In the next three months, I will be graduating from a university with a B.S. in Computer Science. Since I am so close to graduating, I have been thinking about what it is that a company looks for in a programmer. Should I try going for certifications in different areas? I already know that one of my biggest problems will be experience. I’m just wondering how I can make myself stand out as a programmer in the real world.
Did you do an internship? If not, find one now. That’s the easiest way into a career in tech. Another thing that helps is working on a project of some kind. Even contributing a few patches to an open source project is a good way to help fill your resume.
Speaking for myself, I did an internship each semester of my senior year. I ended up coming on full time with the company I interned for in the spring once I graduated. It wasn’t a bit of fun finishing up with some of the projects and working, but well worth it for the experience, which happens to be the one thing you can’t be taught in school.
To answer your question about certifications, I really don’t think they’re necessary. Most companies hiring entry level will look for a degree or work experience that is equivilent. The best move would be to check out your schools career center since they’ll have a lot of jobs for entry level and recent graduates.
I am currently a personal contractor that works at two different jobs. One has to do with computer repair and maintenance. The other job has to do with coding in PHP. I have been looking through all kinds of entry-level jobs to see what is available, and it seems to me like it doesn’t matter what kind of internship experience I get, companies are always looking for something more.
experienced or not, the most important thing is what you know, if you want to stand out as a programmer just keep on learning. show the company your applying for your sample portfolio of web sites you did,in information technology industry it is really important to always update your knowledge…goodluck
Agreed,
You always have to learn, push yourself in your chosen area, buy as many decent books on the subject as you can. The best way to demonstrate your knowledge is to try and build some websites for friends etc. You could also think about designing some sites for theoretical companies - maybe a web based policy administration system for an insurance company complete with rating engine etc or perhaps a content management system for a media company. You’ll find that you will meet many real world problems when you create theoretical websites, and it will be a valuable learning process in overcomming the problems you face and will put you in good stead for future employment.
If you are engaging in web design and coding, it would be useful if you gain a decent insight into database design and programming. Although you might not be directly involved in developing the database, the chances are that your website will interface with a database. Some understanding of the theory behind database design will be highly beneficial.
If you can demonstrate a portfolio that shows a good degree of competance in your chosen area(s) you can go far wrong!
Damien
If you are Computer Science student dont look mainly to be a programmer , actually any non academic guy that study and learn programming on any institute could be in this position. try to take a job that you use your knowledge in , you study AI , Networks , DB Concetps , Information Retrieval , Data Mining , Operating Systems , System Programming … etc , these are the CS Core.
Try to look for a position as Software Engineer , System Engineer , Systems Administrator ,or Information Security Officer.
Regards,
My company is trying to hire two interns from the local university, and only had 4 applications. That suggests that you shouldn’t have a hard time finding an internship (assuming the economy of your area resembles mine).
Speaking from the perspective of our company, the interview is everything.
Obviously you need to have some experience and/or education, but if you aren’t outgoing, friendly, knowledgeable and thoughtful during the interview, forget about it. You don’t even have to give the right answers to technical questions (unless you know it of course), but at least give something that shows the thought process.
When it comes to certification, I wouldn’t go out of your way to do it right now. If you find it’s holding you back, go for it. Ideally you’ll end up in a shop that pays for your certification materials, training and tests (we do).
Off Topic:
I’ve had more than enough BS in Computer Science 
I’m also a CS major, and in the same position as the original poster.
Could someone explain a little more about what those posisitions are?
You won’t like find a job as any kind of Engineer or Administrator (at least not with a company I’d want to work for) straight out of school.
A software engineer generally does more than just coding. He will be responsible for planning the entire system, from interaction with the database, to assisting with database design, to external communications…pretty much everything.
A system engineer goes one step further and typically oversees the entire project. Most places I’ve been, the systems engineer works in tandem with the PM, providing the technical knowledge and advice. I don’t imagine they do much actual coding in most scenarios.
A systems administrator is more down the lines of an IS degree. Managing servers and corporate desktops, networking, etc. Things like that.
