I encourage you to check your courses you applied for and make sure they offer a work placement module.

Day to day:
My day is split into 3 different parts:

1. fixing bugs / dealing with tickets.

these can be as simple as a mis-spelt word is noticed on one of the company's websites or be more difficult and challenging problems like changing how a user does a search for something.

2. work on up-and-coming projects.

Can't really say much more about this as it's quite obvious from the title. To think the computing world stands still is foolish, there is always something bigger, better, stronger, faster around the corner.

3. studying for certifications.


There are no set time table for these and I have to swap and switch between each one at the bat of an eyelid depending on how things crop up. e.g. a bug is found in the payments system is of higher priority than me studying for a certification etc. etc.

The languages/markups/tools I use in work include (but not limited to) are:
html, css, php, ajax, jQuery, mysql, json (again these are included so people can have a bit of a google around).


General Comments: There not much I can say here really than that I love my job, it's very challenging, it's not repetitive there's something new everyday and keeps me always on my toes and it is insanely rewarding. My employers treat me well by supplying a great working environment and are very generous. The nature of the industry is good in that everyone around you is willing to help on problems big and small.

That's pretty much all I can think of at the moment. Anybody has any questions please fire away and I'll try and answer them. If you have a question and wish not to post on the thread feel free to PM me the question and I'll answer your question that way.

yo!its_yoyo

Thank you for writing that!

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

I used to sit in class all day, thinking about how things work, what's behind a certain web site, when i click my mouse what exactly happens, how does a pc turn an mp3 file into sound that I can hear, how does it turn tiny pixels on and off so I see what I see. If you've thought anything remotely among them lines, then you will like this career.

That is excatly like me!
I have a few questions for you:
-Do you think that there are many opportunities for starting your own business?
-Does this degree put you at the top of the list when looking for a job, would it be seen as a better degree than other software courses?
-I think that most good paying computer/software jobs are in only dublin and cork. Am I right with this?
-I am not sure that I would like to do this course. Is there something I can try which would be related to it and I could see if I like it or not?

If you can answer those questions it would be fantastic! Thank you.

Creamy Goodness

yo!its_yoyo wrote: »

-Do you think that there are many opportunities for starting your own business?
-Does this degree put you at the top of the list when looking for a job, would it be seen as a better degree than other software courses?
-I think that most good paying computer/software jobs are in only dublin and cork. Am I right with this?
-I am not sure that I would like to do this course. Is there something I can try which would be related to it and I could see if I like it or not?

If you can answer those questions it would be fantastic! Thank you.

- Yes, providing you have the will and determination or the right idea at the right time. Two examples: 1. one guy in my class has already started his own business (started it in 3rd year of college) and now has too much work he's starting to hire people to work for him. 2. the company i work for was started by two brothers who had a great idea at the right time, they are both still involved in the company and one of them still is a programmer.

- I wouldn't say it would put you at the top of the list per se, the likes of other international colleges like MIT (in boston) but as Irish colleges go, due to the work placement companies tend to favour courses that include work placement than courses that don't.

- pay is good in dublin and cork, it's also good in limerick and donegal. the main points here i'm trying to get at is 1. money will always be proportional to where you're based. dublin the most expensive city in ireland...so more pay. donegal is cheaper to live in... so less pay. that of course is generally speaking.

- there are plenty of things you can try. try building a website, it's a fun thing to do and you get results. start off here www.w3schools.com and take it from there.

anymore questions or if the answers i supplied provoke more questions then fire away

IslandFella

I have a BSc and MSc in Software Development. I am also a Microsoft Certified Software Developer with 6 years industry experience.

Let me begin by saying 'I like computers'. I always have done. Working in the computers has nothing to do with liking computers, but it does help.

The work is stressful. There are always deadlines and you learn very early on that you will never know everything you need to know. Google is a special friend that I visit very often.
Dont be under the illusion that developing software is fun. It takes a lot of dedication and a high technical ability to excel in this industry. If you are not prepared to put in the work, you will quickly burn out and leave the industry.

