Me too want programmer be *grunt*

[Guest_imported]

I'm in the same boat as usmc, basically. I've been working in the entertainment industry for a long time, and, have alot to bring to the table besides my tech stuff, which, so far, includes 3 short-term (~2 mos.)assignments doing db work with VB and Access. Just completed CIW courses for E-comm Webmaster, learning Java, HTML, MTS, IIS. Have BA in Economics, Chinese and Italian language skills, lots of sales, gen'l business experience; have suits and not afraid to wear them, good with clientele. I've only been able to land part-time, low-pay work in this lo-tech town, and, I'm the lone programmer amongst 9 networking consultants, so, I'm left going in behind and trying to work with sloppy, undocumented code. Help!

 

[Karl Blessing]

I am not sure I clearly understood your question, are you saying that you want to find a position, where you are working on your own creation rather than fixing up other's old codes? I just didnt see the question inside of the story. <p>Karl<br><a href=mailto:kb244@kb244.com>kb244@kb244.com</a><br><a href=

http://kb244.com>

</a><br>Experienced in : C++(both VC++ and Borland),VB1(dos) thru VB6, Delphi 3 pro, HTML, Visual InterDev 6(ASP(WebProgramming/Vbscript)<br>

http://www.brainbench.com/transcript.jsp?pid=629151

 

[Guest_imported]

Sorry about that. I was trying to be brief, but, sacrificed clarity. I've had alot of trouble getting into the industry, for alot of reasons - the positions I've landed, thus far, have been with companies that really didn't have a programming department (i.e., I've been thrown to the wolves and told to fix problems with old programs). Since I my degree isn't in CS, and, because there's a major university nearby that cranks out lots of people who do, I've had trouble getting my foot in the door. I'm with a company, now, where I'm left on my own to get this stuff done, and, having trouble. I need to work as part of a team. Since I got certified for E-commerce Webmaster, I'd like to become part of a web development team, perhaps, one involved in B2B stuff. If possible, I'd like to get an international angle involved, too, if I can. It seems like all of these web employment services are just recruiters who want heavy back-end experience. I've taken VB classes and know my way around it, fairly well, and, am learning alot more. I just need to find a place where someone can show me the ropes, a little - and, not just expect me to be able to do stuff that guys with 5 or 6 years of experience are able to do. So, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Karl Blessing]

well I cant tell you what to do to grab an imediate position, but why not use computers, to get your foot in the door, by this I mean, try distributing resumes online, through major job sites, etc, also try free certification sites that also show your information to recruiters (like brainbench.com) This is a good way to get yourself known, if you have not already tried this. <p>Karl<br><a href=mailto:kb244@kb244.com>kb244@kb244.com</a><br><a href=

http://kb244.com>

</a><br>Experienced in : C++(both VC++ and Borland),VB1(dos) thru VB6, Delphi 3 pro, HTML, Visual InterDev 6(ASP(WebProgramming/Vbscript)<br>

http://www.brainbench.com/transcript.jsp?pid=629151

 

[Zelandakh]

Karl - do you own brainbench or are you on commission or something? <br><br>Anyone who has business experience and knowledge allied with decent computer skills should become a business consultant particularly in the Internet arena. This sounds like you. Prepare a mailshot (feel free to post it to TT for comments but don't post it as an advert or it'll get red flagged) and post that to the companies in your area. Small companies are great at the moment - they have heard of the Internet but have not taken the plunge as it must be difficult and expensive. Don't rip them off and they will keep coming back for more and will recommend you to others. <p>Zel<br><a href=mailto:zel@zelandakh.co.uk>zel@zelandakh.co.uk</a><br><a href= > </a><br>

 

[elizabeth]

I'm also not sure of your goal. Do you really want to be a programmer, as you say int he title, or are you just looking for a highly-paid tech position? It sounds as if you are a beginner programmer (6 months experience) so in that field you would still be in the low-pay category regardless of your non-programing experience. People don't generally hire people who are new to a skill as consultants/contract workers. If you look for an entry-level programming job as an employee I would think you'd have no trouble, but&nbsp;&nbsp;of course employers aren't necessarily want to train you if it's obvious you're not interested i the job at hand. Of course there are ots of stories in the press about big big pay but there are plenty of smart people in the field and you need to be truly exceptional to leapfrog them in the technical area.<br><br>I LOL'd at&nbsp;&nbsp;your &quot;have suits and not afraid to wear them.&quot; Perhaps something more people-oreiented such as sales rep for a consulting firm? My experience from being on the client end is they use &quot;suits&quot; with some tech expertise to scope out the client before they send in the heavy guns, and always to manage the contact as the tech heavies tend to have less than exemplary people skills. Here your natural sense of humor would be an asset as deadlines mean short fuses.

 

[Karl Blessing]

Zel, I have no connection to brainbench other than that I took a few exams, other than that, I'm tied in no way to it, It's just one of the only places I know that gives free exams, and the questions seem to match some of the basic experience on the topic. I just like to use it to see where I stand on their scale. <p>Karl<br><a href=mailto:kb244@kb244.com>kb244@kb244.com</a><br><a href=

http://kb244.com>

</a><br>Experienced in : C++(both VC++ and Borland),VB1(dos) thru VB6, Delphi 3 pro, HTML, Visual InterDev 6(ASP(WebProgramming/Vbscript)<br>

http://www.brainbench.com/transcript.jsp?pid=629151