programming career == bad choice?

Well fuck me dead, I just got acepted into computing at Monash. This is good news, but it brings me up with a question. Would I be better off going into uni or staying at Tafe and finishing my Diploma and then go into uni?

 

Aren't you able to do both? I know I myself am interested in doing some sort of course at TAFE while still studying at uni. However, I'm doing it to diversify (ie. what I do at TAFE is not what I do at uni). Or even if it is the same field, it'd be piss easy to complete and I wouldn't lose much time, just a little money for another piece of paper to throw under my piles of garbage in my bedroom.

 

Software Engineering is more about the proper management of a group of computer scientists for the creation of quality software .

I started out at uni unsure whether to do Biomedical science or computer science. I got a scholarship to do Science/Engineering, so am doing Software eng combined with microbiology. I'm starting my 5th year of uni, and need to do 3 subjects to get a software eng degree, but the more I think about it the more I think that I'll go back next year to finish everything up and get the proper double degree, so that I've got something else.

For me, the only reason I got in to software development is because I liked computers, and would rather them do what I want, than thinking that it'd make me lots of money. If you're looking for money, study harder and become a lawyer, because you can lie a lot more and people can't see the fault in what you're doing, whereas a similar fault in a software area will lose you money.

As people have said, with a software dev job, it's not what you know but who you know. At the moment I don't know anyone who can give me a job, I'm trying to do as much as I can so that when it comes time for me to get a proper job, I'll have people knocking on my door (obviously I want to get in to the games industry). It's not what the number of people applying for uni spots, people applying for jobs etc, it's what you make of your position.

Which is the biggest point; 5 years ago people could get a job knowing what 'C' meant, but now the IT job market is just like any other. You have to know your stuff, and have to prove that you're better than the next Joe Blow. If you're capable, you'll get a $35K job. If you're an asset, you might get $60-70K. If you're a tie-in, you'll probably get $100K plus. Just like in any other industry.

Edit to finish my drunken ramblings: I know quite a few CS grads that can do 1/10th of the things that most of the people on this forum know, and SE students that know a similar amount... yet they still get cushy jobs because they keep their ears open. Now, I'm listening to them to see if I can get a job somehow.

 

The Tafe course is a full time course which I started last year. It wouldent be posible for me to do the Tafe course and the Uni course at the same time.

 

Oh, it's just that the TAFE course I was interested in had the option to do classes that started at 6PM.

 

Ahh I see. Well I think I'm going to put the Tafe course on hold for now. I can go back into the second year at any time I want. So if Uni turns out to hard I can always go back

 

Like a volkswagon? /mallrats reference

What you do at uni matters very little to the job/pay you get. Experience and contacts play a much larger part.

After working for a few years in the industry I've found it to be very rare to find a highly paid programmer. You have to be very very good at what you do / know someone to get well paid.

Positions that pay better are usually administrative ones that go to people that will know a fraction of those working under them but be good at managing people / infrastructure.

 

I'd like to get a good paying programming job and save all my cash so I can eventually setup my own development house. I want an interplay type thing with the motto "By gamers for gamers". Bassically everyone involved should be really passionate about what they are doing.

I'm not in it for the money, but a Ferrari Testarossa is on my list of goals

In todays market I'd be hunting to get a PlayStation game license. Those are bassically licenses to print money with the amount of PS2s out there already.

 

Good luck. At least you have some goals to strive for, you'll def need entrepreneurial skills.

I'm hoping to go through to uni with and decent uai to keep my options open. Maybe CS or Electrial Eng would be great but I am not too sure atm.

 

In Bris there are some tafe/uni courses in Software development which pratically guarantees the student access to 2nd yr bachelor of IT in uni after 2 years... (although you do have to complete the software development diploma at tafe first).

 

Thats the course that I have done down here in Melb. After I finished the Diploma I had the choice of a hole range of courses at difrent Uni's. But instead I have opted to jump straight to Uni after only doing the first year.

 

Hhhmmmm Thats funny most of the tutes and lectures I go to I don't have any idea what there talking about (lol as if I'd call them sir) because my university doesn't usually employ IT lectures/tutors that speak english.

 

I know how you feel. I had a hardware teacher that thought a PSU was a HDD after that I ended up teaching the class while she sat through class having a nap

 

Yeah, I don't care what other people feel about the lecturer, but don't stop other people from the possibility of understanding. If you don't want to listen, don't bother coming, it's a lot easier. I stopped going to my programming lectures because the dimwits who decided to make fun of the teacher kept asking how to do the assignments each week and the first hour was always spent helping the screw ups. Now IMO the lecturer was excellent.

However, I must say my database lecturer had the people skills of a cat. And really didn't have any business teaching databases. So I stopped showing up to that one aswell. Still, no reason to heckle the lecturer, it's university.

There are procedures that the poor quality of teaching can be relayed to management and suggestions be made, anonymously.

And PraiseB, that's rightly fucked up.

 

I thought crappy teachers were only in high school. I never thought uni would have crappy lecturerers and all. It seems uni isnt any different to normal shools

 

ROFL.... you'd be surprised... I just grad from Melb Uni and can think of only four kickass lecturers from my department off the top of my head... maybe one or two "okay" ones... and the rest...*shudders*

the thing is... teachers become teachers because they want to teach or they could get a better job...

lecturers HAVE to teach because they get to do their research inbetween classes and it is these moments that they live for...

 

IMO it got worse at university, whoever hires some of these lecturers must just look at there resumes and forget to talk to them in person to see if they have basic english skills.

 

i must admit i cant stand lecturers, and i dont think ive been to a lecture since 1st semester of 1st year. maybe one or two of the real good lecturers of kept my attendance up for but the rest... if there is help via a mailing list and the text is ok, stay away. even enroll externally and save on student services charges
same service for 1/4 the price. what a deal!

 

The IT industry is like any other, it will bounce back and there will be plenty of jobs again. Remember the 87 stock crash? Heaps of financial advisers, stock brokers etc lost their jobs, but look at how it went back to flying colours 2 years later.

I've been in the industry for 6 years and have been made redundant twice - no biggie, the payouts kick arse

There are way more programming jobs than others like Network/System admins. I'd stick with it, by the time you graduate the industry will have recovered and there will be jobs for all - just dont expect to get paid like people did 3-4 years ago.

 

I have been working in IT for more than 12 years. It was not trendy then, some people thought I was an idiot to work in a dead end field like IT. Suddenly IT becoming the trend and I was there to enjoy the ride. Now it is cooling down and don't bother me because this is the type of job I had chosen since the beginning.

So if you like programming keeps going. If you are taking programming as a get-rich-quick scheme, may I interest you with a 70-year old bridge or a sea-side development site for sale .