Many of my colleagues have already left and its something I'm considering too. Life is too short to be padlocked to at least one PC, attending meetings with customers and management, ongoing technical reviews, constant upskilling... and the list goes on. Employers just care about the work coming in the door and going out as quick.

Also, if you really want to learn computers and have a hunge interest in them, dont bother with a computer BSc. Learn about them through books and the web. Do your BSc in something else. Keep your options open. Software employers look for 'what you know and can apply', not what you covered in college. Most of what I learned in my BSc and MSc was down to common sense and bloated repitition.

But thats just my experience. Having said all the above, I know people who wont do anything else. They are walking computers and are proud of it.
Follow your own path. Listen to all advice, good and bad. Weigh it up and make your own decision. Good luck!

yo!its_yoyo

Thanks for answering my questions.
If a person does computer science, is programming basically the only thing they will be doing in a job after it?
In your course was there a lot of programming/variety?
Thanks!

Placebo

You seem to be working as a web developer and not a software engineer ?
:rolleyes:

DublinWriter

So what's the difference between a computer programmer and a software engineer?

deep1

DublinWriter wrote: »

So what's the difference between a computer programmer and a software engineer?

Computer programmer will be guys who does the most coding, for example look the apps be it a computer, mobile etc. ( Java , c, c++ etc)

Software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software, like system analyst (Look SDLC for more info)

Lumen

"Software Engineer" is just what pretentious Computer Programmers call themselves. :pac:

Thought I'd chip in with a different perspective as I've been at this a bit longer.

I'm now 35. Career summary: born in UK, BSc Computer Science at Bristol, couple of low level IT jobs to get going then some consulting with IBM. Left to take contract programming positions in UK government, then set up my own small software services company in Dublin focused on public sector IT.

Good things: technology forever changing, but principles stay the same. So your underlying savvyness increases, though you have to keep up to date. The money can be excellent if you get lucky and have a bit of talent (I was earning what some might consider proper "sports cars, coke and hookers" money in London for a number of years).

Bad things: poor professional status for the job itself. There isn't really a well established career path for a software engineer, other than becoming something else. There is only so far you can go "solo" before the pressure to manage people becomes irresistable, because your lines of code or hours of consulting can only be so valuable. In IT, experience is cancelled out by crustiness - people in their 40s and 50s really have to fight to assert their status, because all the younguns think every new generation of technology fundamentally changes the game (it doesn't, they're still just 1s and 0s). I have worked with people in their 50s who are respected and still having fun at the coal face, but there aren't that many. They generally migrate out to non-technical roles. Do you really want to spent the second half of your career in sales or middle management? I realise these are difficult consideratons for a leaving cert student, but you will age eventually.

Communication skills are valuable but not essential. If you can write good code, communicate well in writing, and articulate yourself well in person you can be more widely useful and have greater opportunities. On the flipside, I've worked with engineers who are dyslexic or autistic and they've managed to do quite well.

Other things: there are many, many people involved with IT who really have no deep understanding at all. I have supported many web developers who don't even understand the basic protocol of an HTTP request, and many "technical" project managers who wouldn't be able to program a VCR (sorry, can't think of a contemporary equivalent). Working with underqualified chancers is a key part of the job.

So a bit of a mixed bag. I've done quite well out of IT so far, but I wish I'd done medicine or law instead. At least then I wouldn't have to keep re-explaining to my mother what I do for a living.

DublinWriter

Lumen wrote: »

Communication skills are valuable but not essential.

Sorry, but communication skills are the be-all and end-all of any career.

A lot of the younger types I see coming into IT now I'd describe as being borderline Asbergers. They think a primary degree and a couple of multiple choice industry-certification exams will give them the keys to the kingdom.

On the other end of the scale, most of the older middle/senior IT management people I encounter are complete ex-programming burn-out cases and are living exemplars of the Peter Principle.