Information Security Officer? Never heard that one myself.
A lot of programmers, in my experience, really benefit from doing a stint in an advanced QA role. I’m not talking the QA where you write textual test scripts, but rather code load tests and/or functional tests.
Look for graduate positions being advertised, I got my BEng Software Engineering degree last year and went that route… usually work placement is a necessity, however most universities do this during 3rd year. Good luck.
I have spent many years as an IT manager, and I’ve been on dozens of College Recruiting trips for Fortune 500 companies, so this is an area I know quite a bit about…
Certifications certainly help, but they’re not a “must”. Obviously, the more you know, the better, but relevant work experience is just as important as any certificate you have. Internships are fabulous. So are summer jobs where you worked as a programmer.
I know it wasn’t mentioned in the original post, but I wouldn’t advise that you seek a Master’s Degree. The time you spend earning that degree would be much better spent at a real job getting real world experience. IT isn’t an industry where a Masters Degree (or Doctorate) automatically gets you a higher salary. A solid programmer with a BS is worth 5 Doctoral Candidates that have never spent an hour in the real world writing (and maintaining) production code.
Your degree is enough, but I would say you definitely need to gain some experience. This may mean that you are going to have to start in a lower paying job, but in the long run it will help your resume.
Companies want to make sure that you know how to apply the knowledge that you obtained in college and apply it in a way that helps them.
I did a co-op for a year before I graduated. Once I graduated, the company hired me fulltime. I was there for five years. I did not start off as a programmer. I started off as a Y2K Tester (I hated that job) for a year). I moved on to doing classic ASP development. I had to leave to grow though.
I graduated 2 years ago with my BS in computer science. No certs, no internship while I was in school. It took me about 3-4 months to land my first job, it was customer tech support, which I hated, but stayed there for a year to gain experience and put on my resume. Now I do inhouse tech support for a much better company and more money. But since your a programmer, its a little different for you. If you know your stuff you should be able to find a entry programming job pretty easy then after a year or 2 move up to a better position
I have several AS’s in CIS, programming and analysis, and an AA and plenty of experience in the IT industry ( 5 years with a stint in research and development). That said, its harder than hades to find a good paying ‘stable’ job. My current job of 8 months is fading away and in 2 weeks, I was given 4 weeks notice about the project desolving, so I have to find a new job. However; I said, “Screw it,” and I am going to do the 2 year march and grab my BS so I can finally secure a stable job in my area ( college town with a large supply of BS newbies with first choice.)
Its not really about what you know, its about making someone realize you know what you say you know and applying it to their business model. If it can be done, and you succeed, you will be fine off a your 4 year degree.
/coming from a programmer/dba/webdev about to be unemployed in 2 weeks.
cheers
Apply for a graduate program with a larger company. It’s easier to get in then a smaller company (I.e don’t need much experience or need to know someone there).
It will also provide you with better exposure then a smaller company and you will generally be put on rotations (If its a grad program as opposed to a grad job).
Another very important thing is to stake out companies to apply at, don’t just send out random resumes. I was stuck at a low paying job with no benefits for a year and a half while I tried desperately to get a “real” job. I wound up applying at Carfax after meeting one of the managers at an extreme programming user group and got hired at the end of the interview… turns out I would have had no difficulty getting hired if I had applied right out of college too (I would have been placed on a different team, but I still would have been hired).
Remember the most important thing is to network. And contray to what people say, a B.S. is adequate for a good, $40k+ entry level job, just be careful where you appy. There are companies who believe that only those who have been using java since it came out are good enough, which is the biggest load of bull I have ever seen.
I am going into a programming job for a medical company with a 50k salary and I am graduating with a B.S. in Business management. You don’t need a C.S. degree to program.
But I’d suggest you get a Master’s some time.
After being in the job market for a few weeks and interviewing with many companies, I would have to disagree here and say that certifications are important, they show that you have competent knowledge in a specialized area.
Many job postings I looked at in the Atlanta area specified that certain certifications were required to apply for the position.