Loading ...Right around this time of the year, college seniors are getting ready to make a big leap out of college and into the real world. This is a pretty important time for grads, as they take the inaugurating steps into their careers. I want to share The Ultimate Student Resource List from Lifehacker where they aggregated lots of good info for students. This list includes free applications, student advice, online tools, and research resources. I also want to share a few advice of my own for college grads. I can’t claim credit for the following since they are just a collection of advices that I heard/read/received from the past. So here goes…
Follow your passion
You have probably heard this before, but in case you haven’t: You do a much better job if you are passionate about something. This is one of the reasons I like working at my current company because it’s filled with people who are passionate about technology. If you are passionate, you will continue to self improve by accepting new challenges. You will also most likely motivate yourself to do better work and go that extra mile.
Regarding the first job out of college
College grads usually don’t have much practical software experience. What you want to do is to fill up that resume with some good experience preferably a big name others can relate to. This is great if you can land that big job, but what if things don’t go as planned and you didn’t get the job? People, out of desperation, may opt to accept a job at a big name company while disregarding the job description. For example, instead of working in the software department, you take another position not making software just to get your foot in the door. Big mistake! If you want to have a career in software, make sure you start your career that way, even if it meant you get paid beans. This is because if you don’t, it only gets tougher to get back into software as time goes on.
How do I land my first software job with no experience?
You need experience to get the job but how do you get a job with no experience? Get an internship. But getting an internship is just like getting a job, what if you can’t land any internships? With software this is actually easier than you think. The barrier of entry to software is very low nowadays. Take a look around the web, there are tons of open source projects along with free tools and frameworks from companies who are begging you to learn their framework. Contribute to open source, or start a hobby project to learn something new. And there you have something to put on your shiny new resume and to show your passion in software!
Show me the money, when choosing the first job
By this I don’t mean to take the highest salary when picking your first job. Whichever job you end up taking, make sure you can explain how your software makes money for your company. The more direct your work impacts the bottom line, the better. The only reason I say this is because this shows how willing the company is in terms of investing in YOU. If you can easily explain how your software or skills affect the bottom line, you will most likely have better access to resources such as training, tools, and certifications.
What advice would you offer to ICS college grads?
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Excellent post, Jesse! Thanks!
My words of advice depend on the intention of the grad,
because I feel the advice is very different for those who
- want to pursue a doctorate in computer science and a career in research or university education,
- want to pursue a masters in computer science and technical management
- want to pursue an MBA and a career in management
- want to work in software development, sales or as an entrepreneur.
If an ICS grad is planning on going to graduate school and earning a doctorate in computer science, then I really don’t think they should do anything be prepare for their prelims and qualifying exams. Work experience is largely irrelevant beyond providing topics for beer talk.
If an ICS grad is interested in a master’s in computer science and technical management, then work experience is crucial. It is also quite possible that after a few years of good work at a larger for-profit corporation, you can get the employer to pay for the master’s program. Make sure they offer such an opportunity before signing on as a new staff member. And work 70 hours a week to make sure that the employer feels that sending you to grad school is a good investment in the company.
If an ICS grad is interested in an MBA or other business management, then broad, less technical experience for a couple of years is a good idea. Work for an interesting business, perhaps in their IT department. Hotel, banks, major food service corporations such as Starbucks or Sysco. Get job experience that says “business,” not just “computers.”
Finally, if the ICS grad is more or less finished with school for the time being, then anything is possible. Start a new company in your garage. Work in a friends garage. Find a niche somewhere. Do something new and innovative. Do something that gets you out of bed in the morning, and staying up late. Here is where the “passion” comes in. But avoid big corporations, or other positions where eventually you will be “dead ended” without an advanced degree. If you want to work for IBM or Intel or Google or a major research center, then you should get at least a master’s degree or an MBA, or you options will be very limited in 10 years. And if you want to do research, you really should get a doctorate, or again your options will eventually be limited.
I’m once again the Computing Sciences and Information Technology summer programs coordinator at a national laboratory this year, before I retire in the fall. Please feel free to look at the following websites:
http://csee.lbl.gov/
http://www.lbl.gov/CS/Careers/SummerStudents.html