Are you a computer programmer? Can you answer these questions?

Question

i really need this for my grade in school... please help me!!!

1. What are your primary responsibilities?

2. How have you prepared yourself for your profession?

3. What has been the most influential/significant experience you have encountered on the job?

4. What are some rewards of your profession?

5.how long have you worked professionally as a
computer programmer?

6. how do changes in technology affect your career?

7. What is the average salary your job offers?

8. What are its advantages?

9. Disadvantages?


10. What can you tell to the people who are interested in getting the same job as you do?

11. What are the qualities one must have to be able to cope up with the demands of your work?

12. What other things do you do to improve your performance in your career?

Thank you so much!!!! I really appreciate it.

Answer 1

1. What are your primary responsibilities?

Writing program "code" is actually a very small part of my job. A lot of time is spent meeting with clients to assess their needs and designing systems to meet those needs.

I work for a small business, so I'm also in charge of keeping our systems secure and I do half of the system administration duties (keeping the servers up & running).

2. How have you prepared yourself for your profession?

I've been programming computers since I was 7 years old, so I've built up a lot of experience and understanding of how computers work. I'd pick up books about programming when I was in junior high and high school and try to learn new languages on my own.

I have a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and I'm certified by Sun Microsystems as a Java programmer. Both of those took a lot of discipline and studying.

3. What has been the most influential/significant experience you have encountered on the job?

I used to carry a support pager and had to respond to problems at any hour of the night (usually between 2am-4am). Nobody likes to be woken up at that hour because of something at work. I learned a lot about dealing with grumpy people and getting them to work together. I also learned how to get managers to understand why testing our software is so important, because if the program has a problem at 3am, THEY get woken up too!

4. What are some rewards of your profession?

The money is usually good, and tech companies usually offer lots of perks like flexible work hours and free food. Mostly, I like the feeling of creating something that other people will use. I like the idea that something I made will make someone else's life easier & more productive. I've also had the opportunity to work with some really smart & creative people.

5.how long have you worked professionally as a
computer programmer?

I've been a programmer for seven and a half years. I worked at a help desk (support) for two years before that.

6. how do changes in technology affect your career?

I have to stay on top of changes on my own, because my employers usually wont pay for me to get training. If I don't keep my skills up to date, I'll have a hard time getting a job because employers are usually only looking for people with experience using the latest technologies.

My first programming job was with an old, old (1960s) database system called Pick. Last year, I was still interviewing for jobs and getting turned away because most of my work experience was with that outdated system and I didn't have much professional experience with modern systems. But, I did have experience from things I worked on in my spare time, and was able to use those projects to get me new jobs working with new technologies.

7. What is the average salary your job offers?

It varies by area. Here in Chicago it's around $70,000-$80,000/yr.

8. What are its advantages?

I get to work with a lot of cool technologies and interesting people.

9. Disadvantages?

It's hard to get started in a programming career...everybody's looking for someone with experience. It also takes a lot of work to keep up-to-date with technology.

10. What can you tell to the people who are interested in getting the same job as you do?

Never stop being curious. Never stop asking "how does this work"? In college, take business courses along with your computer science courses to get a good idea of what goes on outside the IT department. Join clubs and get used to dealing with other people who might not be as rational as a computer, but still have valid feelings you have to take into account.

11. What are the qualities one must have to be able to cope up with the demands of your work?

A good programmer needs patience for working with others and working through problems, and maturity to deal with difficult people in a professional manner. It also takes strength to keep bosses from walking all over you with demands for overtime and last minute changes to a project.

On the technical side of things, it helps to be curious and observant. Sometimes one letter in a thousand lines of code makes the difference between a program that works and one that doesn't, and it might be your job to find it.

12. What other things do you do to improve your performance in your career?

I listen to podcasts like the ones from I.T. Conversations with leaders in the tech field discussing the latest trends and technologies. I read books...not just "how to" books on different languages, but books on concepts & techniques that interest me like "The Long Tail" or "Ship It!". I read blogs from other developers about experiences they're having and projects they're working on. And, lastly, I turn the computer off and let my mind focus on other things so I'm not sick of staring at a screen when that big emergency call comes in the middle of the night!

And on that note, I'm going to turn this computer off...and go to bed! Happy New Year!

Answer 2

Any University who has a Computer Science or Computer Engineering department. You need a 4yr Bachelor's Degree in CS or CE to work professionally as a programmer. (usually) The average Software Developer salary is close to $70,000/yr. I haven't seen any statistics on the average Junior Software Developer salary, but from what I've seen my friends who've graduated, start at has been anywhere from $45,000/yr to $55,000/yr. Also, being good at computers is absolutely not enough. You must be good at Math. Writing code is easy and you could teach a monkey to code, which is why those people who only understand code are nicknamed "Code Monkeys". Most of jobs that only require this are outsourced to other countries and there really aren't that many of them being outsourced. Companies want to hire Programmers, not Code Monkeys. Actually, being good at computers is almost irrelevant to student starting in Computer Science or Computer Engineering. Although, the love for computers and the desire to learn about them, sure does help out immensely.