Resume Advice Thread - February 24, 2018 CS Career Questions |
- Resume Advice Thread - February 24, 2018
- Daily Chat Thread - February 24, 2018
- If StackOverflow went down permanently, how long would you last in software development?
- Do you find it disturbing that all that code, all those late nights, all that lost youth is thrown away when a startup fails?
- I need some help finding an entry level developer job.
- Do you guys suffer from any physical problems? Any postural issues that I should be concerned about?
- Senior engineers, how do you hit the ground running in a new job?
- Is it worth it to travel to another city if I have no intention of relocating there?
- What do you enjoy about this sub?
- 48k a year "Junior Test Engineer" or keep looking?
- What route can an introvert who just wants to punch a clock and perform tasks take?
- Good places to offer up so probono work
- How to quit a job?
- Internships: Too late to apply in March?
- Big corp vs Startup if your end goal is to work for yourself?
- How often do you refer to system design diagrams when programming?
- I don't write code- so what AM I?
- I need help finding an overseas internship as an undergraduate
- Disillusioned about Silicon Valley before even starting.
- How to evaluate job offers?
- Toxic leadership harming company... go to higher ups, or just take off?
- New CS grad looking for my first "real" job.
- Currently working in QA, looking into making a transition into a developer. Is this plausible?
- San Jose Salary: Associate Product / Offering Manager
- Tying compensation to the success of a project?
- Question about choosing a college for computer science.
- Is this internship a mistake?
| Resume Advice Thread - February 24, 2018 Posted: 23 Feb 2018 11:07 PM PST Please use this thread to ask for resume advice and critiques. You should read our Resume FAQ and implement any changes from that before you ask for more advice. Abide by the rules, don't be a jerk. This thread is posted each Tuesday and Saturday at midnight PST. Previous Resume Advice Threads can be found here. [link] [comments]  |
| Daily Chat Thread - February 24, 2018 Posted: 23 Feb 2018 11:07 PM PST Please use this thread to chat, have casual discussions, and ask casual questions. Moderation will be light, but don't be a jerk. This thread is posted every day at midnight PST. Previous Daily Chat Threads can be found here. [link] [comments]  |
| If StackOverflow went down permanently, how long would you last in software development? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 04:49 AM PST |
| Posted: 24 Feb 2018 02:45 PM PST I've met people who ruined their relationships, ruined their health, wrote great code, put in tons of unpaid overtime and missed crucial time with friends and family only to have the startup fail or the big company close down their project or division. The code is thrown away, gone, forgotten. All those arguments, all those deadlines, all those features, all those firings/layoffs, all those personal and political battles that were passionately won and lost seem pointless in retrospect. It's very disturbing to me. [link] [comments]  |
| I need some help finding an entry level developer job. Posted: 24 Feb 2018 06:02 PM PST Hi there- I recently graduated from Penn State with a degree in computer science and a minor in math. It has been about two months since I graduated, and I still haven't been able to find a full-time gig. I am worried about making payments on my student loans (both private and federal), so I would like to land a job ASAP. I started applying to jobs in late September 2017. Since then, I have applied to 70+ jobs. In a few cases, I have been close to landing an offer, but I have ultimately been unsuccessful thus far. I'm hoping to find a job within the greater Baltimore area so that I can continue living at home for some time. Like I said, I have a lot of student loans so this aspect is pretty important to me (I would be open to working remotely, but am not sure the best way to go about finding a remote position). Also, while I was in school, I did not study cyber security or web development. This is something that I deeply regret because I realize now that these areas are in such high demand. Most of my experience is in C++, but I have some experience in other languages such as Swift, Python, Java, PowerShell, etc. I have a few personal projects on my resume, along with several technical internships. I am extremely stressed because my parents are constantly berating me about finding a job. I worked very hard to get my degree, and I am unhappy to say that I feel like it wasn't worth it. I struggled through some of my tougher CS courses because I believed that I was earning a very valuable degree. Now that I've graduated, I feel that most companies are looking for engineers who possess very specific skillsets. On top of that, I don't know which technologies to learn because it seems that each company wants a developer who is familiar with their specific legacy technology. Right now, I regret studying computer science, and wish that I studied something less challenging. I am getting desperate and I have started to look for any full-time job, even if it's not a technical position. I'm just not sure how to spend my time, and I really need to get a job soon. I fear that becoming an expert in something (web development, machine learning, data science) may take a decent amount of time, and that even if I were successful in learning a new technology, I still wouldn't be qualified for those jobs for another month or so. Please, any advice is appreciated. Edit: Anonymized Resume [link] [comments]  |
