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• As a self-taught programmer, how do I get the academic foundation without attending school again?

  - by hal10001

  I've made a pretty good living as a self-taught programmer, but when I find that I discuss some low-level fundamental topics with my peers who have a CS degree, holes appear in my knowledge. I'm a big picture (architecture) guy, so for a long time this hasn't bothered me, but lately I've wondered if there is an approach I can take that will help me learn these fundamentals without going back to school? Are there books, websites or videos that you can recommend that would give me a ground-up perspective as opposed to a learn it as you need it mentality?

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• Why is the use of abstractions (such as LINQ) so taboo?

  - by Matthew Patrick Cashatt

  I am an independent contractor and, as such, I interview 3-4 times a year for new gigs. I am in the midst of that cycle now and got turned down for an opportunity even though I felt like the interview went well. The same thing has happened to me a couple of times this year. Now, I am not a perfect guy and I don't expect to be a good fit for every organization. That said, my batting average is lower than usual so I politely asked my last interviewer for some constructive feedback, and he delivered! The main thing, according to the interviewer, was that I seemed to lean too much towards the use of abstractions (such as LINQ) rather than towards lower-level, organically grown algorithms. On the surface, this makes sense--in fact, it made the other rejections make sense too because I blabbed about LINQ in those interviews as well and it didn't seem that the interviewers knew much about LINQ (even though they were .NET guys). So now I am left with this question: If we are supposed to be "standing on the shoulders of giants" and using abstractions that are available to us (like LINQ), then why do some folks consider it so taboo? Doesn't it make sense to pull code "off the shelf" if it accomplishes the same goals without extra cost? It would seem to me that LINQ, even if it is an abstraction, is simply an abstraction of all the same algorithms one would write to accomplish exactly the same end. Only a performance test could tell you if your custom approach was better, but if something like LINQ met the requirements, why bother writing your own classes in the first place? I don't mean to focus on LINQ here. I am sure that the JAVA world has something comparable, I just would like to know why some folks get so uncomfortable with the idea of using an abstraction that they themselves did not write. UPDATE As Euphoric pointed out, there isn't anything comparable to LINQ in the Java world. So, if you are developing on the .NET stack, why not always try and make use of it? Is it possible that people just don't fully understand what it does?

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• Will an online degree get you a job that requires "CS or equivalent 4-year degree"? [on hold]

  - by qel

  I'm a nerdy slacker type who didn't get my life together till I was 30. I've had a real job for a couple years doing C#/SQL. I've gotten several raises, but I'm making less than most developers, and the atmosphere is ... not positive. Looking for a new job, I think my applications get thrown out because I don't have a degree. And I want to finish a Bachelor's just to feel like less of a loser. I have a lot of college credits from 1996-2003 and a low GPA, so I don't know if that's worth much. An online degree looks like a good option, but I just don't know what I should be looking at for online schools because they all look like fake degrees. If they had programs equivalent to a real Comp Sci degree, I don't think they would have weird sounding names like they do. University of Phoenix has a B.S./Information Technology-Software Engineering. DeVry has a B.S./Computer Engineering Technology program. But that's not CS, and most other things I see have even more fake-sounding names. Are these useless degrees? Some people say DeVry and UoP are acceptable, some people say they're a joke. I have enough experience now, though, that maybe all I'm missing is being able to check the box that I have a 4-year degree. Harvard Extension seems like a real degree, even if it isn't a real Harvard degree, but I'd have to live there at least 3 months, which kinda defeats the purpose of an online degree fitting around work.

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• How to decide if I should take a profit sharing offer or insist on hard cash

  - by Icode4food

  I am currently the sole developer at the very beginning stages of what I think could be a successful startup. My question is simply how to go about determining if I am interested in accepting a permanent stock in the enterprise or if I should insist on hard cash. This startup is seeking venture capital and it is looking likely that they will get something, I don't know how much. I know very little about the business plan or financial operations at all. The founders have experience with other startup type devours that have been successful. From a business perspective I have a reasonable amount of confidence in them. However, I have never met them face to face. They have offered me a partnership in the project but I'm fairly confident that I don't want to do that. I have done some work for them and they really like me so I'm not to afraid of loosing the position all together. I am a young developer with no experience with this sort of thing and need some experience to point me in the right direction. How to I begin to evaluate how much stock or what percentage of the profit should I ask for? Any suggestions at all would be appreciated! P.S. Any suggestions for better tags?