Lumen

DublinWriter wrote: »

Sorry, but communication skills are the be-all and end-all of any career.

You obviously haven't spent much time in IBM.

DublinWriter

Lumen wrote: »

You obviously haven't spent much time in IBM.

No, thank f*ck.

Lumen

DublinWriter wrote: »

No, thank f*ck.

Seriously, there are loads of jobs where poor communication skills are no biggie. Stephen Hawking manages quite well.

Obviously if your career path involves managing people (as it often does in IT, if you're interested purely in money) you need to be able to communicate with them, but I have worked with a few very well paid senior technical people who are a bit weird and have to be kept away from customers.

I guess what I'm saying is that the IT industry has learned to deal with people who struggle to communicate, because you can be very useful just by writing excellent code.

Foxx92

Very interesting thread.

I've placed Computer science and IT in NUIG as my number 1 on my CAO. Just have a few questions.
Every college says how IT is not as affected by the downturn compared to other sectors, how true is this?
A career writing codes and sitting infront of a screen all day...how repeatative and boring is it?
I've also placed Management science and information systems studies (MSISS), as my no.2. How would people in either IT/Business sectors view this course(Not indepth enough in computing etc.)?

Thanks,

Lumen

Foxx92 wrote: »

Every college says how IT is not as affected by the downturn compared to other sectors, how true is this?

It varies greatly from business to business, depending on who the customers are and what the financing model is. Better to ask a recuitment consultant.

Foxx92 wrote: »

A career writing codes and sitting infront of a screen all day...how repeatative and boring is it?

Depends how much you love the thing. I was programming from my early teens. I've lost a bit of the love, but it still pleases me to build nice things. It's like doing lego in your head. As far as office based jobs go, I'd rate it pretty high.

Foxx92 wrote: »

I've also placed Management science and information systems studies (MSISS), as my no.2. How would people in either IT/Business sectors view this course(Not indepth enough in computing etc.)?

It depends entirely on what job you're applying for. Sounds a bit wishy washy. In general you're safer going more technical than less so with your education.

Foxx92

Lumen wrote: »

Depends how much you love the thing. I was programming from my early teens. I've lost a bit of the love, but it still pleases me to build nice things. It's like doing lego in your head. As far as office based jobs go, I'd rate it pretty high.

Have always had an interest in computers and how they work,like what happens evertime you press a key or click a mouse, it's whats always had me leaning towards a course that includes computer science. Spent a couple of hours over the last weeks on w3schools.com, just trying to get a jist of what I'll be doing for the next years and found it enjoyable,like you said like a lego puzzle.

Lumen wrote: »

It depends entirely on what job you're applying for. Sounds a bit wishy washy. In general you're safer going more technical than less so with your education

That was my worry about the course, not specialising.

Pygmalion

Am I right in thinking that I won't be able to get a job even slightly related to programming until either I get a degree or finish the work placement part of it (3rd year)?
It seems that any jobs even remotely related are all full-time (which is out of the question for someone in university obviously) and require a degree and past experience (working experience).

Lumen

Pygmalion wrote: »

Am I right in thinking that I won't be able to get a job even slightly related to programming until either I get a degree or finish the work placement part of it (3rd year)? It seems that any jobs even remotely related are all full-time (which is out of the question for someone in university obviously) and require a degree and past experience (working experience).

Not sure. TBH I really don't rate job experience that highly. It tends to make us more useful, particularly those of us within limited talent, and is clearly a differentiator when sifting CVs, but ultimately programming is programming, and it is perfectly possible for someone with sufficient brains and application to study a programming language, read a couple of best practice books and be genuinely useful on a software project, even on a part time basis.

The problem for employers is finding these people and (presumably) convincing them that they really don't need to work for Google.

Recruiting programmers can be really difficult and frustrating for both sides. It isn't helped by the hordes of completely clueless "recruitment consultants".