What do you do for a living?

[Greebo]

Data Analyst at a large advertising firm. I write code that collects and organizes all data from digital (online,mobile,search,ect...) ad campaigns.

Laid back atmosphere, challenging work keeps me interested, pretty decent pay. I'd say I like my job.

Got the job right out of school with no coding or analytics experience and basically have been paid to learn a very in demand skill set.

And also I make some additional money with mr bet.com.

 

[kerlix]

I just started driving a semi for a company located next to O’Hare International outside Chicago. I mostly go to warehouses and machine shops.

It’s my first job as a truck driver and luckily I don’t have to go over the road. I get paid more than I’ve ever been before and I get to be home every night.

The hours are kinda long (9.5-11 hrs/day) but I don’t mind. I’m still learning things but I enjoy it.

 

[Azul Quinton]

Data Analyst at a large advertising firm. I write code that collects and organizes all data from digital (online,mobile,search,ect...) ad campaigns.

Laid back atmosphere, challenging work keeps me interested, pretty decent pay. I'd say I like my job.

Got the job right out of school with no coding or analytics experience and basically have been paid to learn a very in demand skill set. That is great!

What programming language do you use for coding? Once I also wanted to become a programmer but couldn't decide which language to start learning.

 

[kuddel]

As usual, the answere is: "It depends...."
Working for Orbiter, C++ is your weapon of choice;
Doing quick tooling I tend to use a mixtue of shell-script, PHP (as I am familiar with it's SQL connections and handling e.g.)
Many projects at work need C# (although I don't like it, it's the right tool for the job)
Nice browser based applications are of course written in ECMA-Script (or JavaScript as many call it )
Python and Pearl are good for text processing - I've heard, I am not good at those, so I rearly use 'em
And for my microprocessor things I go for C/C++ and assembly!
For fun I sometimes do BASIC on old Commodores

 

[jedidia]

Once I also wanted to become a programmer

Contrary to common perception, there is no such thing as a "programmer" anymore. Any field that has to evaluate data will require you to have a basic understanding of programming, which is almost any academic field whatsoever and a good deal of non-academic jobs. In a couple more decades, basic programming will be about as essential to most jobs as being able to do basic arithmetics is today. People that actually work in directly software related fields don't have "THE language" anymore, we're usually working with half a dozen of them, and that's only those we're using regularly, not all that we ever had to work with. And while there's certainly those we like and those we hate (if you're going to tell me I'll have to do a job in PHP I'll give you a look that will curl your blood, but I will do it and I can do it, though while looking up basic syntax on google every two lines), in the end it's all just code, and code is code (Except maybe for lisp dialects, those are a labyrinthine dungeon of brackets. but once you see through the maze it's like glimpsing the face of God beyond the universe... it's a weird experience, honestly, and it does... things to your brain. Good things, though.)

So for the question "what language should I learn?", the answer will either be "as many as possible", or at least be in the form of another question: "what is it you want to learn about exactly?"

Working for Orbiter, C++ is your weapon of choice;

Not choice. More like being forced at gunpoint...

 

[Padre Pedro]

As usual, the answere is: "It depends...."
Working for Orbiter, C++ is your weapon of choice;
Doing quick tooling I tend to use a mixtue of shell-script, PHP (as I am familiar with it's SQL connections and handling e.g.)
Many projects at work need C# (although I don't like it, it's the right tool for the job)
Nice browser based applications are of course written in ECMA-Script (or JavaScript as many call it )
Python and Pearl are good for text processing - I've heard, I am not good at those, so I rearly use 'em
And for my microprocessor things I go for C/C++ and assembly!
For fun I sometimes do BASIC on old Commodores
At the moment I am coding a script to help me implement Priceva monitoring service into my platform.

Is it possible to know, say, 3 programming languages equally well? I mean, can I code well on Java, Python and C++ or is it better to focus on a particular language and study it?

 

[Urwumpe]

Is it possible to know, say, 3 programming languages equally well? I mean, can I code well on Java, Python and C++ or is it better to focus on a particular language and study it?

I would say, it depends on your expectation of "equally well". I really stopped counting how many programming languages I once knew good enough for earning money with it. Its a lot. It doesn't mean that I know them good. It only means that I know them better than the customers themselves or our competition. And that often isn't hard to do, because programming skills are only one side of the medal, understanding the problem/domain of the customer the other. So, having some aptitude in multiple programming languages as professional developer will be expected.

In contrast, my specialty is Java now, after starting in 2011 as C++ expert. My C++ skills rusted a bit since, but my Java skills grew. To the point, that I have achieved this "tough and competent" status there and are considered as some sort of Java oracle (pun intended) for coworkers, who I respectfully consider superior to me in their competence.

