Information Technology (IT)

Struggling to find and internship while I'm starting my CS classes in college, almost all of them require experience. 
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Why do you need an internship? IT is one of those fields where you find a low paying "pizza" job to gain exp. If all else fails try gething a geek squad gig
 
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Struggling to find and internship while I'm starting my CS classes in college, almost all of them require experience. 
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Doesn't matter what the requirements are just apply to everything. 

@fac3 tak30v312  very bad advice. A pizza spot is the equivalent to 0 experience. If it is not related to the field it does not count. Best thing to do with CS is to get as many internships as you can while in school to be a very sought after candidate once its time to find a full time job.

Honestly @Halftime  what you need to do as a freshman is attend as many career fairs as possible. Land an internship your first summer then keep moving from there. If you are a minority look into National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). NSBE has the biggest career fair in the US over 300+ major companies.

If you can accomplish that you will graduate with many offers and a great salary. Worked out for me. Goodluck!
 
@BeezyGotSole  Appreciate the advice man.  Thing is I'm actually a senior just starting my CS classes so everything is pretty new to me.  I feel like I dropped the ball already but I cant complain about lost time. But I'm definitely gonna keep applying to every internship I see. 
 
@Halftime don't worry about it. You really can never be too late with CS. Like I said just apply to everything they don't expect you to know everything. I didn't get my first software engineering internship until the summer before my last semester in school.
 
I should've majored in CS in college.

I don't get why i don't get Java. I put it on the back burner to focus on easier languages right now. Im seeing all off these articles talking about job openings for specific skills i.e. Web Developer, Java Developer, etc, but yet i don't see the postings for the gigs
 
@BeezyGotSole
 Appreciate the advice man.  Thing is I'm actually a senior just starting my CS classes so everything is pretty new to me.  I feel like I dropped the ball already but I cant complain about lost time. But I'm definitely gonna keep applying to every internship I see. 

I'm in the same boat, waited until senior year to take these CS classes, so I delayed my graduation by a couple years. Taking Discrete mathematics right now, **** is hard man :lol

We had to take 2 Java classes, **** was hard for me too man. I enjoyed learning about it but those all nighters trying to get programs to work was no bueno :{
 
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So what kind of job can you expect to get with a CS degree? Are we just talking about sitting at a desk and making programs or what? I understand that the future is in computers so it seems like a stable but boring job, can anyone give me some input please.
 
I'm in the same boat, waited until senior year to take these CS classes, so I delayed my graduation by a couple years. Taking Discrete mathematics right now, **** is hard man
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We had to take 2 Java classes, **** was hard for me too man. I enjoyed learning about it but those all nighters trying to get programs to work was no bueno
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I'm about to start Discrete next week. 
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Thanks again @BeezyGotSole.  Definitely a confidence booster. 
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No problem man CS is a great field and some people don't take advantage of the opportunities.

I think pushing back your graduation date is a bad idea. I have friends that graduated with
 
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So what kind of job can you expect to get with a CS degree? Are we just talking about sitting at a desk and making programs or what? I understand that the future is in computers so it seems like a stable but boring job, can anyone give me some input please.

CS is a very versatile field. Think about all of the different companies that use computers. They are a part of everyday life in just about every field you can think of, from automotive manufacturing to food services to weapons and defense. Database administration, software/hardware design, mobile device management... With a CS degree, pretty much anything involving a computer or a network can potentially provide you with a job. They don't all revolve around being at a desk.

Just to give you a quick idea, before I graduated I was a contractor for the local school district. I was assisting in the rollout of iPads in every school, so almost every day I was at a different location putting the hardware in place (iPads, Apple TV, iPad carts, etc.,) teaching school staff how to use it, creating tutorials for people, and a bunch of other stuff. After graduating I got an offer from the state gov't doing basic help desk stuff and have moved into researching prospective technologies that my agency is looking to implement (mostly business intelligence stuff) as well as a little bit of managing the telephony and Airwatch system (used to manage iOS devices.) I mostly stay at my desk these days.

Literally every major company uses computers in some type of fashion. Whether its managing their systems, creating applications for those systems, or building new systems for them to use...you can find a job that will match just about any of your desires for a job. You can find one that will place you at a desk all day, or one that has you traveling across the city/state/nation. All you need is to get your foot in the door and manuver your way from there.
 
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Wtf how? What positions did they land?

Easy, they applied to many jobs then studied/prepared alot for the interview once contacted. Jobs are plentiful in the DC area avg salary for CS is 60K here pretty much can get that with not much effort. One is a Systems Engineer and the other is doing Software Engineering.

My boy that grinded his *** off of with internships (completed 4 different internships) is graduting this May and has an offer for 80K that he accepted back in August 14'. He is still grinding and talking to employers for more job offers.

With CS the job market is prime depending on location. If you really work for it you can land great jobs right now. I am still receiving calls for interviews and I stopped applying back in October. Don't be afraid to relocate if the opportunities aren't plentiful in your area.
 
In the IT world a pizza job is a low level or low paying IT job. ie One that pays enough that you could get a case of beer and some pizza, obviously low level IT jobs pay much more than this but it's just a saying in the IT world
 
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Never heard of that term. I'd still recommend an internship over a "pizza job". Something that can turn into a job offer that is actually what you want to do after graduation.
 