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• Dropping the full-time high-pay gig - I need help choosing a smart path that I can rely on to produce enough to survive comfortably ($2,500 per month)

  - by Jeff V

  I have about 6 years of full time experience developing web applications and tools. I know perl, python, PHP, ruby, and a good deal of SQL and relational theory. I have never had to choose a self-employed path as I have always had full time work or a bank account (credit cards) to support a big project. I'm planning to move out of the country to an area that will not offer local employment, and need some advice on what to focus on. I want to move in no more than six months, I have enough savings to live for an additional six months, but I would like to conserve it as much as possible. I enjoy taking risks, so I'm not looking for discussion of whether this is a good idea or not. I want advice on the most reliable solution given my skill set. Some paths I'm considering: Learn objective-c and build quality Apple software. Develop subscription based web tools for SEO, or other Marketing applications Attempt to acquire freelance projects by developing a reputation within open source projects, freelancer.com, and other online communities The last time I left my job, I was building a startup (that went under), and missed out living in a beautiful place due to the amount of time I worked. I would like to work 30-40 hours per week max. I can dedicate 10-15 hours per week while at my current job to prepare and learn. A preemptive thanks for the advice...

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• What to learn for a pure practical developer to get better?

  - by ChrisRamakers

  I'm a self taught developer that currently has more than enough experience to hold up against my colleagues waving with their degrees, yet I feel that I'm lacking some important skills to advance further into being a senior level professional in a leading role. More specific in the engineering, planning and designing aspect of software. I've touched the surface of UML, ERM/ERD, have experienced both waterfall and scrum projectmanagement, ... yet I feel there is something missing as every time I start on a new project I don't know where to begin. Should I start diagramming and how? should I start writing an xx page document describing the project on a technical level first, should I dive head first into writing the first tests and code or pseudo-code? I would like to know what, in my case, would be the best way forward, to learn how I can tackle this problem in the future and get better at leading and starting a project. There is not much i don't know about my technical tools and languages but when it gets abstract i'm in trouble.

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• Layout of experienced programmer Resume? [closed]

  - by mob1lejunkie

  What layout of resume works best for experienced programmers? Currently my layout is: Contact Details Focus (goal) Technical Skills Professional Experience (Responsibilities + achievements at each job) Education Interests I feel my current layout uses up too much valuable space. Most of the online templates feel like junior Resumes with emphasis on education so I am not sure how I can improve it. I wonder how many hiring managers actually care about goal/objective? To me it looks useless. Also, is it necessary to have summary of technical skills/technologies? If so, would it not make more sense for it to be mentioned later in the Resume rather then at the top? Finally, do you have separate section for achievements? Many thanks.

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• There are 2 jobs available - which one sounds better all round [closed]

  - by Steve Gates

  I am currently employed at a company where we scrape by each year breaking even, sometimes having a little profit. The development environment is very relaxed and we have a laugh. My colleagues are not interested in improving their knowledge unless they have to, so trying to get them to adopt things like TDD is a non-starter. My development manager is stuck in .Net 2 land and refuses to use things like LINQ. He over complicates architecture and writes very unreadable code, heres an example SortedList<int,<SortedList<int,SortedList<int, MyClass>>>> The MD of the company has no drive and lets the one sales guy bring in the contracts. We are not busy all the time and this allows me time to look at new technology and learn. In terms of using things like TDD, my development manager has no problem with it and can kind of see the purpose of it, he just wont use it himself. This means I am alone in learning new things and am often resorting to StackOverflow to make sure I get things right. The company has a lot of flexibility, I can work from home if needs be and when my daughter was born they let me work from home 1 day a week however they expect this flexibility in return often asking me to travel occasionally on a Friday afternoon for the following week. Sometimes its abroad. We are also pretty much on call 24/5 as we have engineers in various countries. Also we have no testers so most of the testing is done by us developers and some testing by engineers. Either way no-one likes testing! I have been offered a role at a company I worked at 5 years ago. They were quite Victorian in their working practices but it appears to have relaxed now although I suspect still reasonably formal. There is a new team of developers I don't know and they are about to move to new offices. The team lead is a guy that was there when I was and I get the impression he takes his role seriously and likes his formal procedures and documentation. I think some of the Victorian practices may have rubbed off on him. However he did say if things crop up then as long as I can trust the person they can work at home although he prefers people in the office. The team uses SCRUM, TDD and SOLID design principles so they are quite up to date in technology. They are reasonably Microsoft focused. It appears the Technical Director might be the R&D man and research new technology on his own not allowing developers to play with new technology. He possibly might be a super developer and makes all the decisions that no can argue with. They are currently moving to Entity Framework away from NHibernate based on issues that their queries seem to fail sometimes and they feel NHibernate is stagnant. They have analysts and a QA team. The MD is focused and they are an expanding company making profit each year. I'm not sure what the team morale is and whether they have a laugh. When I had a tour around the office they were there in dead silence. I'm really unsure which role is the best for me and going with my gut instinct is useless as I'm not sure what my gut is telling me. Based on the information above which role would you choose and why?