On the other hand, remember, that nobody will expect you to work in more than one industry. The non-programming skills are important as well, maybe even more important than being excellent in one programming language: Do you know the processes and tools of the customer? Can you speak their lingo? Can you make valuable contributions to their work yourself? Baseline software developers with none or only few skills there are not interesting and almost every developer will fit the bill there, the customer will rather really pay for something he can understand. And that isn't your programming skills. Not certifications he has never heard of. Its getting somebody who knows more about programming than he does, and knows enough about the customers work, to understand what he wants.

 

[Arvil]

Whether you learn one or three well, if given opportunity, learn whatever you can, you never know where life takes you. Some of my machine shop guys didn’t think they would need trig in school. I have to provide help many times on the CNC equipment. Our Oracle production database was managed by a guy who had a degree in meteorology, ended up in a career writing SQL. Ya never know . . .

 

[Kyle]

I used to work for a planetarium. Terrible boss & COVID made me leave, went back to grad school for my MS in Systems Engineering. Hoping to intern for NASA soon.

 

[n122vu]

I work for a furniture manufacturing company in the Midwest US. We are one segment of a larger global company that manufactures office furniture & electronics. I am the desktop support technician for the headquarters of the hospitality division (which manufactures furniture for hotels, casinos, etc.). I also update/maintain the company's intranet website and am preparing shortly to take on some server admin responsibilities with our file share and web server. I have worked for other segments of the company supporting desktop infrastructure, applications, and RF data collection infrastructure. I have an A.A.S. in Computer Programming.

Before I joined my current company, I worked at McDonald's for seven years where I met my lovely wife who convinced me to go back to school and get my degree (she is now a nurse).

So, pretty much everything has changed since I posted this 14 years ago. My ex and I divorced in 2012. In February 2013 I jumped to the electronics side to work as a full-time application developer, where I still work today. 2 years after I moved over, the parent company and mine split into two separate publicly-traded entities so each could better align with their markets and customer base. This would prove to be the best decision I could have made. Our company has continued to grow despite the pandemic, while the furniture company has steadily declined ever since the split.

 

[Scav]

I'll chime in.

Years ago . . .

I now work on jets under the supervision of certificated mechanics. Primarily Airbus family and some Boeing if the work flow dictates. And I'm well on my way of becoming certificated as well.

@n122vu, I'm glad you're doing well. What you said hits pretty close to home for me as well.

 

[Lucy]

Computers, mostly. Programming here and there, ops there and here.

Currently a senior devops engineer for a digital agency in the hospitality sector. It's fine, it pays well, and I work from home.

 

[Urwumpe]

After a successful two year project in factory planning, writing a complete planning software suite from scratch in that time with a small team, I am back to the product lifecycle management world. Now as part of a 170 persons strong release train with multiple large development teams, working mostly from home, except the large scale planning sessions. And now mostly C++. The project size and complexity is overwhelming sometimes, just like the skill requirements, which really make me wish I could just sit in a chair like in Matrix and install the skills. But the really worst of it all is actually that we really work together with our Indian coworkers, which has pretty much killed my sleep patterns and which means that I have to be more active in the morning, while I was usually an afternoon developer.

 

[ionif]

Working as a Third Officer in the merchant navy, container vessels for the moment. Just got home yesterday after 4 months contract. I'd like to find some opportunities to get a job in the same industry but not so far from home. The seafarer's life is not so easy.

 

[carlosriera]

Greetings and congratulations for the great work you do.
I am not a computer scientist or an engineer and I have not completed any degree either.
I worked in a private hospital and I have been a pensioner for 20 years.
Since I was a child I have always liked the space theme and I have been following this game full time for a long time.
I will continue visiting this forum as long as I can.
Thank you.

 

[Arvil]

Working as a Third Officer in the merchant navy, container vessels for the moment. Just got home yesterday after 4 months contract. I'd like to find some opportunities to get a job in the same industry but not so far from home. The seafarer's life is not so easy.

I guess the same industry not so far from home would be Longshoreman or Truck Driver.

 

[Boxx]

20 years in aerospace industry, then 10+ years as an astrophysicist, pushing nanosatellite era for science... less money but more fun

 

[ionif]

I guess the same industry not so far from home would be Longshoreman or Truck Driver.

Can be off-shore or tug boat, pilot boat, or research vessel on the Black Sea. In august I go back on board anyway ) I'll see.

ok, being far from home is not that hard but the time you have to spend far from home and family is. I really love being on the sea, not gonna lie, but I won't dislike to stay one month instead of four/five.