3 ms·

> In general, software developers have no problem at all with finding a job (or clients as a freelancer). I was looking for a job in software development for a

> In general, software developers have no problem at all with finding a job (or clients as a freelancer). I was looking for a job in software development for a very long time (region: quite everywhere in Germany or Austria). As of today, I "only" found a job in a very different sector (which is not a bad job, but it hardly has anything to do with software development). And yes, I know quite some people in Germany who also had lots of difficulties finding a job in software development.

adrianN 7y ago
Maybe it depends on the type of software development that you want to do? What area is your expertise in?
- wolfgke 7y ago
  I think I know quite a lot about C and C++ (which means Modern C++ (currently C++17)), but have also worked in a lot of other programming languages (including Python, Java, JavaScript, Erlang (additionally, some further ones for university courses)). Additionally to computer science, I studied mathematics, where I also have a doctorate. I wrote my doctoral thesis about some very tricky questions about geometric structures behind optimization algorithms for discrete optimization problems. In all of these areas (mathematics, computer science, doctorate in mathematics), I either graduated with best possible or second best possible mark. I also claim to know more about IT security than my CV suggests (I got one job interview for a job in this sector, and afterwards the interviewer told me that I have far too much knowledge in this area to be suitable for the available jobs; "you belong into academia"). The same holds, I believe, for embedded programming, where I also think to know quite a lot. Why am I so sure about it? Because as a hobby, I worked on reverse-engineering the firmware of some quite non-trivial embedded device. I also think that I have an immense knowledge of arcane details of the instruction encodings of various CPU architectures, but this is merely a hobby of mine and useless for the job market. -- There exist lots of people who seriously could not understand how I could not find a job as a programmer. For example quite some doctoral classmates (who could find a job in software development) called me a "wandering encyclopedia of the history of computer science". -- As I said: I found a job in a sector that is very different from software development. Just don't tell me that it is easy to find a job in software development; it isn't, even if you are willing to relocate anywhere in Germany or Austria. And I know quite some people who have the same experience.
  - adrianN 7y ago
    If you're still looking for a C++ job in Berlin, drop me an email.
    - wolfgke 7y ago
      If you are talking about think-cell: about 1.5 years ago, I applied, but was rejected after the programming test (even though they liked my CV and had to admit that the C++ code that I sent in was of decent quality). Let me put it this way: I am more of a deep thinker than a fast thinker and (to put it in mathematical terms) more of a theory maker than a problem solver (i.e. I prefer Alexander Grothendieck over Paul Erdős, even though, of course, both were great mathematicians). So, I was not capable to solve the hard algorithmic problem that think-cell had in their programming test in the given 9 hours; not for a lack of C++ skills, but for a lack of experience in developing "crazy" data structures and rather being a deep thinker/theory maker instead of a fast thinker/problem solver.
      - adrianN 7y ago
        Solving interview problems is something that can be trained fairly effectively. Investing a few dozen hours into doing that improves your chances in coding interviews a lot. I tanked my first job interview (at Google) because I didn't know how to prepare. The next interviews I did much better.
      - sveme 7y ago
        Don't take it the wrong way and don't take it personally, but herein may lie the problem: companies are rarely looking for a deep thinker, but for said problem solver and someone getting shit done. At least, that's what most software development is about. Building things that can be sold.
        wolfgke 7y ago
        That is why I wrote "(to put it in mathematical terms)": also Grothendieck and his scholars solved hard problems. If you compare mathematical style of the mentioned Alexander Grothendieck and Paul Erdős, you will sense that they represent very different styles of doing mathematics. That is what I am referring to.

adrianN 7y ago

Maybe it depends on the type of software development that you want to do? What area is your expertise in?

wolfgke 7y ago
I think I know quite a lot about C and C++ (which means Modern C++ (currently C++17)), but have also worked in a lot of other programming languages (including Python, Java, JavaScript, Erlang (additionally, some further ones for university courses)). Additionally to computer science, I studied mathematics, where I also have a doctorate. I wrote my doctoral thesis about some very tricky questions about geometric structures behind optimization algorithms for discrete optimization problems. In all of these areas (mathematics, computer science, doctorate in mathematics), I either graduated with best possible or second best possible mark. I also claim to know more about IT security than my CV suggests (I got one job interview for a job in this sector, and afterwards the interviewer told me that I have far too much knowledge in this area to be suitable for the available jobs; "you belong into academia"). The same holds, I believe, for embedded programming, where I also think to know quite a lot. Why am I so sure about it? Because as a hobby, I worked on reverse-engineering the firmware of some quite non-trivial embedded device. I also think that I have an immense knowledge of arcane details of the instruction encodings of various CPU architectures, but this is merely a hobby of mine and useless for the job market. -- There exist lots of people who seriously could not understand how I could not find a job as a programmer. For example quite some doctoral classmates (who could find a job in software development) called me a "wandering encyclopedia of the history of computer science". -- As I said: I found a job in a sector that is very different from software development. Just don't tell me that it is easy to find a job in software development; it isn't, even if you are willing to relocate anywhere in Germany or Austria. And I know quite some people who have the same experience.
- adrianN 7y ago
  If you're still looking for a C++ job in Berlin, drop me an email.
  - wolfgke 7y ago
    If you are talking about think-cell: about 1.5 years ago, I applied, but was rejected after the programming test (even though they liked my CV and had to admit that the C++ code that I sent in was of decent quality). Let me put it this way: I am more of a deep thinker than a fast thinker and (to put it in mathematical terms) more of a theory maker than a problem solver (i.e. I prefer Alexander Grothendieck over Paul Erdős, even though, of course, both were great mathematicians). So, I was not capable to solve the hard algorithmic problem that think-cell had in their programming test in the given 9 hours; not for a lack of C++ skills, but for a lack of experience in developing "crazy" data structures and rather being a deep thinker/theory maker instead of a fast thinker/problem solver.
    - adrianN 7y ago
      Solving interview problems is something that can be trained fairly effectively. Investing a few dozen hours into doing that improves your chances in coding interviews a lot. I tanked my first job interview (at Google) because I didn't know how to prepare. The next interviews I did much better.
    - sveme 7y ago
      Don't take it the wrong way and don't take it personally, but herein may lie the problem: companies are rarely looking for a deep thinker, but for said problem solver and someone getting shit done. At least, that's what most software development is about. Building things that can be sold.
      - wolfgke 7y ago
        That is why I wrote "(to put it in mathematical terms)": also Grothendieck and his scholars solved hard problems. If you compare mathematical style of the mentioned Alexander Grothendieck and Paul Erdős, you will sense that they represent very different styles of doing mathematics. That is what I am referring to.