| Do you guys suffer from any physical problems? Any postural issues that I should be concerned about? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 08:02 AM PST I already have internally rotated shoulders from sitting. I feel like as a programmer, I might make this worse. Any other physical or postural problems that might arise from sitting too much as a programmer that you have experienced? Any suggestions? Standing desks? 5 minute breaks ? [link] [comments]  |
| Senior engineers, how do you hit the ground running in a new job? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 08:29 AM PST It's always strange going from a job where you knew a lot (maybe all of your codebase) and were delivering complex pieces of functionality to a new gig where everything is new. How do you manage the expectations to get up to speed and deliver, and the discomfort of going from guru to noob? [link] [comments]  |
| Is it worth it to travel to another city if I have no intention of relocating there? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 05:17 PM PST I applied to a job that I thought was in one city. It turns out they're going to consider me only for another city. That city has limited jobs and it'd be a pain to move in one year if I relocated there. Could there be any advantage to taking that interview since I'd have to travel to another city to interview. That company is headquartered in the city I want to move to but I don't feel it's a good option to move to another city with the hope of being able to transfer to their headquarters. Would it be a mistake to ask how long I would have to work in that city before I could try transferring? I feel that I shouldn't really relocate to a city with the promise of being able to relocate to another city after a certain amount of time because there's no guarantee they would keep their word. [link] [comments]  |
| What do you enjoy about this sub? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 05:16 PM PST This question is for everyone, but geared more towards the more frequent contributors and advice givers. [link] [comments]  |
| 48k a year "Junior Test Engineer" or keep looking? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 06:31 PM PST Story:So I am a recent Cal Poly (B.S. Computer engineering) grad and have been looking to find a job in San Diego county. I sent out my resume a little over a week ago to about 6 positions in the SD area and was lucky enough to hear back for 3 of the positions, 2 positions being in the same company. The first company (Company A) I heard back from was very quick to respond, calling me back the next day(Friday) and scheduling a phone screen for Tuesday (Monday was a holiday). After the phone screen, they then wanted to have an in person interview the next day again but due to me not being in SD at the time we scheduled it for Friday. On my 6 hour drive down to SD for the interview, I got 2 more calls from 2 teams of another company (Company B), both wanting to have a hiring manager interview me over the phone. Times were then set for the following Tuesday and Wednesday. My interview with Company A was pretty easy and went well, the interviewers seemed genuinely impressed. They then sent an offer the same day via email for $48k "Junior Test Engineer" (Which is actually high based on their glassdoor salaries for the position) with meh benefits and need an answer ASAP for I am suppose to start in 3 days. Dilema: Should I take a sure thing with company A ($48K)? From all my research, their offer is far below market value even for entry level engineers. I know Company B pays much better (about $37 an hour or $77k a year) and the position is more inline with my interests (Associate Software Developer). I also have various other positions that I have yet to hear back from or have not sent my resume to yet. I'm in no dire need of money now and have no issue waiting, but i guess im just afraid that i wont get any offers in the future better than Company A and I will be kicking myself for not taking it. I'm also worried I might get stuck at Company A or that taking a low paying job will negatively affect my future earning potential. Is $48k fair for someone in my position? My parents think I should decline and try for Company B/ keep sending out resumes. More Info: I didn't do amazing in school (2.64 GPA) but it was mostly because I didn't apply myself very much especially freshman and sophomore year. I usually found the material to be pretty easy and intuitive and I did very well when I did apply myself. My grades also improved as I moved on to higher division classes, junior and senior year. I did not have internship experience but I put a lot of work into my senior project with Lawrence Livermore National Lab developing a materials testing machine (C and microcontroller) and GUI control software (Python). (They even hired me over summer to keep working on it) and they were very happy with the results. For me, Company A was kind of "low hanging fruit" but now imposter syndrome and FOMO are kicking in and idk what to do. (P.S. This is my first reddit post so sorry if its rambly.) [link] [comments]  |