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• Breaking in to Programming

  - by Kevin

  I've noticed that there is a gap between getting formal education in computer science as a student and entry-level/junior programming jobs. Obviously entry-level programming requires that you know some programming but how much do you need to break in? I'm in a QA non-coding role with basically a minor in CS, looking to improve my own programming skills to eventually switch industries. However I'm completely at a loss as to what I should be focusing on learning and am curious as to the steps other people have taken to get experience post-undergrad.

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• Is having your own website important?

  - by Josh K

  How necessary or important is it? I try to keep a running list of blogs or sites to follow, but a lot of the time I pull up someone's profile and notice there isn't anything there. Is it really important? I understand are different levels of programming (from C/C++ system programmers to Rails and even Haskell and J) and not everyone works in a language easily worked with for web based applications. Not everything is web-centric, however with the advent of many popular and sometimes free services I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a majority of programmers to have a personal site.

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• Creating a portfolio of projects [closed]

  - by Ryan

  As I pursue the path of becoming a programmer, I would like to build up a portfolio of projects I worked on at my current job so that I can eventually get programming work elsewhere (either as an employee, contractor, one man consulting shop, etc). Some of these were things I coded myself, others I was instrumental in the architecture, design and functionality (ie, not as a programmer but more of a BA). How do I show the work that I have done to others on the projects that I have produced for the company I work at? This is all internal software, so it's not something that the outside world would be able to use, and some of our products contain proprietary financial market tools and it would not be prudent to share those with the outside world. My guess is that screenshots would definitely be out of the question, as well as functional descriptions of the software.

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• How to deal with the need to know multiple programming languages? When to stop learning new languages?

  - by Raphael

  I am a relatively young programmer. I am 23 and I have been programming professionally for about 5 years. As most programmers I started with C, learned some x86 assembly for fun and then I found C++ which turned out to be my greatest passion in the programming world. Programming with C and C++ forces you to learn platform specific APIs, libs and frameworks all of each requires constant study and experimentation. After some time I had to move on to Java and C# as the demand on my region is basically for these languages. With these languages I entered the world of web development and then I had to learn javascript. Developing for the .NET Framework was exciting at first but I constantly felt as I was getting tied up by Microsoft (and of course the .NET Framework was driving me away from Linux). For desktop development I could do pretty much everything I did with .NET using C++ with Qt but for web development I had to look for an alternative. Quickly I found Django and then I proceeded to learn Python so I could use Django. Nowadays I am learning iOS development with Objective-C. So far it was pretty much easy to learn all these languages (C++ trained me well) but I am worried that someday I won't be able to keep track of them all. Just to clarify. The only languages I learned cause I had to were C# and Java. All of the others I learned for fun, because I love programming and learning new things. Also I like to keep my skills sharp on desktop, web and mobile development. My question is: How do you keep track of multiple programming languages? (I mean, keep track of changes to these languages and keep your skills sharp) and: Is there such a thing as enough programming languages?

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• Will learning programming be as fundamental as learning reading/writing to the kids of the future?

  - by pythagras

  It seems I encounter more and more economists, scientists, and miscellaneous other professionals that have jobs that involve programming on some level. More and more, the jobs that my peers have in many many technical professions involve at least some simple scripting if not something more involved. It seems it used to be that "software engineer" was a distinct profession, now its becoming just another skill like writing -- something that any serious technical professional should be able to use for their job. I see a future where programming is essential to getting any kind of technical/mathematical job. Extrapolating on my anecdotal view of my colleagues... Will the kids of the future become literate in programming in the same way they become readers/writers? Will it become so fundamental to our economy and society that it will be taught at an early age? Will interacting with computers be as important as interacting with other people?

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• Software development company business plan

  - by Navi

  I apologize in advance if this is the wrong forum for this question, so please forward me to the right place. I have about 10 years professional experience as software developer. Mostly on the Java platform doing server side programs. I have picked up a bit of Linux skills on the way as well. I know HTML and Javascript, so I can make a website that would not be too ugly, but I am not going to win any prizes with it. In fact I think I am pretty terrible in the user interface department. My initial plan is to do Android development. I read a few Android books and tried making a few apps. Since it is Java based I think I got the technical side down. Lately I have been thinking about iphone and Mac development, because of the relevant app store/development programs. The trouble is I don't know Objective C. As a side question, how long would it take me to become proficient in Objective C? Considering that I am working on my own and could hire somebody to help me for a short time for low wages if necessary what are my options? What are the pro and cons of the development programs app stores of Android and Apple? Which development/app stores are out there beside the ones I mentioned? Do you think it is necessary to find funds to get me started or should I just use my savings? If you have positive/negative experiences in a similar situations can you please share them? Thanks for your help.

