Thread: Job Fields for C++? What Courses?

I understand this, but then it IS the fault of the companies themselves; if they weren't out for cheap workers, there would be no problem. Of course, you can't blame them for wanting to cut costs.. so really, who IS to blame? Nobody

Oh and hunter2, i disagree with you there lol. If you wanna go deep into this then yes i do blame the companies, but i also blame the consumers (ie me, and everyone i know). because if it wasent for our jobs getting taken over sea's to people who are willing, or just cant get the companies to cough up the money, to work for so cheap, id have to pay more to get some stupid little object i dont need lol. Now if only billgates could figure a way to bring Windows OS price down to 50$. Oh well :/

While that's true, it isn't guaranteed. For example, I've done all my learning from the internet (mostly) and from books (to a much lesser extent); and I consider myself more proficient with C++ than some CS students. The problem is, I know very little about data structures and algorithms, i.e. the various trees and how to manipulate them, quicksort, binary sorts, encryption. And, until a little while ago, I had no idea what a binary tree was. While I'd used the containers in the STL for some time, I had no idea how they worked, and didn't understand when they should be used, or why. I just used vectors for everything, because they looked like the more familiar arrays. And I never used maps, because they were just one of those 'other' containers. While I've improved dramatically by now, there are still plenty of things that I'll never bother learning unless I am forced to do so in a class, things that are undoubtedly important if I want to get a job.

Exactly, learning c++ is easy, specially with a good book(s). Algorithms, and things along that line of thinking, for me atleast, id much much much prefer, and it would be much more efficient, to learn from a live person, or a teacher. heh

Of course you can, but then you'd need even more skills and knowledge than what you'd need for a simple cubicle job at a big corporation. And, of course, most people won't have that knowledge unless they learn it at university/college, unless they have incredible willpower and perseverance

lol (+4 chars)

Most ads for programmers (or “software engineers”) will say “BSCS or equivalent required”. (BSCS = Batchelor of Science in Computer Science.) Even if the ad doesn’t say that, if the person screening the resumes doesn't see a degree mentioned, he/she will probably toss it into the “no” pile without reading the whole thing. It is VERY difficult to get a job if you can’t even get-in for an interview! This wouldn’t be so bad if the high-tech industry was more stable… if you only had to find a job once… But, most of us in high-tech, have had to go look for a new job every few years.

It’s not impossible without a degree. I work with a programmer now, who does not have a degree… I don’t think he has a high school diploma. This is VERY RARE. He’s a good programmer and a very bright dude, and he would probably be working somewhere else for two or three times the dough if he did have the degree. (And, I believe he has earned a salary of more than $100K in the past.)

Many programmers have degrees in other fields. I have a programmer-friend who has a math degree, and another with a degree in physics.

...that might be more expensive... for money reasons too...

State universities are usually quite reasonable. It will cost you more to live (rent, food, etc.) than tuition and books. Washington State University costs about $6000 a year. San Jose State costs about half that (for California residents.). That’s not alot, when you consider how much more income the average CS graduate makes compared to the typical high school graduate.

It can be difficult if you have to support yourself AND pay for you own education. Only the brightest individuals are able to work full-time and attend college full-time. Of course, there are student loans and financial aid available. Most students work part-time (if only a few hours), and most students get some financial aid and/or student loans. Some students work full-time and go to school part-time. I did that when I went back to get an MBA, and my sister is doing it now. Of course, it takes for-freeking-ever to graduate. I think, some (private?) universities do not allow part-time students.

...to see what i can get into...

To get into any university, you’ll need above average grades and above-average SATs …unless you want to major in Sociology, Education, or Journalism. If you want to attend Stanford, MIT, or Cal Tech, you need the best grades in town, and the richest parents in town.

I’m not sure how to research a school’s reputation, but I would want to know that the graduates were in high-demand… that they are finding it easy to get a job in the field. We can’t all go to Berkeley or Dartmouth, but we CAN avoid the little private for-profit “trade-schools” if they can’t prove that their graduates are getting jobs!!!

Anything a little more starter friendly?

Community colleges can be great, especially if you want to transfer to a university later. You have a good chance of getting an instructor who has a “day job” as a real programmer! If you do this, make sure to work closely with your counseler to make sure that you take classes that will transfer. Lots of students transfer to a 4-year college after 2 years of community college, only to find that they still have 3 years left!

Very helpful DougDBug (btw your name returns a runtime error in my brain...),

Well why you may not be able to goto Berkeley at least you can watch some of their computer classes on webast

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What really was funny was one of the webcasts talking about how it is more important to able to look up the information then it was to memorize all the functions and what they do? Sounds like pretty much what I have been doing all along anyway. I think that it is more work to study on your own because:
1. They have a map already layed out as far as what needs to be learned where if you study on your own you have to figure it out as you go or if your like me I just looked up their course descriptions and copied their map. Sometimes you don't really know what to study next.

2. You have someone that already knows (or at least should know) what they are doing and how to answer any questions you may have which saves you hours of experimenting on your own but where is the fun in that? But then again everyone on here is so helpful answering questions better probably then some professors. In fact I hear some professors refer students to message boards to get help since they are busy working on their own projects and have too many students to keep track of.

3. You have to be self disciplined. That in itself is hard with all the distractions of tv, movies, games, games, World of Warcraft, Everquest, all the important stuff that drags you away from your studies. Of course that happens to students as well so that is a toss up.

I think they should take that into account on a resume. Most of the time they are looking for a self motivated individual that likes to learn on their own anyway. What better proof could you have of that?

One of the many great quotes from my high-school computer science teacher (who, unlike many, is really a brilliant man and a great teacher): "Guys, guys! You can teach a monkey to program, but you can't teach a monkey computer science!"

At any rate, you may find this link useful: MIT OpenCourseWare

In reply to manofsteel972;

1. Ya, however that is one thing i find about books being a great help, teaching books, as apposed to more of refrence books, are very very good for this. If it wasent for my main book (a teach yourself line, 21 days), id be still mega lost. Although one great thing about people is they explain it a bit better than forums can, for me personally. Or i should say the interaction helps more, specially when you are hopelessly lost lol.