| What route can an introvert who just wants to punch a clock and perform tasks take? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 12:31 PM PST I want to stay anonymous and keep my identity and problems general, I think it should still translate. So in my career I've generally worked at software companies that were very "people interaction"-heavy, on scrum teams and all that. I have been successful as a DBA. But I really hate this stuff. I don't want to be "a member of a family", i don't want to have to navigate interacting with other developers and managers and all that. I also don't want to be in position where i'm surrounded by extroverts and forced to have to interact with them as a direct impact on whether or not I keep my job and stay in peoples good graces. I just want to come to work, I have my tasks, I do my database work, I write my code, and maybe attend 1 meeting a week. It is extremely hard on my mental health to have to do anything more than that. And I can be VERY productive. I have been VERY productive in any job I've worked, in spite of the handicap of being extremely introverted and basically having high-functioning autism, both of which I take meds for and have been working with therapists for to control for years. I have looked at bouncing between contract positions or maybe a remote DBA position as the solution, but I'm not sure. I hope you all can help me! :) TL;DR - I'm a super introvert and I really just want to write some code, do administration, do my job, and clock out with minimum human interaction because that human stuff exhausts me. Whats the best job/industry for me? Contract gigs? [link] [comments]  |
| Good places to offer up so probono work Posted: 24 Feb 2018 12:52 PM PST Hey, I've just jumped into the industry and I've been coding for about 8 months. I'm comfortable and everything is going well and I'd like to give back. Do you guys have any suggestions for sites that offer up probono opportunities? [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 24 Feb 2018 08:18 AM PST I'm currently in a Software Engineering position in the Atlanta area. I have been applying to other jobs in locations that are more in line with where my wife and I want to end up (Canada/US west coast). I don't have any offers yet, but I am curious what the best way to handle leaving is. I had always assumed 2 weeks notice was just assumed. However on some threads it seems that I should base that on my contract that I signed when I got the job originally. Which reads as follows:
Should I take that to mean that I can just up and leave one day? It seems rude, but I don't think I am at a position where I can easily afford going 2 weeks without pay if they decide to fire me immediately after I give 2 weeks notice. [link] [comments]  |
| Internships: Too late to apply in March? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 03:38 PM PST Title. I am struggling my current classes and having a hard time finding time to apply to multiple internships. I have Spring Break in March and wondering if I can hold off to applying to multiple during then? I generally don't know when most CS internships come out and when they are due. So I am not sure if there will still be many internships to apply too. Yeah so let me know. Thanks a lot! [link] [comments]  |
| Big corp vs Startup if your end goal is to work for yourself? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 05:46 PM PST I've heard that the cons for working for a big corp are limited opportunities for growth and slower pace of work. Would it be correct to think that this type of environment would be better if one wishes to use their spare time to run a side business of their own? [link] [comments]  |
| How often do you refer to system design diagrams when programming? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 06:32 AM PST I'm a student and I'm currently in a systems analysis and design class and we are currently making a lot of different diagrams such as domain class diagrams, sequence series diagrams, state machine diagrams, use case diagrams, the list goes on and on. I was curious though from the programmers point of view, how often do you all refer to these when working on a system implementation? Do you find these diagrams helpful or are they relatively redundant? Also, this class is heavily pushing the scrum software engineering philosophy on us and I was curious about programmers thoughts on scrum. Do you prefer it over waterfall? Do you usually not work with a pure version of either instead use some kind of hybrid like kanban? I'm just overall curious how much real life is in comparison to how it's sold to us in this class. [link] [comments]  |
| I don't write code- so what AM I? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 04:54 AM PST What do I actually do? I'm asking so I can look for similar positions. Over a year ago, I moved to a small town for my partner's job and I took a job at a small company in an entry-level non technical position (receptionist). Before that, I had been teaching myself email marketing, WordPress and light CSS and had a small online business. I have a degree in Communications and luuuurve all things digital content. Within a few weeks at this job and with eagerness to please in a new position, I completely took over managing their social media, graphics and website. Without any change in my title or pay I now work full-time on the website. It's a lot of fun but I have no idea what I actually do and how to translate it onto a resume. Do you? Here are some of the things I do on a daily basis: *Build webpages (copy, forms, polls, graphics, upload/write content) *I use a Content Management System like WordPress to update multiple sites *I create all images for social and web *I send email blasts and maintain our subscriber list *Some css/html (BASIC stuff like going into the edit page and moving stuff around so it's centered) *Installed and provide Google analytics reports *Answer the phone since I'm also still the receptionist You guys are awesome and if I'm in the wrong subreddit let me know, as I am in no way comparing myself to developers! I just figured this would be a really smart place to ask what you think this job title might be. Thank you so much :-) edit: for brevity [link] [comments]  |
