AlanBarber.Org
Sunday, June 13, 2004
The job quandary...
The other day on the Computer Science mailing list there was a job offer. The description of the job indicated that the majority of the job would revolve around developing the Microsoft CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software plus some minor assistance in general computer support issues.
Suffice to say I was extremely excited about the job prospect. The idea of having a 9-5 job where I could do some development work is a dream come true. However, I got a reply today from the person and it turns out it’s only a part time job.
quote:
I would consider this to be very part-time in nature, work on your own
schedule (mostly from home as we have remote access capabilites).
So now I’m rather disappointed. On one hand I wonder if it is really worth taking. I can’t live on a part time job like this so I still need to find another job to afford things like car payments, rent, etc. On the otherhand I think I should take the job. It’ll still well worth it for the experience even if I can’t make a living on the job. It’ll give me good work experience and look very good on my resume. I’m not sure what to do. Ugg!
Software development has been what I’ve wanted to do for some time. Unfortunately, since graduation I haven’t found any job openings for dev work in about a hundred mile radius of here. The few computer jobs I have found are all tech support related.
I really hate doing tech support. I’ve done it for years with family and friends and it drives me nuts. I don’t mind doing it because I mean they are family so I want to help but it’s not like I enjoy doing it. So the idea of getting a job where that’s what I do all day just makes me sick. What’s worse is everyone keeps suggesting I find these types of jobs.
I guess I’ve come to this explanation since it seems to work best. Basically there are two types of computer degrees you can get. There’s MIS and then there’s Computer Science. MIS is like training to be a general practitioner/family doctor. Your family doctors are tech support people. You’re sick and you go to them to get fixed. MIS people train to manage and run computers for businesses. They’re the tech support and system admin that you go to when you have a sick computer. I have a Computer Science degree. That’s like training to be a surgeon. Yes a surgeon still knows and understands everything needed to be a general practitioner but they study even more in order to specialize in a particular area. They have the skills to operate on the body. As a person with a CS degree I learned not only that general computer skills but also how to build computers and program them. And when I say build computers I don’t mean put together parts like Dell or Apple does. I mean actually design the parts of a computer like how to make a CPU or video card. That’s the equivalent of doing heart surgery in my mind.
So when people say I should go get a tech support job, to me, that’s like telling a surgeon to go find work doing family medicine until he can find a opening for a surgeon. That’s an insult to all the hard work and effort you put into your education.
on 06/13/2004 at 06:21 PM
I think your analogy is correct, but even surgeons do residencies and pay their dues before becoming a true surgeon don’t they?
Programming jobs in Toledo are not exactly common. It seems to me that Owens Illinois and Owens Corning contract a lot fo that work out. I would say that you should contact the small companies you can find online and then start looking much farther away if you still can’t find anything and don’t want to start a business.
NW Ohio is great, but as a programmer you have to find the small number of jobs and that can be the challenge. Just remember that you have a Comp Sci degree and that means you are an automatic hire, but that means you will make a lot more money that most of us computer people as the years go on.
You’re <b>definatly</b> qualified to do your dream job! As opportunity and location have it at this point, I think if you’re determined to not do a job you feel is benieth you, you’ll have to think outside the box as how to get it.
example:
~seek out/ research local companies with lots of $ and see what software/ programs, etc.. you could develop for them that would benefit them, then make a proposal. (i.e. Cooper, Greenline, Daymark, toledo like Owens Corning..etc..
Another idea is an internship somewhere for a few months. (hint hint NYC )
I love you sweetie!