5 ms·

How to Land a Six-Figure Software Developer Job

20 points by r11t 18y ago

zackattack 18y ago
As a soon-to-be college graduate (as of this June), I am especially curious about this. I majored in Psychology, and did a lot of stuff with abstract math, but have limited formal CS training - yet it seems that's exactly what companies want. I don't get it. I've been coding for fun for over 12 years (e.g., BASIC, C++, perl, PHP), one of my projects even successfully scaled and got acquired, but it's hard to find employment. And besides doing my own start-up, I really would love to code for a living! Should I go get a Master's in CS? Spend time this summer working through SICP, and then an algorithms book (I took Discrete for fun, as an elective), and then something else? Any advice would be much, much appreciated.
- deleted 18y ago
  [deleted]
- jmtulloss 18y ago
  It's pretty easy for an HR person to weed you out because of your degree. Talk to actual engineers you know in the industry. If they think you can cut it, I'm sure they'll be happy to pass your credentials and a recommendation on to a hiring manager. The masters in CS can't hurt either; you just need to decide how you want to spend your time.
  - jmatt 18y ago
    I agree. After you get your first job and get some experience you'll be good. It's just finding a way to get past HR. They just look at credentials and may ignore your unconventional interest in programming. Don't worry though, after that first job you are good. Recent experience and your reputation in the industry will outweigh your undergrad degree. The CS degree won't hurt but I would only do it if you already had research in mind that you wanted to pursue. That seems to be the key to enjoying grad school - chasing your passion and interests.
- Erf 18y ago
  Your best bet is to go after companies where developers do the hiring. To a recruiter who isn't a developer, your resume doesn't conform to the parameters they know to look for. They're not in a position to judge whether your non-academic experience qualifies you for the positions they're responsible for fulling. To a developer who's tired of putting up with halfhearted graduates, and/or those who need a lot of hand-holding, your resume will likely jump off the page. Where are you most likely to find companies where developers do the hiring? The smaller the company, generally, the better the odds.
  - aminuit 18y ago
    I agree with your sentiment regarding halfhearted graduates 100%. I've been a professional developer for about 4 years now and have been on the interviewer side of the table for about the past 18 months. The sheer number of crappy engineers that end up with CS degrees is astounding. I'm talking about freshly minted CS grads that can't even get past your run of the mill fizzbuzz test, much less get into anything really challenging. For zackattack, hobby programming doesn't really count on resumes so it won't get you past the HR drones. Whatever time you spent on your project that was eventually acquired certainly counts as professional experience though, so you should include that prominently on whatever you are sending out to people. That being said, if you really know what you're doing it will be immediately obvious and appreciated during any technical interviews. Smart developers know when they are talking to other smart developers. Good luck!
- jcbozonier 18y ago
  One suggestion that no one else has mentioned is take a job at below average pay. I mean so little that you know for sure you're a good deal. I got my first real programming job back in '04 (with no degree) asking for about half what everyone else was making (I didn't have any idea what I should ask for). Within a year and a half I was at a jr. level pay and was able to move on to a much better salary.
- larryfreeman 18y ago
  My recommendation is not to worry too much about the psychology major per se. Just make sure to list computer classes that you've taken and achievements that you've made in your resume (I always included an Achievements section in my resume). I have a psychology major from UCLA and it never stopped me from getting an interview or a job. Although every single interview, I had to explain about my computer experience. Once it was clear that I was technical, the psychology major became a nonissue. Independent of all this, I would encourage you to get a masters in computer science. The more deeply you understand CS, algorithms, etc., the better you'll do as a candidate.
- lacker 18y ago