| I need help finding an overseas internship as an undergraduate Posted: 24 Feb 2018 08:24 PM PST In July of 2018 I have to find an internship to complete my BSc in Computer Science. Trying to find an internship overseas so I get more exposure culturally and it would look awesome on my CV. I'm from a small Island below India . GPA around 3.78. Any suggestions where to look for opportunities? [link] [comments]  |
| Disillusioned about Silicon Valley before even starting. Posted: 24 Feb 2018 08:19 PM PST I just graduated after studying CS and am having a hard time finding a job.... yes, it's one of those posts. I went to a good school and have a past internship & projects, so I've been getting a bunch of interviews at presumably prestigious companies in the SF/Bay Area. And been rejected at various stages of the process. And I've been pretty bummed out about it--the fact that finding an entry-level job is so hard. And that I'm always competing against the best people from the best schools and being beat out. But I realized, even though I've been applying to a shit ton of places, I really haven't been trying my hardest, studying for interviews or working on side projects as much as I could be (I just graduated, so now I have all the time in the world). And it's because I don't actually want to live here. I went to high school in Palo Alto, and honestly I'm not as hungry to get these jobs because I don't have this dream of living/working in Silicon Valley that many CS grads do. The area is familiar to me. People here seem to pride themselves on having limited social lives. It seems boring that almost everyone is in the same industry and constantly talking about their jobs. Everyone is very much the opposite of well rounded. People who have been at it for a bit are more grounded, but it seems like a lot of people my age have a huge ego, lack of empathy and a 'brogrammer' mentality. I feel like a lot of people are surprised that I'm a girl and not into 'geek' culture at all and did CS. And they sometimes expect me to prove myself to them even though we are the same age with the same credentials, just because I'm not a canonical engineer. I just want to improve as an engineer, work on a product I think is valuable, and actually have a life outside of work without people breathing down my neck like "I started coding at 13 so I think I'm better than you". So for me at least, Silicon Valley culture seems kind of toxic. But it's hard to set my sights on other places when this is where I grew up. And everyone always talks about wanting/trying to COME here, meanwhile I'm talking about wanting to leave. The bay area is obviously like the mecca of tech, seems like it's the primary place to start/advance your career in the industry, and even when I search for other locations I feel like ALL the companies I look at are in Silicon Valley. So how do I find a job somewhere else? Ideally, I would want to move somewhere in Europe or Tel Aviv (I have an EU passport), or maybe New York. But the new grad positions I have seen in other countries are looking specifically for students already in those countries. Does anyone have advice for getting out of the Silicon Valley bubble, finding a software engineer job abroad, etc? Or comments about why the bay is actually great. That's fine too. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 24 Feb 2018 08:04 PM PST I am a graduating Computer Science major from a top-15 CS college. I currently have 2 job offers, and at least one of them has a deadline coming up. Offer 1: I would be a Security researcher at an agency within the Department of Defense, near DC. The base salary is $70k, with 10 paid holidays/yr, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 days of vacation time. There are also grants for continuing education, life insurance, health insurance. I sent in my security documents, but no telling when I'd pass the security process. They could fill the job before I pass the security, or I could fail to clear (unlikely IMO). I see this as the best option for my career, as it is in the field of security, which I want to go into. Also the agency is a big name within security, and I would get a TS clearance. I do not really want to live in the area, and the $70,000 is not so much to live on in DC. Offer 2: Fidelity Investments, as a member of the LEAP program. I would spend 17 weeks in Raleigh-Durham, NC getting trained, and then move to their Covington, KY location as a Software Engineer. They haven't sent an email detailing the offer, but the recruiter told me $62,500 with a $5000 sign-on bonus, up to 8% performance bonus, $10,000 over 5 years for student loans, some help with continuing education, 7% 401k match, and 0-10% profit sharing. I would likely have the ability to move into a security-focused role, after spending some time as a SE. The culture (that the recruiter told me about) at Fidelity, as well as the more preferable location, and likely better pay, make this a tempting offer. I had a final round interview with another company, and am waiting on a decision, but I've heard bad things about working there. What are some pros and cons of either that I haven't considered? Any advice? [link] [comments]  |
| Toxic leadership harming company... go to higher ups, or just take off? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 01:57 PM PST I'm about to quit since I have another offer, and most people on the team have already quit, with another being fired for speaking out on these problems. We have a security "director." Let's just call him "Bob." Bob is best friends with the CISO, Andy. Andy is just as incompetent as Bob, if not more so. The problem with Bob and Andy is that we're working for a great company with a great culture, but neither of them want to protect our company. They're only in it for themselves.
