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College, ITT Tech, Jobs, Careers

Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:07 pm
by xenoalien
Hey guys I am a senior in high school and have been doing some programming for about 8 months. I started with C-Sharp then went on to learn PHP and MySQL. I successfully programmed a search engine and other things such as a submission form for surveys ect. I was wondering if anyone here would have any information on what I should look for or expect in a career of programming. I think I will start with databases and website programming. What is the best school to go through? Is ITT Tech good? I would like to not have to take a ton of general credits that some colleges require before you can touch you classes in programming. How do I set myself up for a career in PHP or general programming?

Thanks!

Re: College, ITT Tech, Jobs, Careers

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:51 am
by bovermyer
xenoalien wrote:Hey guys I am a senior in high school and have been doing some programming for about 8 months. I started with C-Sharp then went on to learn PHP and MySQL. I successfully programmed a search engine and other things such as a submission form for surveys ect. I was wondering if anyone here would have any information on what I should look for or expect in a career of programming. I think I will start with databases and website programming. What is the best school to go through? Is ITT Tech good? I would like to not have to take a ton of general credits that some colleges require before you can touch you classes in programming. How do I set myself up for a career in PHP or general programming?

Thanks!
I'll try and help the best I can. A few things:

1) Take as many general credits as you can. Computer science majors are a dime a dozen, and you need something to make you stand out.

2) While you're wading through first year generals, work on freelance and personal coding projects in your spare time. Do consulting work. This will get you real-world experience and focus your learning.

3) ITT Tech isn't bad, but it's not great either. What state do you live in? I can point out some decent schools if I have a better idea of where you are, or where you want to be.

4) If you want to get a career in anything, you must network. Use those social skills and find yourself contacts in the industry. There have been books written on this subject, so I won't go into too much detail here, but I can't stress enough the importance of two main things - internships and mentors. You need both, and it's never to early to find either.

5) Social media are your friends. For PHP developers in particular, you MUST be on at least two social networking sites (I use Facebook and LinkedIn). This increases your networking potential exponentially. Similarly, if you develop apps for social networking sites (esp. Facebook and Google), this is something you can put on your resumé.

6) In a programming career, you have a number of choices. You can work in three ways - as a freelancer, as an employee at a big company, or as an integral part of a small startup. The first is most expensive to you personally, but also the most flexible. The second is the most stable, but least flexible. The third tends to be the most nerve-wracking, but also the most fun, since you're guaranteed to be working on something you're passionate about. NEVER choose a job based on salary, unless you're picking between two otherwise equal jobs.

There is, obviously, a lot more to this. Any questions about any of the above?

Re: College, ITT Tech, Jobs, Careers

Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:49 pm
by xenoalien
Sorry for the delayed reply. I live in Utah.