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There are lots of jobs for low level programmers outside of games too. I've worked for ITA Software (mentioned by PG in Great Hackers), Endeca (recently bought

There are lots of jobs for low level programmers outside of games too. I've worked for ITA Software (mentioned by PG in Great Hackers), Endeca (recently bought by Oracle for $1B, and we had nothing to do with photo sharing), have been wooed by robotics companies, and now work on file system caches with a peer-to-peer component.

pagekalisedown 15y ago
I have the impression that new grads aren't attracted to low-level programming because of the greater proportion of higher level programming jobs. I think low level jobs need more visibility. Perhaps a monthly "Who's Hiring" thread for low-level jobs would help.
- eli_gottlieb 15y ago
  Dear Lord would it help! I've been looking for low-level jobs for a long, long time, but they're just not visible.
  - pagekalisedown 15y ago
    If you're not looking for a game industry job (Gamasutra), where do you suggest someone should look for a low-level job?
    - eli_gottlieb 15y ago
      I pretty much don't know. Finance and gaming seem to be the only sectors that value systems-level performance above being a web page.
      - aswanson 15y ago
        You can just search for 'firmware', 'device driver', or 'embedded' on any tech job site.
    - aswanson 15y ago
      Just go onto dice.com and type in 'embedded'. That's the keyword for low-level programming jobs: http://seeker.dice.com/jobsearch/servlet/JobSearch?op=300&N=0&Hf=0&NUM_PER_PAGE=30&Ntk=JobSearchRanking&Ntx=mode+matchall&AREA_CODES=&AC_COUNTRY=1525&QUICK=1&ZIPCODE=&RADIUS=64.37376&ZC_COUNTRY=0&COUNTRY=1525&STAT_PROV=0&METRO_AREA=33.78715899%2C-84.39164034&TRAVEL=0&TAXTERM=0&SORTSPEC=0&FRMT=0&DAYSBACK=30&LOCATION_OPTION=2&FREE_TEXT=embedded&WHERE= http://seeker.dice.com/jobsearch/servlet/JobSearch?op=300&#3...
- cube13 15y ago
  I think the main issue is that a lot of CS programs don't really teach these subjects. The top rated CS programs teach them(I learned all of the subjects listed in TFA while I was an undergrad at UIUC) but I think a lot of CS degrees are just Java or C# programming training now.
  - diek 15y ago
    Computer Science programs that are taken seriously are certified by ABET, which requires computer architecture and operating systems courses that cover most of the topics he lists. Many employers (specifically Intel, but I've seen many others) specify an ABET-accredited BS program in education requirements for job openings.
andrewacove 15y ago
One of the cofounders of ITA Software, Dave Baggett, used to work for Naughty Dog, which is one of the top studios in the world for this type of low-level development. Given Dave's PS1 work, it's no surprise ITA values the same skills. (Full disclosure: I worked at ND).

pagekalisedown 15y ago

I have the impression that new grads aren't attracted to low-level programming because of the greater proportion of higher level programming jobs. I think low level jobs need more visibility. Perhaps a monthly "Who's Hiring" thread for low-level jobs would help.

eli_gottlieb 15y ago
Dear Lord would it help! I've been looking for low-level jobs for a long, long time, but they're just not visible.
- pagekalisedown 15y ago
  If you're not looking for a game industry job (Gamasutra), where do you suggest someone should look for a low-level job?
  - eli_gottlieb 15y ago
    I pretty much don't know. Finance and gaming seem to be the only sectors that value systems-level performance above being a web page.
    - aswanson 15y ago
      You can just search for 'firmware', 'device driver', or 'embedded' on any tech job site.
  - aswanson 15y ago
    Just go onto dice.com and type in 'embedded'. That's the keyword for low-level programming jobs: http://seeker.dice.com/jobsearch/servlet/JobSearch?op=300&N=0&Hf=0&NUM_PER_PAGE=30&Ntk=JobSearchRanking&Ntx=mode+matchall&AREA_CODES=&AC_COUNTRY=1525&QUICK=1&ZIPCODE=&RADIUS=64.37376&ZC_COUNTRY=0&COUNTRY=1525&STAT_PROV=0&METRO_AREA=33.78715899%2C-84.39164034&TRAVEL=0&TAXTERM=0&SORTSPEC=0&FRMT=0&DAYSBACK=30&LOCATION_OPTION=2&FREE_TEXT=embedded&WHERE= http://seeker.dice.com/jobsearch/servlet/JobSearch?op=300&#3...
cube13 15y ago
I think the main issue is that a lot of CS programs don't really teach these subjects. The top rated CS programs teach them(I learned all of the subjects listed in TFA while I was an undergrad at UIUC) but I think a lot of CS degrees are just Java or C# programming training now.
- diek 15y ago
  Computer Science programs that are taken seriously are certified by ABET, which requires computer architecture and operating systems courses that cover most of the topics he lists. Many employers (specifically Intel, but I've seen many others) specify an ABET-accredited BS program in education requirements for job openings.

andrewacove 15y ago

One of the cofounders of ITA Software, Dave Baggett, used to work for Naughty Dog, which is one of the top studios in the world for this type of low-level development. Given Dave's PS1 work, it's no surprise ITA values the same skills. (Full disclosure: I worked at ND).