Multiple times, I've brought up concerns about the way things are handled, only to be shot down. I don't want to burn bridges here, but feel something absolutely has to be done about these two individuals who are putting the company at great risk. If I end up going to higher-ups, I'm afraid of getting fired, burning bridges and getting no reference. What is the best way to handle this? Do I just leave it all behind and let it crash and burn? [link] [comments]  |
| New CS grad looking for my first "real" job. Posted: 24 Feb 2018 07:44 PM PST A little about my situation. I recently graduated in CS in December of last year with a 2.5 GPA and I have had an internship since 2016, which ends next month. I have gained almost 2 years of experience with the following: troubleshooting systems in Windows, Web applications (HTML/CSS/JS, C#, SQL Server), SSRS reports. I have been applying to jobs since the day after I graduated, but I haven't found much really. I keep getting calls from companies that offer roughly 12-week training, but I am looking for an entry-mid level job, not a training company. Does the experience I have now with the internship not cut it for entry-mid level work? Should I take an offer to do training? What do companies with entry-mid level positions look for in a candidate? Is it normal to go almost 3 months of job searching out of college with no offers and minimal interviews? [link] [comments]  |
| Currently working in QA, looking into making a transition into a developer. Is this plausible? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 06:23 PM PST Hello r/cscareerquestions. A little about me to start - early 30s currently living in the midwest working at a F500 non-tech company in QA (essentially a SDET). I have a masters in SoftEng and a bachelors in an unrelated field. I'd like to at some point in the future move from being a SDET to at least a Jr SDE (though from what I've been reading here in the last week those jobs seem to be near impossible to get regardless of whether it's B4 or some no-name company). As much as the B4/SV/etc seem to be the endgame for most people here I'm not too terribly worried about that to begin with; my main goal is to move out of QA, but I know my current skillset is an issue. Shockingly enough I am not the best developer on the planet- in fact I know I have a fair bit of knowledge I'm lacking. I took programming courses in undergrad and post-bac, but I've always had a hard time learning it. Realistically, I'm lacking advanced OOP knowledge as well as the entirety of DS&A. I've dabbled in Python, Ruby, and Java to a degree, and I've at least taken a very cursory look at C# and a couple others (Go, Swift, etc). I have some very limited experience with web frameworks and other technologies but nothing very notable. My plan was to take MOOCs/local CC classes in my spare time to facilitate the groundwork to transition, while at least taking the time to build one or two small projects. Is this enough to at least make a basis to eventually move to a SDE? Should I consider at least looking into another language? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks! [link] [comments]  |
| San Jose Salary: Associate Product / Offering Manager Posted: 24 Feb 2018 06:21 PM PST What's the expected compensation for an associate product (offering) manager at IBM? San Jose location? [link] [comments]  |
| Tying compensation to the success of a project? Posted: 24 Feb 2018 06:17 PM PST I have been experimenting with ways to circumvent developer salary glass ceilings and it seems, when given the choice, many employers are much more receptive to a large percentage bonus based on project success (e.g. 20% of the project's net revenue) rather than a proportionally smaller fix salary increase. Does anyone have experiences negotiating such a compensation scheme? If yes, do you mind sharing some details and, in the long run, was the risk worth it? Thank you [link] [comments]  |
| Question about choosing a college for computer science. Posted: 24 Feb 2018 05:03 PM PST I have an associates degree in cyber security. I was planning on continuing onto an online college and getting a bachelors in cyber security as well but I keep getting told at my age I should be going to a state college and majoring in computer science. I find programming interesting, but I am not too sure what the best plan here would be. I felt like I was always on the networking and penetration testing side, but a computer science degree will look a lot better and I would learn way more. Any others planning on working in security that are in computer science? Basically any advice would be great, thank you. [link] [comments]  |
| Posted: 24 Feb 2018 04:38 PM PST So I have a few internship options on the table and am worried that my intrigue in one in particular is blinding me to the value of others. I have the opportunity to help a neuroscience grad student build software for an experiment she designed that is basically a video game for monkeys. The game is simple enough but she wants it on an iPad and needs to approach millisecond precision records of reaction times to stimuli. Oh and she's pushing hard for using Pythonista. I've had internships in companies before and found them... boring. I feel like a lot of software today is about extracting money from people attention and I just don't have an interest in that. All of my other internship opportunities are with companies that do make money by keeping people engaged in there actually useless site/app. I'm worried that I would be missing out on a great internship in terms of resume if I go the traditional route, but I am actually interested in making time precision software under such ridiculous constraints (iPad + Python) with the frame of mind that the code would ultimately need to stand up to scrutiny from the scientific community. Should I just go with my gut here? Is networking, working for a company that might actually higher me, and getting paid worth my soul or should I spend my summer with the monkeys. Did I mention I would get to hang out with the monkeys? [link] [comments]  |
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