1. Project---"Real" (with 4yr degree and works as one) computer
In school I'm working on a careers project and I can't find out some
information. Would someone who fits my definition of 'real' programmer please
respond to me, not the list, with answers to these questions:
1. What are the benifits of being a programmer? What do you like the best?
2. What are the disadvantages of the job? What do you like least?
3. Is there a union to join? If so, which one, and how much are dues/year?
4. What are the fringe benefits of the job? (Health, dental, life insurance)
What do you have to pay for each? Pension? 401K w/ or w/out matching, stock
options? Overtime? Bonuses?
5. How much paid sick time or vacation time is provided to start? how much
does it increase each year? What is the maximum?
Please someone respond to these questions,
Thanks,
Mike Hurley
2. Re: Project---"Real" (with 4yr degree and works as one) computer
I believe I speak for most, if not all, of the list when I respond
to this message in this manner. I believe all of us, on THIS list,
program in Euphoria by choice. Most of us do it only as a hobbie.
In other words, We simply enjoy the godlike feeling of creating our
own little "Frankensteins". I dare say that, Many of us DON'T have
jobs as computer programmers. Several of us are still attending
school. Some of us college, others high school, OR something of the
like. Many of us may work as fast food servers, car mechanics, or
many other types of General Labor.
In short, This means that unions, fringe benefits, health benefits,
401K and other job related circumstances don't apply to most of us.
Euphoria isn't currently used in a mass scale for bussiness
applications like COBOL, C, C++, PASCAL, FORTRAN, and many other
languages. Euphoria is finding its niche but it currently doesn't
seem to be in the bussiness arena like ther previously mentioned
languages.
Sincerely and Thoughtfully, Lucius L. Hilley III
On Mon, 18 Jan 1999 10:17:55 EST, Mike Hurley <MHsSoft at AOL.COM> wrote:
>In school I'm working on a careers project and I can't find out some
>information. Would someone who fits my definition of 'real' programmer please
>respond to me, not the list, with answers to these questions:
>
>1. What are the benifits of being a programmer? What do you like the best?
>
>2. What are the disadvantages of the job? What do you like least?
>
>3. Is there a union to join? If so, which one, and how much are dues/year?
>
>4. What are the fringe benefits of the job? (Health, dental, life insurance)
>What do you have to pay for each? Pension? 401K w/ or w/out matching, stock
>options? Overtime? Bonuses?
>
>5. How much paid sick time or vacation time is provided to start? how much
>does it increase each year? What is the maximum?
>
>Please someone respond to these questions,
>Thanks,
>Mike Hurley
3. Re: Project---"Real" (with 4yr degree and works as one) computer
] In school I'm working on a careers project and I can't find out some
] information. Would someone who fits my definition of 'real' programmer
] please respond to me, not the list, with answers to these questions:
I don't really count yet, but I'm on that 4yr degree course ;)
] 1. What are the benifits of being a programmer? What do you like the best?
a) The major benefit is money. People will pay the Earth if you know what
you're doing. A friend of mine was recently offered £2,000 [~= $3,200]
to create a *website*! As for other benefits:
b) Many companies will let you work from home. Paid freedom!
(Within reason :) see 2(a) )
c) You tend to work in groups (most people on this list know how hard it
can be to work on a evan a small project alone). Shared blame if things go
wrong!
d) Immense satisfaction when you do a good job. And happy customers. I'm
currently working part-time in a mail-order warehouse during my degree. No
visible customers. No gratitude. Need proper job ;)
] 2. What are the disadvantages of the job? What do you like least?
a) Extremely tight deadlines, because:
b) Lots of department managers got where they are in the dinosaur age.
They have no idea of the constraints needed to produce a decent system.
See Dilbert :) http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/dilbert
Disclaimer: Not all bosses are idiots. It just seems like it sometimes.
c) ...and also because the customer has a deadline too. Y2K is a good
example here.
d) Software Engineering. [I saw some people turn green then :) ] Some
companies have tight guidelines for specification, design and testing of
projects. Your job in this case is 10% programming, 90% admin. Aargh!