I should've majored in CS in college.

I don't get why i don't get Java. I put it on the back burner to focus on easier languages right now. Im seeing all off these articles talking about job openings for specific skills i.e. Web Developer, Java Developer, etc, but yet i don't see the postings for the gigs
i hated java in college but now.. Its not that much more different than C++ (which i hate object oriented programming with a passion)..
 
Easy, they applied to many jobs then studied/prepared alot for the interview once contacted. Jobs are plentiful in the DC area avg salary for CS is 60K here pretty much can get that with not much effort. One is a Systems Engineer and the other is doing Software Engineering.

My boy that grinded his *** off of with internships (completed 4 different internships) is graduting this May and has an offer for 80K that he accepted back in August 14'. He is still grinding and talking to employers for more job offers.

With CS the job market is prime depending on location. If you really work for it you can land great jobs right now. I am still receiving calls for interviews and I stopped applying back in October. Don't be afraid to relocate if the opportunities aren't plentiful in your area.
But 60k in DC isnt alot when you count in the apt and home prices and the traffic jams that never ever ever ever end.. but yeah places like Dallas youre making the money and the cost of living is good and the traffic isnt as crazy as ATL or DC.
 
 
I should've majored in CS in college.

I don't get why i don't get Java. I put it on the back burner to focus on easier languages right now. Im seeing all off these articles talking about job openings for specific skills i.e. Web Developer, Java Developer, etc, but yet i don't see the postings for the gigs
i hated java in college but now.. Its not that much more different than C++ (which i hate object oriented programming with a passion)..
I actually really like it. You can do some fun **** with Java, it's currently what im focusing on.

Still scared to apply to any software engineering internships though.. Just can't shake the feeling of them sitting me down and asking something of me I have no clue how to do, especially being black.

Feel like I need to be a walking dictionary to rise above.

Dathbgboy idk what school you went to but you can always connect to employers through the career center at your alumni. My school specifically allows you to cut the career center out and go straight to communicating with the employer through private internships/job listings through the university site. I'd look into that.
 
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Is having a car necessary to live in DC? I have a family member who lives in DC who is willing to let me stay with him while I look for IT security jobs. Not sure whether to go for it or not.
 
 
But 60k in DC isnt alot when you count in the apt and home prices and the traffic jams that never ever ever ever end.. but yeah places like Dallas youre making the money and the cost of living is good and the traffic isnt as crazy as ATL or DC.
60K is more than enough. Most people get an apartment with roommates or live with their parents for the first few years. With a roomate you wouldn't be paying more than $500-$600/month on rent. There are places to live outside of DC seems like people forget that lol. Your commute also depends on where you live. I drive 30mins to work and 45mins home after work with traffic.
 
 
I actually really like it. You can do some fun **** with Java, it's currently what im focusing on.

Still scared to apply to any software engineering internships though.. Just can't shake the feeling of them sitting me down and asking something of me I have no clue how to do, especially being black.

Feel like I need to be a walking dictionary to rise above.

Dathbgboy idk what school you went to but you can always connect to employers through the career center at your alumni. My school specifically allows you to cut the career center out and go straight to communicating with the employer through private internships/job listings through the university site. I'd look into that.
Stop right there fam.

Don't let that way of thinking enter your mind just cause it might enter other peoples.
 
 
I actually really like it. You can do some fun **** with Java, it's currently what im focusing on.

Still scared to apply to any software engineering internships though.. Just can't shake the feeling of them sitting me down and asking something of me I have no clue how to do, especially being black.

Feel like I need to be a walking dictionary to rise above.

Dathbgboy idk what school you went to but you can always connect to employers through the career center at your alumni. My school specifically allows you to cut the career center out and go straight to communicating with the employer through private internships/job listings through the university site. I'd look into that.
I'm black and they wont ask you anything crazy.. as most programmers dont know everything off top.. ask me about an array.. and ill tell you.. nope.. give me a money and i can write one in a nested loop.. Most of them will ask you general questions if you have tons of  experience..just to see what youve done not check you on your coding on the spot.
 
 
Stop right there fam.

Don't let that way of thinking enter your mind just cause it might enter other peoples.
he's just thinking about some places would look at him funny.. for him id tell him to go in there like everyone else. Dont try to sound or pretend to be someone else.. In IT work MOST places arent big on race like that unless its ran by some "old-school" people.. most new companies are very diverse.
 
Got my CS degree 2 years ago and have only done a few temp gigs since. It's my own fault, though. I should've done more when I was in school to prepare for life after college. I let social anxiety hold myself back. I'm moving next month and will probably do a few more temp jobs for the experience and for my resume. 60k would be lovely. Hell, 40k would be lovely at this point.
 
Got my CS degree 2 years ago and have only done a few temp gigs since. It's my own fault, though. I should've done more when I was in school to prepare for life after college. I let social anxiety hold myself back. I'm moving next month and will probably do a few more temp jobs for the experience and for my resume. 60k would be lovely. Hell, 40k would be lovely at this point.
I tell most people.. Internships.. I didnt have the best gpa but most people want experience.. a couple companies will pick up the 3.8+ GPA's for status quo though.
 
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