New degree, now how do I build a software career?

[nethervoid]

I've got a couple of years experience in vb 6, and just recently attained my 4 year in CIS.

How do I go about a career in software? I've already decided to take up C and ASP. That should help tremendously, but my real fear is that there isn't a large enough US software job market.

Is a career in software viable? If so, how best should I go about building one?

[RoD]

Your college didnt help you with any of this?? Thats a ........ty place right there.

[nethervoid]

LOL Nope. The C class was cancelled every time I tried to take it due to lack of interest, and their idea of career building/job search is to host a seminar on how to post your resume on the internet. I guess they didn't know I was a friggin computer major.

I definitely need to find a mentor. Now if I could find out how to go about finding one. lol

[RoD]

People like Ober, Adrian, Fordy, Govt, are all working in fields they took study in. Theres more but they dont come to mind right now.

[InvariantLoop]

From a previous post here in the forums. http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/CollegeAdvice.html

Thats your mentor right there.

[ober]

You apparently ...... let me take that back. Depending on where you live and what your skillset is, there are literally hundreds or thousands of software-related jobs out there. Making a career out of it is dependent on what you do with yourself.

Granted, having no C/C++ background will limit you, as not a lot of companies are looking for VB developers, but there are other things you could branch into. Your best personal asset you should be gaining in the mean time should be SQL and database knowledge. A lot of companies want people that know databases and how to write programs or scripts that do a lot of work fast.

Your next step is to get yourself into a job that will allow you to expand on that. Make sure you find a job that will pay for classes you can take, and make sure you take advantage of that. I work for a company that does that, but I have yet to do anything with it, mainly because there aren't many classes offered that are close to me that would be very beneficial to me.

Another thing you might consider is getting some certifications. Another giant sector of the market is network programming/planning. Network engineers are in high demand, and if I didn't hate that kind of work, I'd honestly think about going back to school to get another degree in that.

Ahh... the possibilities are endless. You just have to get your foot in the door somewhere and build on it.

[nethervoid]

Cool. I'll go read that article.

Also, I'm going to try a local visual studio club I found. I hope that will help. I think networking with other programmers will be beneficial.

[nethervoid]

Very good read.

I've got a lot of business writing under my belt, so that part of it won't be a problem. A problem is that I need to do more programming. I'm starting a solutions company on the side. That would be a great start.

Still, I need to find a job now. I was layed off three weeks ago (I've been looking and sending resumes since then). I'll be working on C, etc, while I look for a business analyst job (have 6 yrs experience in bus anlyst).

Any other suggestions? What's a great book to learn C from? I like the Que books, but I don't think I found a good one on C?