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• How can I know if programming is right for me?

  - by user66414

  I have an IT background and was pretty confident until an opportunity came up at work to go into programming(C#). I have never programmed before this, and the software I am programming for is a program I have never used before (a 3D modeling software). It has been 6 months since then and I feel like giving up. I didn't get much training... about 3 weeks of training spread out over the last 6 months. I think I would be good at programming but this experience is kinda making me rethink my decision. I'm not sure if it's just me, or if this frustration is normal. How can I tell if programming is right for me?

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• What is the most professional way to deal with another programmer who has checked out mentally?

  - by hal10001

  Lead... same project I'm on... shows decreasing interest in project work, especially lead activities. This has been going on for awhile now, and some animosity is starting to grow between us based upon decisions made and overall attitude toward client interactions and tasks. This person is not necessarily a bad programmer, but I can tell is mentally checking out and shutting down. Generally speaking, how do you deal with this behavior?

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• Which specific programming activities do women, on average, perform better than men? [closed]

  - by blueberryfields

  Following a recent discussion with female associates in hiring positions for software development/engineering positions, I found out that this kind of information would be incredibly useful to helping make sure that the workforce shows a gender balance. So I went looking. I've found various literature speaking about risk-taking behaviour and patterns, and other statistical differences between men and women when it comes to work performance. See for example this article related to hedge fund management. I have yet to see any such comparison in the computing field. To restate the question: Which specific programming activities do women, on average, perform better than men? Please back up your answers with specific details, preferably by linking to relevant research or, failing that, explaining what you're basing the information on.

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• How to tackle an experienced C# Programmer?

  - by nandu.com

  I am a noob in c# and asp.net developing. I have spent 6 months in design and another 6 in sql and asp.net programming. I just know the basics of asp.net and C#. I was programming as per the instruction of my tech leads and all good things changed in a day. :( All my tech leads (2+ experienced) left the company complaining about salary. And instead of those, company has recruited a 5+ experienced programmer cum tech lead (who is very strict), he is expecting me to code anything he says. Previous seniors of me, would say 'use ajax for this, use query for this instead of coding' and so on. I will do it exactly. I am not experienced enough to perform it myself. Now I am in a dilemma. I want to stay in the company and learn some more, but this new tech lead is expecting me to learn everything myself (he is telling me to learn jquery, javascript menus, session and chart in .Net, and so on and do things myself without asking him anything...I mean anything) :(((( PLease suggest to me some good tips to handle him. I think all programmers world wide would have faced a similar problem atleast once in the big programming life. So please..help .. 911

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• Costs/profit of/when starting an indie company

  - by Jack

  In short, I want to start a game company. I do not have much coding experience (just basic understanding and ability to write basic programs), any graphics design experience, any audio mixing experience, or whatever else technical. However, I do have a lot of ideas, great analytical skills and a very logical approach to life. I do not have any friends who are even remotely technical (or creative in regards to games for that matter). So now that we've cleared that up, my question is this: how much, minimally, would it cost me to start such a company? I know that a game could be developed in under half a year, which means it would have to operate for half a year prior, and that's assuming that the people working on the first project do their jobs good, don't leave game breaking bugs, a bunch of minor bugs, etc.. So how much would it cost me, and what would be the likely profit in half a year? I'm looking at minimal costs here, as to do it, I would have to sell my current apartment and buy a new, smaller one, pay taxes, and likely move to US/CA/UK to be closer to technologically advanced people (and be able to speak the language of course). EDIT: I'm looking at a small project for starters, not a huge AAA title.

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• Should I give up my cushy job to be tech lead for a startup? [closed]

  - by Katie

  I'm in my mid twenties, and I'm in a safe, comfortable job as a Software Developer. The work environment is great, I'm well paid, the benefits are good. I enjoy my job. Some friends passed my name on to some guys starting a new company. I had some informal chats with them and they liked me. They've asked me to joint their start-up as tech lead, designing and building their product from scratch. They're fully funded, and they know what they're doing. Taking the job would require giving up my safe, enjoyable, relaxed job for a risky, stressful, hard one, albeit with the potential to be really great in future. Should I take the job?

