First day on a software engineering job -- what to expect? (1 Viewer)

[astroman]

i am guessing objective c mainly. ios dev is only in objective c and swift which is a new language which makes things a bit easier.
That's all you really need for ios dev.

any idea on how long objective c would take to learn? Just curious.

 

[JavaScript]

any idea on how long objective c would take to learn? Just curious.

If you already know a programming language and basic concepts and are familiar with tradition syntax (similar to c) it shouldn't take that long to learn and get the idea of it. The rest is all practicing just like anything.

You can watch videos all day but at the end of the day the best way to learn is to pick small projects/problems and try and solve them. If you don't know something just Google it. Basically, just dive in the deep end as soon as possible and apply your knowledge.
Then increase your project size and release a few apps.

Tl;Dr depends on previous experience and the willingness to practice.

 

[astroman]

probs gonna start out with the obligatory beginners 'python', try and get a good understanding of it and then look at c and c++, I just want something quick to learn in about 2 or 3 months prior to uni so I can do work experience.

 

[obliviousninja]

Java is the devil for business students like me

 

[turntaker]

Java is the devil for business students like me

what do you guys use java for?

probs gonna start out with the obligatory beginners 'python', try and get a good understanding of it and then look at c and c++, I just want something quick to learn in about 2 or 3 months prior to uni so I can do work experience.

why do you want to do work experience?
to see if you like coding? or just to get experience?

If its just for experience I would just focus on a portfolio instead of work experience this early.
Then i'd start applying for internships while I am actually doing computer science.

 

[obliviousninja]

Mainly just doing apps based on a db

 

[astroman]

why do you want to do work experience?
to see if you like coding? or just to get experience?

If its just for experience I would just focus on a portfolio instead of work experience this early.
Then i'd start applying for internships while I am actually doing computer science.

I doubt anyone will offer paid work to someone without a degree, a two or three week thing to see how the environment at the job is like, etc.

 

[turntaker]

I doubt anyone will offer paid work to someone without a degree, a two or three week thing to see how the environment at the job is like, etc.

that greatly varies from job to job according to people on the internet! lolxD

 

[keepLooking]

probs gonna start out with the obligatory beginners 'python', try and get a good understanding of it and then look at c and c++, I just want something quick to learn in about 2 or 3 months prior to uni so I can do work experience.

To be brutally honest, you can always start out this way but if you are looking for a job like during Uni, I don't think they will hire someone with elementary c/c++/python knowledge. Try building your portfolio straight after HSC if you are wanting to land a job in the field for work experience.

 

[xetamine]

I doubt anyone will offer paid work to someone without a degree, a two or three week thing to see how the environment at the job is like, etc.

This is very untrue. It is harder to get a job without a degree, but certainly doable. I landed a job of my top preference without a degree, for example

Once you have experience, getting other jobs becomes very easy in the tech sector. You have the valuable work history and contacts. I asked a Googler for advice and he told me "Google has found degrees are almost useless for identifying talent. Google doesn't care if you have a degree or not."

I'll make it clear that uni is very valuable still. If you're not a good self-directed learner (I'm talking about CS concepts, not just programming. Being able to code doesn't make you a competitive programmer), and/or you haven't managed to land a job at your shortlisted companies by the time you accept/reject uni offers... absolutely go to uni!

To be brutally honest, you can always start out this way but if you are looking for a job like during Uni, I don't think they will hire someone with elementary c/c++/python knowledge. Try building your portfolio straight after HSC if you are wanting to land a job in the field for work experience.

Right. Basic programming knowledge is worthless. Poor quality code is worse than no code at all. Elementary-level programmers are easily replaced by outsourcers. And you won't be working at top tier companies with basic programming knowledge -- but you need to if you want to do a CS career w/o uni!

 

[keepLooking]

I landed a job of my top preference without a degree, for example

Wait. So are you going to university or are you going full-time work?

 

[Chronost]

I doubt anyone will offer paid work to someone without a degree, a two or three week thing to see how the environment at the job is like, etc.

Mate - I got a kid in school who i buddied in year 10, he's now grown up and just did his HSC. He started his own app business, doing consulting + apps for a few boutique firms already

That's because he bothered to learn IOS development and Java early on and now he's proabably going to be hiring peeps like you in a few years.

All you got to do is start early, dont think "i doubt anyone will hire blah blah" , go out and train yourself - software/CS is all about practicing code - the degree just facilitates that learning - it's different from other degrees in that people can easily get ahead by practicing alot.

 

[seremify007]

The marvel of the 'new world' of business is that qualifications are no longer the be all end all - especially if you can prove you already have the skills and ability to deliver the output that customers want.

 

[xetamine]

Wait. So are you going to university or are you going full-time work?

Full time work, but I'm keeping my options open. If there's no fit or I don't like the job / environment, I'm going to uni.

Mate - I got a kid in school who i buddied in year 10, he's now grown up and just did his HSC. He started his own app business, doing consulting + apps for a few boutique firms already

That's because he bothered to learn IOS development and Java early on and now he's proabably going to be hiring peeps like you in a few years.

All you got to do is start early, dont think "i doubt anyone will hire blah blah" , go out and train yourself - software/CS is all about practicing code - the degree just facilitates that learning - it's different from other degrees in that people can easily get ahead by practicing alot.

Seconded! I know a high school dropout who is a Google T5 Software Engineer. Good companies are merit based. You don't want to work for companies that'll ignore you simply because you don't have a degree anyway.

 

[GoldyOrNugget]

probs gonna start out with the obligatory beginners 'python', try and get a good understanding of it and then look at c and c++, I just want something quick to learn in about 2 or 3 months prior to uni so I can do work experience.

2-3 months of casual learning probably isn't enough to get you work experience. Most tech companies won't even hire students after first year for internships because one year of study isn't generally enough to be productive in a company. Learning a programming language won't teach you to be a software developer in the same way that learning to speak English won't teach you to write a successful novel.

Python in particular appears to be an easy language on the surface, but companies hiring Python devs expect an extremely thorough knowledge of the language. I've been a Python developer for 7 years and I still get asked interview questions about the language that stump me.

 

[xetamine]

To add to what GoldyOrNugget said, there's always open source projects. Contribute to some and start your own. I'm sure you have great ideas for projects -- go out and implement them, and learn what you don't know yet.

Why work experience anyway? You'll find out if you like programming or not by doing it.

Work environments are super different between companies too. Work experience won't give you any sense of a picture.

 

[turntaker]

To add to what GoldyOrNugget said, there's always open source projects. Contribute to some and start your own. I'm sure you have great ideas for projects -- go out and implement them, and learn what you don't know yet.

Why work experience anyway? You'll find out if you like programming or not by doing it.

Work environments are super different between companies too. Work experience won't give you any sense of a picture.

yeah agree with this,
just dive into coding as soon as possible

 

[xetamine]

Time to update everyone

My first day at the company was fantastic and I'm eagerly looking forward to tomorrow. It does not feel like work at all. It's an amazing place. So delightful to be there. I got along well with everyone!

I'd give more details but they are confidential business stuff

 

[keepLooking]

Time to update everyone

My first day at the company was fantastic and I'm eagerly looking forward to tomorrow. It does not feel like work at all. It's an amazing place. So delightful to be there. I got along well with everyone!

Come on! I am sure you can do better than that. Tell us more please? ;]

 

[turntaker]

Come on! I am sure you can do better than that. Tell us more please? ;]

plot twist, he works for the NSA to spy on us.