And please don’t say ‘computer programmer’
I’m looking at majoring in programming because I love writing programs and solving the problems that come up in it - but what are some practical places to apply this? Like, I know there’s video game design (which would be fun) and web design (which would be boring and I’d be overqualified for), but what are some other things?
Game programming, contrary to popular belief, isn’t fun for everyone. It’s only fun to a special breed of us. Those of us who grew up wondering what ‘magic parts’ must be inside our Original Nintendo, and how the heck it made Super Mario ‘come alive’ on our television screen. If you don’t absolutely love games, and you aren’t constantly thinking about what sort of algorithms are making your favorite games tick, I doubt you will enjoy it at all.
I’m locked up in my office almost 20hrs a day, doing nothing but writing code and smoking cigarettes, often times. I have insomnia, despite massive doses of prescription drugs. I broke up with my girlfriend because she was annoying, and I’ve been happier ever since. But I love every minute of it! 
You can make a LOT of money in software development if you have a sharp mind, a quick whit, and you hate sleeping as much as I do. Trust me, speaking from personal experience here. Lol, maybe I’m a bit "XtReMe!!!111!!!" (or a complete idiot), but it pays off, big time. Did I mention, for me, coffee is the equivalent of gasoline for a car? 
And don’t buy into the stereotype of programmers being "nerds who can’t get girls" (or guys in the case of being a girl)! Lol!
If you like the sound of that, or think it’s funny, you would likely love game/simulation programming. Not a requirement, but no one has told me it wasn’t yet! There are also plenty of alternatives:
Mobile Development - Make apps for smart phones, like the iPhone or Windows Mobile phones
Desktop Development- Make software for computer users on multiple platforms for any general purpose
Database Programming - Learn sophisticated nuances of programming and working with databases, data access, etc
Middleware Development- Make software and tools for other developers
And there are many more alternatives. If you currently DO know how to program, message/email me.
December 22nd, 2009 at 3:54 pm
If you have had the education, got a college degree, maybe been an intern during summer vacations then you’ve taken the traditional way into the business. It’s not quite as easy these days as many jobs have flown overseas but there are still a lot of jobs out there.
What Careers are there in Programming?
* Get A Programming Job.
* Freelance via the Web.
* Sell Software via the Web.
* Run a service via the web.
Look at these links an interesting discussion is going on the same topic.
http://cplus.about.com/od/introductiontoprogramming/a/career.htm
http://www.johnsmiley.com/main/career.htm
http://blogs.oreilly.com/headfirst/2008/10/building-a-great-programming-c.html
http://vbnotebookfor.net/2007/10/11/should-you-pursue-a-career-in-programming/
References :
google
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I liked your spirit, but you can’t straight away go into design. You start writing small programs, learn algorithms and then read open source code.
Other options:
System administrator: Need Python, Perl and job is used to be lovely (with firewalls, mail servers etc)
Network administrator: Unfortunately it is Cisco everywhere
Software configuration management: Perforce, ClearCase etc
Release management
Testing etc.
Many people think that the jobs I mentioned above doesn’t involve programming. In my experience it is not true.
References :
December 22nd, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Excellent question! I am a high school Computer Science teacher and every year when the 8th grade students visit our school for "Course Fair" night they ask that question. Go to this site:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=83206502389
References :
December 22nd, 2009 at 5:17 pm
Game programming, contrary to popular belief, isn’t fun for everyone. It’s only fun to a special breed of us. Those of us who grew up wondering what ‘magic parts’ must be inside our Original Nintendo, and how the heck it made Super Mario ‘come alive’ on our television screen. If you don’t absolutely love games, and you aren’t constantly thinking about what sort of algorithms are making your favorite games tick, I doubt you will enjoy it at all.
I’m locked up in my office almost 20hrs a day, doing nothing but writing code and smoking cigarettes, often times. I have insomnia, despite massive doses of prescription drugs. I broke up with my girlfriend because she was annoying, and I’ve been happier ever since. But I love every minute of it!
You can make a LOT of money in software development if you have a sharp mind, a quick whit, and you hate sleeping as much as I do. Trust me, speaking from personal experience here. Lol, maybe I’m a bit "XtReMe!!!111!!!" (or a complete idiot), but it pays off, big time. Did I mention, for me, coffee is the equivalent of gasoline for a car? 
And don’t buy into the stereotype of programmers being "nerds who can’t get girls" (or guys in the case of being a girl)! Lol!
If you like the sound of that, or think it’s funny, you would likely love game/simulation programming. Not a requirement, but no one has told me it wasn’t yet!
There are also plenty of alternatives:
Mobile Development - Make apps for smart phones, like the iPhone or Windows Mobile phones
Desktop Development- Make software for computer users on multiple platforms for any general purpose
Database Programming - Learn sophisticated nuances of programming and working with databases, data access, etc
Middleware Development- Make software and tools for other developers
And there are many more alternatives. If you currently DO know how to program, message/email me.
References :