A question, but more IMHO than question.
I am wanting to get into the computer programming field, but have some reservations. If I enroll in school, I will find myself in debt of close to 50k. (when it is all said and done anyhow)
I have heard that this particular job market is flooded, and jobs are highly competitive. I don’t like competitive. I also have noticed that jobs start around 35k. Now, I am making about 31k right now(unstable job, don’t know how much longer I will have it), and don’t really find the prospect of getting myself 50k in debt for an extra 4k a year appealing.
Are all these things true? Am I going into a bad field right now? I just want to write, and find myself in a career that is stable, relaxed and gives me enough free time to write.
I thought of computer programming as sitting behind a desk punching out code stable, and well paying. 35k I don’t see as worth the debt. Any opinions? (Other avenues for a career are very welcome at this time of extreme doubt)
Mabey I should just get me a 25k a year delivering newspapers at night… It will pay the bills, and give me enough time to write. Health and dental aren’t that good, and I would have to work 7 days a week, about 4 hours a night though. Next to NO vacation time. Err. Help?
It’s true that technology jobs are highly sought-after commodities at the moment. However, you might want to look into going into tech support. AFAIK, A+ certification is sufficient for most entry-level positions, and isn’t all that expensive to get. It’s probably at the low end of the pay scale, but it does give you a foot in the door of the company you work for, and you might be able to get them to subsidize other certifications. Good luck to you as well.
You might want to look up Demo’s recent thread on approximately the same subject.
It doesn’t seem to me as though you are highly motivated to be a programmer which isn’t a great way to start a career.
One word of caution: Programming is writing. It’s a creative, thought-intensive process. It may be difficult to come home after a day of programming and start writing – they are sufficiently similar that you might not find it relaxing.
Well I don’t know if it will hold up this year, but I know a lot people who have gotten around 15% raises a year. Tech jobs in my experience seem to ramp up to average pay faster than other fields. So $35,000 can ballon rather quickly. I am in administration not programing, but there definately is an opportunity for rapid advancement.
As far as openings are concerned, The last numbers I saw said that there were still several hundred thousand tech openings in the US. Certainly those with web related skills are finding it hard to get work. But other tech jobs seem to be widely available. YMMV of course based on location and exact skill set, but there still seems to be plenty of opportunity.
I’m a computer programmer, so I just wanted to address one specific thing you’ve mentioned in your post Epimetheus. You say you want a job that will leave you free time to write. I know quite a few programmers who don’t have alot of free time (I suppose it depends on what you consider alot of free time to be though). Personally, I work around 50 hrs a week normally, which isn’t too bad, but if there’s a big deadline looming my hours can increase dramatically (70-90 hrs a week). Maybe some of the other programmers on the SDMB can chime in with their take on available free time; I could just a sucker who works too much.