Still programming?
Am I still programming? I do a little bit of this, a little bit of that, but of coz I am still programming most of the time... maybe not most recently. Anyway, actually I do enjoy it.
However, I need to develop my other interests as well, that's why I go back to Uni to do Philosophy. Many people asked me is working and studying at the same time hard, especially I really have to go to Uni three days a week to attend lectures and tutorials. Of coz, that's not easy, sometimes I feel so tire as well, but at least I am doing something I am interested in, something out of my profession.
I still believe our degree is a special and a different one. I don't think I've been learning a language or how to program in SE, I have learned how to formulate and how to think. Although I have to say one of the most useful papers I've done was actually INFOSYS 330, however that only teach me skills, not the thinking bit honestly.
I am happy with my SE degree. Well, but you guys know, I am happy with everything. I can be satisfied easily: my job, my salary, my degree, my man, my house, my family, my food, my clothes... basically every simple thing I enjoy.
The problem is, most employers (not here, the ones here are so much better than in HK...) only look for skills first, then your thinking. Being a programmer in HK means you need to know basically everything.
ReplyDeleteAn average good programming position in HK can go through 1000 applicants, so what the HR look for is skills first - and it is crucial. Having more skills will just benefit you, but being a SE graduate I am very limited in skills when ppl ask me what I know, I can only tell them JAVA, some .Net, some database adminmistration, and crap like that. Then this other guy from CS can tell them at least 5+ languages he know, some network security stuff, some software security stuff, etc.
(and yea, security stuff earn big nowadays...)
Maybe I am just dumb, but I hate my degree now. Basically I hate any IT stuff now, it's too dynamic for old ppl to do.
If you ask a dentist, he can tell you that the skills/techiques in the trade hasn't been changed for the last 7 years or so. For IT, ask a programmer and he can tell you where the trend has changed to in the last few months.
A different bewteen you and me is, you are a guy and I am a girl. I don't have to be very success and earn a lot of money. As I always say, men and women are born to be unequal, in abilities, talents and roles. My ambition is work part time and develop my interests, such as genetics, philosophical thinkings, heresy, cooking(!), psychology, chinese history, history of christianity, cultural and social background of the bible writing, algorithmics, predicate logics, astronomy, criminology, UFO, any unexplained stuff, etc...
ReplyDeleteWell, I can tell any employer now I can work with VB/C# .NET, VB 6, asp, html, javascript, Flash, and DBMS(mainly SQL Server) comfortably, maybe some Java(?!) and some C++ as well. Well, but honestly none of these are really important. We don't mind employing developer has no C#/VB experience, but SE people do take advantage much over CS in the employment process. Not sure about your company though.
You really think CS has a bigger skill set? Well, maybe they know a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but I tell you, if you've ever interview a CS student and a SE student, you'll know the difference is so big. CS students are trainned to be not a thinking, but a worker, which, well sorry, that's not what a compnay needs, at least, not us. Of coz, some CS students are marvellous, but that's more likely to related to their own character, instead of the courses they are in.
I can even notice the difference between IT student and SE student, and between IT student and CS student believe it or not. To be fair it's not about good or bad, better or worse, it's just diferent. As I've said before CS course is trainning people to be a worker, where SE is tranning to be a thinking, IT is somehow in between, but a little bit "jack of all but master of nothing".
Maybe you're just sick of any IT related job, well, what else can you do, Siu Fai?
Exactly, I can't do anything else apart from this crap, stuck at a local minimum.
ReplyDeleteWhen you hire a programmer, you won't care if it's a CS or SE - the more skills you have, the better; who the hell cares how you think because those guys at upper level will just tell you to do this , and do that, in an exact way that they told you to. And you know who those guys usually are? IT consultants or yea, so called "Engineers". In Asian countries, SE ppl are treated the same as your typical programmer, nothing more. Unless you have a Masters or Bachelor in Management, it's very hard to move up even a tiny step. I've heard so many complaints and examples about people working over in HK, it's only realistic to think that I have NOTHING special to offer.
And yea, unlike you, I am just an average programmer in the company I work for. Nothing more. The "Analyst" part? I can tell you, it's nothing more than constructing an OO diagram, which an average CS student can do. (ok, maybe not the watered-down NZ CS degree, but please take a look elsewhere - CS is >= SE -).
You might ask why I can't do anything else - because I have freakin' chosen the wrong degree in the first place!
One more thing.
ReplyDelete"Well, I can tell any employer now I can work with VB/C# .NET, VB 6, asp, html, javascript, Flash, and DBMS(mainly SQL Server)"
I can tell you, I still only know Java here. So if you are changing jobs, you have a lot more choices than I do.
You could say that either I've chosen a wrong path or a wrong role.
by the way, we do tend to employ only SE students, and maybe IT.
ReplyDeleteThat's because ur positions are Developers, not Programmers.
ReplyDelete~_~ and NZ ppl seems to think SE is better just because we splitted both.
SE is just a major in Computer Science overseas.
We are in NZ, siu fai.
ReplyDeleteYou have to learn to enjoy what you have, and what's happening in your life, not just complain and complain about everything around you. Compare to a lot of people, we are fortunate enough to be happy in most of the circumstances. If you are not happy with your job, go and find another one. In my understanding why you dislike SE so much now is because you've found a job that does not suit you. Again, it's not good or bad, it just doesn't suit you.
We've been working for 2 years only, you still have so many chances to change your career. Go and change, you have to be brave if you believe your current circumstance is not good enough, not just sit here and make this kind of statement.
Nah, my health is degrading, probably gonna die soon.
ReplyDeleteSiu fai ah... from the first day I know you, you are always look to the bad side (the dark side?! haha). Come on, you have a girlfriend, you have family, you have a degree, you have a job, you have some money... you already have a lot. Learn to enjoy what you have.
ReplyDelete