  If possible, get into a PhD program rather than a master's and quit after two years. Then you get your master's for free. Also, right now the job market is particularly bad. Around 3/4 of companies have a hiring freeze. So don't necessarily blame your own resume when you are wondering why it's tough to get a job.
- edw519 18y ago
  "I've been coding for fun for over 12 years (e.g., BASIC, C++, perl, PHP), one of my projects even successfully scaled and got acquired, but it's hard to find employment." You're looking in the wrong places. You're already ahead of 90% of the programmers I've ever met. You obviously have aptitude, competence, and most importantly, passion. All you need is to take your Positive Mental Attitude and get more real work experience, either with your employer's customers or your own. Many here would disagree with me, but credentials are highly overrated. They're everywhere. What's most scarce is demonstrated performance developing and deploying successful applications for real world customers. Why waste your time padding paperwork with "titles" when you can pad yourself (and the rest of the world) with good software. Get creative and find some customers (your own or through employment). Talk to anyone you know. Try something different and get your software written and out there. Good luck and keep us posted!
  - stewiecat 17y ago
    +1 And try to surround yourself with other developers who share that passion and drive. Nothing kills motivation than working with folks who view software development as an easy paycheck.
- deleted 18y ago
  [deleted]
villageidiot 18y ago
I signed up with GlassDoor.com to see what the Java interview questions were like. I only found three (nationwide) and they are not exactly illuminating: "Create a small table driven site to display items from a database table." "What do you think of Jakarta software?" "How many people use the websites you've worked on?"
lacker 18y ago
So what is wrong with { object* p=NULL; p = new object(); p->foo() delete p; } Do they just mean the missing semicolon? If so that's a pretty lame interview question.
- aminuit 18y ago
  You omitted a line. { object* p=NULL; p = new object(); p->foo() delete p; } // ?? Whats wrong with above 1) Missing a semi-colon. 2) The developer knowingly checked in broken code as evidenced by the comment. 3) In English the question mark comes at the end of the sentence.
- brc 18y ago
  In the age of instant syntax error feedback, it's exceedingly lame. Here's the formula for getting a 6 figure developer job. 1) learn your craft 2) get experience 3) be pleasant and productive Answering crappy interview questions doesn't really come into it. It's as if the author thinks the thing that separates success from failure is knowing the answer to gimmicky questions.
  - andylei 18y ago
    There are many elements of getting a 6 figure developer job. The things you mentioned are important, but answering interview questions are important as well. If you can't answer interview questions, you can start up (nothing wrong with that), but you won't be able to land jobs.
    - brc 18y ago
      "but answering interview questions are important as well" Agreed - it's very important to interview well. answering crappy and stupid interview questions : Disagree strongly. Anyone asking these idiotic questions 'why are manhole covers round?' is more likely trying to prove to themselves how clever they are at asking tricky questions than finding the candidate with the right fit and skills.
r11t 18y ago
Has anyone read "Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job"? I have only browsed the table of contents and it looks pretty promising in terms of figuring out what areas of software development to review/improve before attempting to interview for a developer position.
- staunch 18y ago
  The best way to find out what skills you need for the kind of job you want is to look at job descriptions. Some of them have a lot of fluff, but the best ones are very detailed and the requirements are truly what they want you to be able to do.
edw519 18y ago
I bet this thing gets gamed faster than you could bubble sort all the round man-hole covers in every gas station in your zip code. What a bunch of B.S. Do you really think you can "game" your way into a 6 figure job by answering a few brain teasers? And if so, how long would you last? Competent hirers look for "demonstrated performance". Technical questions are sometimes necessary, but hardly sufficient to find that out.
mattmaroon 18y ago
Come work for Blue Frog Gaming. (well, close to 6 figs, and def there once we IPO).

