Part 1 of 5: High School Preparation
1. Love programming. If you're in high school,
and you haven't yet explored programming, do so. If you're not interested in
math or science to begin with, you should probably explore other options.
- You must know at least the basics: C++, C# or Java, javascript/Html/Css.
2. Get all the math you can in high school like algebra,
calculus, and geometry, it might be worth it if you try trigonometry and
graphing. Try to advance to college level math before leaving high
school, you'll need a ton of math to complete any Computer Science program and
Engineering program.
1. Plan
on getting a degree. With all the success stories of college drop outs
becoming billionaire CEOs in the 90's, there is a certain lure that "as
long as I think outside the box and have outstanding problem solving and
programming skills I don't need a four year degree". It's difficult for
entry level software engineers to obtain a position without a four year degree,
and an internship without being enrolled in a college curriculum at all.
2.
Qualify your degree by what you want to
do. If your love is game design and you wish to enter that industry as
a game programmer, you'll need a Computer Science degree. If you want to work
for IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Google, etc., then a Computer Science degree may be
good for you. If you're looking to work for a non-technical corporation
building mostly business applications, consider a degree in Management
Information Systems or one of the many business technical degrees now offered.
This type of degree is best for most, because it provides management and
general business skills and doesn't focus on a lot of information that will not
be useful to most.
1.
Supplement your classwork with personal
research. Search job boards and note what technologies are hot and
buzzing. The colleges simply can't keep up with everything, so you'll need to
buy additional technical books and teach yourself.
2.
Unless you're planning to get your foot
in the door through an intern position, try to find side projects while in
school. No one wants to take a risk and hire someone fresh out of
school without projects under their belt. Internships are great at taking care
of this problem, but unfortunately a lot of students can't land an internship
or do so only to discover they would prefer to work elsewhere. The only way to
give yourself options is to find some non-classroom work to put on your resume.
3.
Develop contacts with software engineers. If
possible try to connect with software developers and work on some projects
under their guidance.
1. Understand that software engineering is not the same
as programming.Every software engineer knows how to program, but not every
programmer is a software engineer. Here's the principal difference between the
two:
- Software engineering is typically a group effort, with differing and often fluid roles and responsibilities for the group members.
- Engineers develop software to meet specifications set by their respective companies designed for their client, and generally must adhere to specific standards and practices.
- Engineering projects have timelines, release dates, and considerable interaction between people responsible for various components.
1. Always do some extra activities apart from studies and
related to any software that has
some real time solution of any problem. Whenever you have free time
spend it searching on the internet about new technologies in the market and
also watch for the technologies that will be useful in the future.
2. After studying about all the fields related to
Computer Science, choose a
particular direction in Software Industry. Narrowing your choice
down will help considerably in planning your career. Always think simple
because the Software Industry itself is very complex.
3. Learn about the field. The major difference
between programmer and engineer is simply that engineers design tools; hence
those are used by programmers to build solutions.