] 3. Is there a union to join? If so, which one, and how much are dues/year?
This depends on the country you are in. Most of Europe & UK can join
FEANI, which is basically a Federation of Engineers.
In Britain, there's the BCS (British Computer Society).
I don't know about the States. :(
The fees are [AFAIK] usually quite low, if you actually have a related
job. And you can always rejoin if they have to cut you off in times of
hardship. They're not that cruel.
NB: If you're good enough to join an organisation like these. JOIN ONE!
Some people will employ you on your membership to these societies
alone!!
] 4. What are the fringe benefits of the job? (Health, dental, life insurance)
] What do you have to pay for each? Pension? 401K w/ or w/out matching, stock
] options? Overtime? Bonuses?
This depends entirely on the company. There are no hard-and-fast rules for
dealing with programm|ers/ing. Just like any other job really.
] 5. How much paid sick time or vacation time is provided to start? how much
] does it increase each year? What is the maximum?
Again, this depends on the company you work for. Sorry. :(
But then again, if you become the boss, you have in fact infinite
golf^H^H^H^Hsick time. :)
HTH,
Carl
--
Carl R White -- Final Year Computer Science at the University of Bradford
E-mail........: cyrek- at -bigfoot.com -- Remove hyphens. Ta :)
URL...........: http://www.bigfoot.com/~cyrek/
Uncrackable...: "19.6A.23.38.52.73.45 25.31.1C 3C.53.44.39.58"
4. Re: Project---"Real" (with 4yr degree and works as one) computer
Answers for Programmers who are regular EMPLOYEES
1) Benefits - Programmers usually work in clean comfortable
surroundings. They get to use expensive toys and enjoy the
feeling having built something that might last for a while.
2) Disadvantages - Programmers are often on call, have to
pop
up in the middle of the night to fix other people's
problems.
No-one has a clue how much time or effort it takes for you
to
do your job. Non-programmers think we talk to machines and
the
damned things do what we want.
3) Union - I have never met a unionized programmer. There
are a
few and they do their best to hide their shame.
4) Fringies - programmers are usually exempt salaried
employees,
meaning they have most of the best fringies. Since we are
usually exempt, there is not likely to be any overtime pay.
5) Sick pay and vacation belong in question 4.
Now, if you are a CONSULTING PROGRAMMER, everything changes:
1) The primary benefit is considerably higher pay.
2) Expect to experience periods of unemployment as well as
wildly varying rates of pay. Do not do this unless you are
well able to Plan and Manage your financial life, including
saving, managing and planning for RETIREMENT.
3) no unions
4) Pay for your own fringies.
5) No sick pay, no payed vacation. See answer #2.
30 years a programmer - I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.
In what
other life would hundreds of people call me "Flash" in the
workplace
without a second thought?
-Flash->
Mike Hurley wrote:
>
> In school I'm working on a careers project and I can't find out some
> information. Would someone who fits my definition of 'real' programmer please
> respond to me, not the list, with answers to these questions:
>
> 1. What are the benifits of being a programmer? What do you like the best?
>
> 2. What are the disadvantages of the job? What do you like least?
>
> 3. Is there a union to join? If so, which one, and how much are dues/year?
>
> 4. What are the fringe benefits of the job? (Health, dental, life insurance)
> What do you have to pay for each? Pension? 401K w/ or w/out matching, stock
> options? Overtime? Bonuses?
>
> 5. How much paid sick time or vacation time is provided to start? how much
> does it increase each year? What is the maximum?
>
> Please someone respond to these questions,
> Thanks,
> Mike Hurley
--
-------------------
C. C. -Flash-> Braden, linkmaster:
http://www.freecitizen.com/
This week's cartoon:
http://www.freecitizen.com/carlmoore/NEW.HTM