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• Changing jobs and leaving a project without a leader (aka, me)

  - by AnonUntilAfterTheEvent

  I'm the lead on a project that has been underway for about a year and a half. Two of us have been working on it. One is the database guy. I'm the javascript/ui guy. Which is to say, essentially no overlap in code knowledge. Here's the thing. Someone is about to offer me a sweet job with a nearly 30% bump in pay. Though I am perfectly happy with my current job and love the project, the new one would be better and I can't imagine saying no. The big problem is that my project is supposed to go into production starting in a few weeks. I will consider the new guys to have disqualified the new job by being bad people who would ruin my life if they won't cooperate and let me start after deployment. Since they seem like decent, ethical people, I don't expect that to be a problem. The current project will be brutalized by my absence. I take some comfort in the fact that I have emphatically requested an understudy for at least six months. That puts a little of the responsibility on the boss's head, but still, it's going to be a really bad thing. What do others of you do when you are a critical to a project when it's time to move on? Do I owe any obligation to stick around even though something better shows up? I know my spouse would object if I found someone else. Does that apply to work? I do have an understudy now, though he's fresh out of college. He's not going to replace me anytime soon. It's a small shop and the boss is going to be crushed. I am traumatized in anticipation of telling him and feel guilty about the practical consequences. I'm looking for some solace and some strategy about how to deal with this transition. Thank you for listening. =========================Subsequent notes ========================= @ChaosPandion, Chance: No, I can't stay to finish the project. I will insist on a compromise where I finish the current sprint (about a month from now) but there is at least a half year, probably a year of solid, full-time, work still to be done. I wouldn't expect the new employer to hold the job that long.

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• When does a programmer know when a new job is not right?

  - by Mysterion

  I believe that the interview process is a selling of both parties - what can the employee offer the employer and vice versa. Assuming an individual has been careful in selecting their new employer (via thorough questioning in the interview process), however when they arrive at the job they find the employer has not been honest about certain aspects of the job. Examples of this dishonesty could include: The employee making it clear that technical excellence is an important factor, which is promised by the employer, but is not fully delivered or a good technical structure does not exist. The employee states they want to work on well architected and short (lets say less than 1 yr) long projects, yet when they start they find they are placed on a poorly architected older project. The employee being told of a pair programming environment to get him up to speed on the project, but being left to his own devices/questioning on arrival. The employee is promised a culture that encourages innovation and technical excellence but finds that this is not the case (eg. using technology for knowledge retention is laughed at). I know that a lot of famous developers feel that you make the place you work at. Is it realistic for a new employee with limited experience in the industry (say less than 5 years) to be able to join the company and change attitudes or even challenge the employer on the perceived dishonesty? Should they stay in this job or cut their losses?

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• How to quantify product work in Resume?

  - by mob1lejunkie

  One of things I do in my Resume is try to quantify the impact my work has had in the particular company I was with at the time. The reason is it shows the value my work had added to the business. Is this what you guys do as well or am I the only one? In my previous job this was easy as I worked on short/medium internal applications and it was fairly easy to measure end result. For example, external consulting company quoted $50,000 for an application Business Services department wanted I completed it in 3 days so I say I saved the company $48,000. I have been in my current job for 3 years but all of it has been on 1 single well established product. About 30% work is maintenance and 70% work is on new modules. I have worked on various modules like API (WCF), Security (2 factor authentication), etc. How should I quantify work on modules? Many thanks.

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• What should I think about when switching from Python to Java?

  - by Nick Rosencrantz

  I was a Java developer in the early 2000s, switched to Python in 2008 and now Iäm working in Java again. Is there anything special you think I should keep in mind when going back to a Java environment? I used to work with EJB 1.0, I didn't work with EJB 2.0 and now we have JPA instead. I'm comfortable programming in Java and my new job with Java is much better than my Python job even though Python is my favorite language the tools and others things about my Java job makes it much better. I found when I searched jobs that demand for Java developer was much greater than demand for Python programmers- do you have a similar experience? Thank you

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• Have you tried to switch to different kind of language and find a job in a "new language" ?

  - by IAdapter

  I'm a Java programmer(J2EE/JEE), but I'm thinking about switching to C#. Does any of you have been in my position and have switched from Java to C# or C# to Java or C++ to Java, etc. ?? I'm NOT asking about switching between the same kind of languages, for example Java to Groovy/Scala/JRuby, C++ to C, VB to C#, C# to IronRuby/F#/VB.NET. Or if you company was C++, but has moved to Java(you had no choice and I'm about to make a choice). Side question: How hard was it to get a job in a "new language"?

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