Considered pursuing a career as a Computer Programmer? This interview takes you through the ups and downs you can expect, what it takes to land the job, what you can expect to earn and more.This is a true career story as told to DiversityJobs and is one of many interviews with computer technicians and graphic designers.
When I was in high school, I did not give much thought to what I would study when I went to college. I always anticipated getting married right out of school and living life as a stay at home wife and mother.
However, life does not always work out how you expect that it will, and by the time I was 20, I was divorced with a one year old daughter in my care.
While working part-time jobs that I did not enjoy, such as working as a waitress and as well as a telephone operator, I decided that I needed to get a college education to provide the life I wanted for myself and my daughter.
It was only then that I put serious thought into what I wanted to study in college.
I started college about two years behind my age group, but the time between high school and college that I spent working those jobs made me a very serious student when I finally started my first semester in higher education.
I decided that I would major in psychology and minor in English before I even enrolled in school. I maintained my choices of my major and my minor throughout college.
However, I did consider other major options, such as a major in architecture and a major in biology. Before enrolling in college, I invested in a career and aptitude testing session and found that my forte was really in the Liberal Arts.
With my aptitude test results in mind, I selected psychology as my major and English as my minor.
Because I did not develop strong math and science skills in high school, my career options were a bit limited when I entered college.
Had I focused more on my studies during high school and applied myself in math and science courses, I would have been much more well-rounded and may have selected a more technical or math-based major.
Before graduation, I did search for a job. However, I discovered early on that I was not qualified for any job straight out of college with a degree in psychology. I started turning my focus to attending graduate school.
During my senior year in college, I spent most of my time applying to graduate programs and studying for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). I was sure that graduate school was what I wanted.
However, I was not immediately accepted into a graduate program and had to wait a year to enter the program due to less than optimal GRE scores. The day I took the GRE, I was completely exhausted and well over my limits. I knew that I had not performed my best during the test, and my scores reflected this fact.
If I had it to do over again, I would have gotten plenty of sleep the night before the GRE instead of trying to cram for the test. I may have started studying for the exam months earlier, and I might have considered a contingency plan in case I did not get into the program.
During this time off from school, I worked as a bartender in Chicago in an English pub just off Michigan Avenue. I was not a big fan of the job and the work was hard, but I kept my eyes on the prize, saved money, and prepared to enter the graduate program when I was able.
Eventually, I ended up learning to program for the Web while in graduate school. This skill took my career in an entirely different direction. I discovered that I have a natural aptitude for computer programming and once I learned programming for Web applications, I found it very easy to learn other languages, such as Java and C.
Had I known in high school that I had a natural talent for programming, my choices for a major in college may have been different.
When I became adept at programming, I began to seek out jobs in the field. Though I did not know as much as I thought I did, and others were far beyond me with their programming skills, I was able to land a job as a web developer.
Money was good, even on the first job. Life for me and my daughter began to get a little easier. By then, she was in elementary school and we were able to start having nice things.
If I knew then what I know now, I would have directed more of my energies toward learning computer programming in college. My programming knowledge lacked structure and I could tell that there were deficiencies as the result of my self-taught methods.
However, though I didn’t follow my original career path, I really enjoyed my graduate school experience.
I would not change the fact that I was able to obtain a graduate degree. However, I do not work in my field of study. I originally wanted to be a professor at a major university, but ended up being a computer programmer instead.
Many people have a direction in mind for their lives while they are in college. Oftentimes, however, their lives take a very different direction than the one they have planned.
You sometimes discover your true talents and skills in obscure ways, and when you do, follow your heart. Many people work in careers that are entirely different than their field of study when in college or grad school.
Life tends to work out, one way or another.
Transition computer programmer image from Bigstock
Bigstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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