20 points by r11t 18y ago

As a soon-to-be college graduate (as of this June), I am especially curious about this. I majored in Psychology, and did a lot of stuff with abstract math, but have limited formal CS training - yet it seems that's exactly what companies want. I don't get it. I've been coding for fun for over 12 years (e.g., BASIC, C++, perl, PHP), one of my projects even successfully scaled and got acquired, but it's hard to find employment. And besides doing my own start-up, I really would love to code for a living! Should I go get a Master's in CS? Spend time this summer working through SICP, and then an algorithms book (I took Discrete for fun, as an elective), and then something else? Any advice would be much, much appreciated.

deleted 18y ago
[deleted]
jmtulloss 18y ago
It's pretty easy for an HR person to weed you out because of your degree. Talk to actual engineers you know in the industry. If they think you can cut it, I'm sure they'll be happy to pass your credentials and a recommendation on to a hiring manager. The masters in CS can't hurt either; you just need to decide how you want to spend your time.
- jmatt 18y ago
  I agree. After you get your first job and get some experience you'll be good. It's just finding a way to get past HR. They just look at credentials and may ignore your unconventional interest in programming. Don't worry though, after that first job you are good. Recent experience and your reputation in the industry will outweigh your undergrad degree. The CS degree won't hurt but I would only do it if you already had research in mind that you wanted to pursue. That seems to be the key to enjoying grad school - chasing your passion and interests.
Erf 18y ago
Your best bet is to go after companies where developers do the hiring. To a recruiter who isn't a developer, your resume doesn't conform to the parameters they know to look for. They're not in a position to judge whether your non-academic experience qualifies you for the positions they're responsible for fulling. To a developer who's tired of putting up with halfhearted graduates, and/or those who need a lot of hand-holding, your resume will likely jump off the page. Where are you most likely to find companies where developers do the hiring? The smaller the company, generally, the better the odds.
- aminuit 18y ago
  I agree with your sentiment regarding halfhearted graduates 100%. I've been a professional developer for about 4 years now and have been on the interviewer side of the table for about the past 18 months. The sheer number of crappy engineers that end up with CS degrees is astounding. I'm talking about freshly minted CS grads that can't even get past your run of the mill fizzbuzz test, much less get into anything really challenging. For zackattack, hobby programming doesn't really count on resumes so it won't get you past the HR drones. Whatever time you spent on your project that was eventually acquired certainly counts as professional experience though, so you should include that prominently on whatever you are sending out to people. That being said, if you really know what you're doing it will be immediately obvious and appreciated during any technical interviews. Smart developers know when they are talking to other smart developers. Good luck!
jcbozonier 18y ago
One suggestion that no one else has mentioned is take a job at below average pay. I mean so little that you know for sure you're a good deal. I got my first real programming job back in '04 (with no degree) asking for about half what everyone else was making (I didn't have any idea what I should ask for). Within a year and a half I was at a jr. level pay and was able to move on to a much better salary.
larryfreeman 18y ago
My recommendation is not to worry too much about the psychology major per se. Just make sure to list computer classes that you've taken and achievements that you've made in your resume (I always included an Achievements section in my resume). I have a psychology major from UCLA and it never stopped me from getting an interview or a job. Although every single interview, I had to explain about my computer experience. Once it was clear that I was technical, the psychology major became a nonissue. Independent of all this, I would encourage you to get a masters in computer science. The more deeply you understand CS, algorithms, etc., the better you'll do as a candidate.
lacker 18y ago
If possible, get into a PhD program rather than a master's and quit after two years. Then you get your master's for free. Also, right now the job market is particularly bad. Around 3/4 of companies have a hiring freeze. So don't necessarily blame your own resume when you are wondering why it's tough to get a job.
edw519 18y ago
"I've been coding for fun for over 12 years (e.g., BASIC, C++, perl, PHP), one of my projects even successfully scaled and got acquired, but it's hard to find employment." You're looking in the wrong places. You're already ahead of 90% of the programmers I've ever met. You obviously have aptitude, competence, and most importantly, passion. All you need is to take your Positive Mental Attitude and get more real work experience, either with your employer's customers or your own. Many here would disagree with me, but credentials are highly overrated. They're everywhere. What's most scarce is demonstrated performance developing and deploying successful applications for real world customers. Why waste your time padding paperwork with "titles" when you can pad yourself (and the rest of the world) with good software. Get creative and find some customers (your own or through employment). Talk to anyone you know. Try something different and get your software written and out there. Good luck and keep us posted!
- stewiecat 17y ago
  +1 And try to surround yourself with other developers who share that passion and drive. Nothing kills motivation than working with folks who view software development as an easy paycheck.
deleted 18y ago
[deleted]

villageidiot 18y ago

I signed up with GlassDoor.com to see what the Java interview questions were like. I only found three (nationwide) and they are not exactly illuminating: "Create a small table driven site to display items from a database table." "What do you think of Jakarta software?" "How many people use the websites you've worked on?"

lacker 18y ago

So what is wrong with { object* p=NULL; p = new object(); p->foo() delete p; } Do they just mean the missing semicolon? If so that's a pretty lame interview question.

aminuit 18y ago
You omitted a line. { object* p=NULL; p = new object(); p->foo() delete p; } // ?? Whats wrong with above 1) Missing a semi-colon. 2) The developer knowingly checked in broken code as evidenced by the comment. 3) In English the question mark comes at the end of the sentence.
brc 18y ago
In the age of instant syntax error feedback, it's exceedingly lame. Here's the formula for getting a 6 figure developer job. 1) learn your craft 2) get experience 3) be pleasant and productive Answering crappy interview questions doesn't really come into it. It's as if the author thinks the thing that separates success from failure is knowing the answer to gimmicky questions.
- andylei 18y ago
  There are many elements of getting a 6 figure developer job. The things you mentioned are important, but answering interview questions are important as well. If you can't answer interview questions, you can start up (nothing wrong with that), but you won't be able to land jobs.
  - brc 18y ago
    "but answering interview questions are important as well" Agreed - it's very important to interview well. answering crappy and stupid interview questions : Disagree strongly. Anyone asking these idiotic questions 'why are manhole covers round?' is more likely trying to prove to themselves how clever they are at asking tricky questions than finding the candidate with the right fit and skills.

r11t 18y ago

Has anyone read "Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job"? I have only browsed the table of contents and it looks pretty promising in terms of figuring out what areas of software development to review/improve before attempting to interview for a developer position.

staunch 18y ago
The best way to find out what skills you need for the kind of job you want is to look at job descriptions. Some of them have a lot of fluff, but the best ones are very detailed and the requirements are truly what they want you to be able to do.

edw519 18y ago

I bet this thing gets gamed faster than you could bubble sort all the round man-hole covers in every gas station in your zip code. What a bunch of B.S. Do you really think you can "game" your way into a 6 figure job by answering a few brain teasers? And if so, how long would you last? Competent hirers look for "demonstrated performance". Technical questions are sometimes necessary, but hardly sufficient to find that out.

mattmaroon 18y ago

Come work for Blue Frog Gaming. (well, close to 6 figs, and def there once we IPO).