I've always wondered why development jobs in banking pay so well compared to other sectors. Are they too good to be true, with long hours and horrible legacy systems? Or are they genuinely good jobs? Experiences please. Edit: OK, ok; I am aware of the recent er.. crash (thanks tvanfosson). But still, the banking sector does pay above...
I'm going to be honest with you guys. I want to learn Java EE (and its related technologies) because it offers a lot of job opportunities here (the Philippines) and abroad. The problem is I don't know where to start and what to read or where to learn from. I'm almost finished reading Head First Java and I'm liking the language so far. An...
A similar question has been discussed in Programmer vs. software engineer but most of the responses miss the essential point, which is - what is engineering. The standard definition is: The application of scientific and mathematical principles to practical ends such as the design, manufacture, and operation of efficient and economica...
For a while I have wanted to move away from new media towards web application development. Today I started a new job for a company specializing in CRM/Sales software. Their toolsets look impressive, shiney and Ajaxed to the hilt. After my first interview a friend of mine warned me against the company as he knew an ex-employee who did n...
I am a software developer for a decent sized software company who's major revenue comes from on-site consulting and web design. I am one of very few in-house developers, whose job is maintaining a .NET 1.0 application (pretty much legacy at this point). This project has been neglected for years (due to the main revenue coming elsewhere...
I've been programming for years on a 24 inch monitor as my secondary monitor both at home and sometimes at work. I just got a new job and they've ordered me a 13 inch laptop which I consider to be pretty small to look at and use and I'll be getting a 19 inch or smaller monitor for the secondary. Would it be inappropriate for me to bring ...
As a Programmer or Software Engineer, how do you best prepare for a Performance Review? If the organization doesn't have pre-defined annual objectives, what type of things do you do to prepare? How does one translate programming productivity and skills into a review? When a supervisor isn't hands on, what has worked well to demonstrate ...
My wife is likely being relocated to Atlanta next year for work. I'm trying to figure out a few things about the Atlanta market for Programmers, Software Engineers and Technical Leaders. Any insight would be helpful, but I also have a few specific questions: Is the market for .NET Professionals in good shape? Or hurting right now? A...
Let me put it to you this way: I'm a top-notch programmer, but a notoriously bad interviewee. I've flunked 3 interviews consecutively because I get so nervous that my voice tightens at least 2 octaves higher and I start visibly shaking -- mind you, I can handle whatever technical questions the interviewer throws at me in that state, but...
I was hired within higher education as their "Webmaster". I know it is somewhat dated and recently read an article that made some good points for a title change. My boss recently asked me to write a proposal for the title change and come up with an actual title. I work at a community college and we are not heavily staffed, so anything ...
I consult for a small company and need to get some business cards with the client's logo. I have free range to suggest an appropriate title for myself. My roles in the organization: lead IT initiatives (from automation to office infrastructure) design software solutions develop software solutions lead small dev team work with ceo/co...
Lately I have been bogged down with my job. I'm working on open source software all of my free time(outside of my job) and that is my passion. However my job zaps me for energy with endless meetings, talks with dumb customers, ridiculous deadlines and a boss riding my ass from the start of a project to the end(even though I'm the top pro...
Whats the best way to enter into a coding career? Do you need formal education and degrees or just a good portfolio? What programming languages are needed? Should you know more, or should you be specialized? Do you even have to attend college or a University, can you enter into one right outside of High School? What are your thought...
I may be presented with the opportunity to be a part of an engineering-intensive QA team (unit/scenario test automation) for more pay. Currently, however, I am a software engineer, which sounds more prestigious to me. More money also sounds nice, though, but at what point is it worth it? ...
My organization has been looking for software developers and developer/managers for quite a while now. We have outsourced HR searching and screening for us and we've posted on craigslist in the area we are searching. I do the technical interview. The technical requirements are ASP.NET/C#/SQL and the interviewees that make it through...
There are several questions about job interviews on StackOverflow. I'd like to know about their counterpart: the "exit interview." I think the exit interview is an important part of the career transition process. So here are some things I'd like to know: Does your company do exit interviews? Are there special topics that specially a...
I imagine that many of you are currently not in your dream job, although you may have aspirations that are not yet realized. I'm interested in learning about the big things that developers look forward to in their career. What goals would you consider the pinnacle of your programming career? What steps are you taking to reach the...
DBCC SHRINKFILE always works when I run it manually on a log file, even when I get the following message: 'Cannot shrink log file 2 (Claim_Log) because all logical log files are in use.' When I run it from a job, however, it only shrinks the log about one third of the time. The other times, it just remains large (about 150Gb). There i...
I'm graduating next week with a BSCS, having decided after my kids were grown to change careers to something actually marketable. I've gained lots of valuable experience co-oping for a local company; however, with the economic downturn I've been unable to find a job. I'm fortunate to be able to continue co-oping at least another semeste...
Should all programmers be testers also? And should all testers be programmers? This question has been coming up a lot with the adoption of agile practices, and especially SCRUM. I think the second part of the question is even more relevant now. What good are tests that aren't automated. And how much more effective of a tester is a te...