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Being a Computer Programmer
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Posted 5 months ago Hey everyone im currently a college student studying in computer science and i wanted to know the ups and downs of being a Computer Programmer. I ultimately want to be a game programmer but i dont wanna do that forever i wanna explore the other options of programming so if anybody can give some information like work schedule, payrate, vacation time, etc about being a Computer Programmer i would really appreciate it. |
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| Posted 5 months ago I'm an old computer geek but since computers are also my hobby I went back and got visual basic express 8 and python (www.python.org) for free. There is also plenty of videos in youtube. Watch the series from bucky (thenewboston) or search for python programming in youtube. My advise is to start playing with it and see if this is something you want to do. There is also a stanford uni course online that you can take for free. Good luck and keep in touch John Naples, Florida |
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| Posted 5 months ago Deonviville,
There are probably as many branches of "compute programmer" as there ideas to be had. As you will find out, there are even several branches in the gaming industry. That being said, it should be obvious that NO ONE can be an expert in EVERY field out there. Now for the advice. Like I told my kids from the time they were small, peruse the horizon and figure out what it is that you like to do. Because when you find something that you enjoy doing, your job suddenly becomes a "Vocation" and you will obviously be good at it. If you think about that for a moment, it should be somewhat clear. Of course, that is sometimes easier said than done. If what you really enjoy doing is a Niche without a lot of demand for the services, then sometimes it is difficult to make a living doing that thing. So, along the way, it will behove you to pick up a few side talents that can keep you employed during the 'in-between' times. Let's go with the gaming industry: Ask yourself exactly what it is about that genre that you really 'love' to do? Are you more into making the images look realistic, or the scenery and backgound? Are you more involved with making sure that when your motorcycle rider hits the ramp with a certain velocity, and certain tires, and ... that when his ride leaves the ramp, the flight will be realistic? Are you more interested in making storyline fun and addicting? After you decide what it is that turns you on, take a step back and look at the larger picture. Try to imagine what the particular talents that you will develop to make your dream a reality will be useful for in some other industry (most helpful, if that other industry is something that will create a demand for a good SW engineer with your particular talents). Then make a list of the side-line talents that will be helpful to make a move (should you end up doing that at some time). Once you've done all of that groundwork, go about doing the games (whichever part interests you), but along the way, look into, study and learn that list of other talents that will "come in handy, should you decided to make the move at some point in time". As a last insight, I'll have to add that games has a LOT of opportunity to do MANY different things, and I really don't see that industry dropping out of sight any time soon. Good luck |
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| Posted 5 months ago I have been a programmer for 12 years now, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I think the key to any job is to love what you do. The rest falls in place. Like John, programming was my hobby before I had a degree or even went to college. So when it came to choosing a career, it was an easy decision for me. By choosing programming, I was able to do what I did as a hobby for a living! Doesn't get much better then that. :) Pete DigiOz Multimedia | www.digioz.com |
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| Posted 4 months ago Thanks for the info guys! another question i got to ask is what kind of lifestyle would i be able to live? Would i be able to be a family man seeing that im engaged already working on getting married or will my job consume me? another question is if my math skills are not up to part( of course ill get a tutor) will i still be able to be a programmer? sorry for the barrage of questions but i would like to know from the pros(you guys) seeing that im trying to be a future programmer. |
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| Posted 4 months ago Let's see, to answer this, I'll have to go back to the 'varied' adjective. The field is very open, but I'd say that as a Comp Sci grad, you'll probably be able to demand a decent calary (say around $50K/yr) right out of college. And if you are any good, that will go up really quickly. The problem with making the salary go up quickly is that you need to hop around jobs a bit at first. I'm going to say that for the most part, a decent programmer will be able to command somewhere around $75K/yr after about 4-5 years. That being said, I'll add, that if you are REALLY good, you'll be WAY above that in no time. For example, a friend of mine jumped into the gaming industry (somewhat by accident) and now drives a Lamborghini to work (I'm guessing that his salary is around $200K/yr - Will LOTS of stock options). As for the work/family relationships: You have to determine that for yourself. If you want a family, don't move over to a job where they want you to work weird hours etc... I have never worked other than the normal 8-5. Oh, every now and again at push time, I end up at the office till the wee hours of the morning, but normally, I'm home by 6:00pm. I will say, like most other professions, you'll probably never be one of those $200K-$300K per year programmers if you want a family, but I know MANY MANY that make good money 8-5. However, I also know a couple that make outrageous salaries and only work a bit more than the 8-5 (but they are the exceptions - I'll call them Genius programmers). Math is not all that necessary for some forms of programmers, but the basics will be an asset in your arsenal. I mean, if you can't do basic conversions (Hex to Bin, IP Addresses, Algebra (and maybe a bit of Discrete Algebra), some Matrix math etc...) life will be difficult. One of my best buddies is not really good with math, but he is excellent with other aspects of the game and so he is doing very well. I, on the other hand, really enjoy the math part, and it has saved me various times. I would have to say here, that if you don't really do WELL with math, don't sweat it, but make sure that you understand the basics well. However, if you don't do math, make sure that you do other stuff well to compensate. Make GUIs, or understand the relationships of the libraries, or IP communications, Error handling, DBs, scripting, Oh, sooo many others, etc... good luck with the wedding and don't give up, I raised 5 kids as a programmer (actually 2 of them went into the field themselves). |
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| Posted 2 months ago Most programming jobs tend to stick to 9 to 5 hours. Depending on the employer though, you could end up putting in up to twice that if you are not careful. so make sure to find out during the job interview what their expectations are from you before joining them. As far as math skills, unless you are going to program for the financial industry, you don't need a whole lot of math. Pete deonviville says ...
DigiOz Multimedia | www.digioz.com |
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| Posted 12 days ago Every kid wants to be a game programmer. Companies like EA know this--So if you want to be a game programmer, be prepared to work insanely long hours while being paid less than you may expect. That's the sad truth. |
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| Posted 12 days ago Also, the "genius programmer" term--big old myth. No such thing. Don't fall into that trap. |
