Official Software Engineer Discussion / Networking Thread

[thenanyu]

Developers, introduce yourself.
Talk about being a clotheshorse and a nerd at the same time.
Give some advice to CS majors.

Are you an enterprise developer, independent iPhone game hacker, or bootstrapping a startup?

KONTROVERSIAL OPINIONZ!!!!

1. Hacker News comments are worse than DT
2. Instagram was undervalued
3. All of the current education startups, including Coursera, are doomed to fail
4. Airtime is a crazy bubble company

Get to it!

 

[Georges Henry]

I'm a CS Major, Sophomore and Ruby Programmer (Web and Mobile with Phonegap) at a local startup here in West Palm Beach.

This sounds like a good thread!

P.S: This is also my first post here on SF!

 

[Miles Teg]

I am another CS major here in Florida. I work in a fancy building that also houses banking and insurance companies. So I joined this site so that maybe I would dress sharp too. But because none of the other programmers bother to and it is so freaking hot here I don't bother to either.


My advice to CS majors? Before you graduate be involved in some software project so that you can say to prospective employers 'I made that.' And make sure it has a nice website.

 

[Urthwhyte]

1. Hacker News comments are worse than DT
2. Instagram was undervalued
3. All of the current education startups, including Coursera, are doomed to fail
4. Airtime is a crazy bubble company
Get to it!

1. No
2. No
3. Only most of them.
4. Probably.

 

[jammyo40]

<- Recently graduated software engineer in Dallas. Has a fetish for shoes.

My advice to CS majors? Before you graduate be involved in some software project so that you can say to prospective employers 'I made that.' And make sure it has a nice website.

^ This. Programming contests, side projects, contributions to open source software, etc. all show that you're passionate about software and that's what all top software companies want. Having these on your resume will separate you from your peers, have recruiters reaching out to you more, and generally reduce your chances of being a code monkey.

 

[passingtime]

I was developer back in the dark ages and freelance programmer for years so this probably works better for a freelancer than an employee...

- Make sure you have a niche skill, most coders never do this and just get commoditised.
- Get involved in open source; it's easy to contribute, it gets your name out there, but make sure your prospective employer understands that you won't be working on that open source project on his time. Employers love to boast about their staff being prominent on open source - it's a certificate of geekiness.
- Always watch the market. Nothing lasts forever (with the possible exception of Cobol). In my career I have made major changes three times (Unix kernels, network security, information security) to stay ahead of the masses. You just need to find a link between where you are and where you need to be.
- Build networks - they provide you with work.
- Personally, and this really is a personal decision, consider working for a major consultancy for a year or two and learn how they do projects - it really does help but don't stay long or you will want to shoot yourself because big consultancies are very mediocre.
- Find a recruiter you can work with and make sure he likes you. Talk regularly and pick his brains shamelessly.

 

[Georges Henry]

I am another CS major here in Florida. I work in a fancy building that also houses banking and insurance companies. So I joined this site so that maybe I would dress sharp too. But because none of the other programmers bother to and it is so freaking hot here I don't bother to either.
My advice to CS majors? Before you graduate be involved in some software project so that you can say to prospective employers 'I made that.' And make sure it has a nice website.

I disagree about dressing well. I don't wear a suit or even a tie most of the time, but I'd like to think I look good during my waking hours.

On the other hand, I completely agree with the advice to CS Majors. Helped me countless times