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Career Rating and Comparison
| Category | This Career | All Rated Careers |
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| Career Satisfaction |   |  |
Degrees and Schools
Knowledge of programming languages is a fundamental skill for computer programmers. The more in-demand programming languages a programmer knows, the more in-demand he or she will be to employers. Having a solid arsenal of desired programming languages, experience as a programmer, and a portfolio of developed products are considered the most desirable qualifications in job candidates.
Most computer programmers obtain these skills through two-year associate's degree or four-year bachelor's degree programs offered through vocational schools, colleges and universities. However, many companies require a bachelor's degree to be considered for any professional position, and many jobs are filled through college recruiting. Therefore, approximately 70% of computer programmers have a bachelor's degree or higher. Preferred degrees include computer science, information technology, mathematics and engineering. Programmers who also have training in business or project management are considered prime candidates.
Clearly-defined career goals are important for programmers, because what they learn directly determines what they can create. For example, if a student wants to develop games, he or she will need different languages and skill sets than a student who wants to create information security programs to defend against hackers. Therefore students will want to choose courses carefully for how relevant the studies are towards specific career objectives.
Many programmers attend courses, test for certifications, attend conferences and belong to programming groups as part of their work. It is common that expenses for these activities are reimbursed by employers.
Classes
Two-year and four-year degree programs often require a combination of class time and lab time, where students apply what they are learning by creating actual programs or participating in group projects. Coursework usually include the study of:
- Computer hardware and how it is controlled by the operating system.
- Different operating systems and how to manipulate settings to achieve a customized result.
- Internet and networking technologies involved in the transferring of data.
- Website design and development.
- Database design theory and structure.
- Backup and recovery devices, software and troubleshooting.
- Usability for designing products that users can work with easily.
- Information architecture for how to store data efficiently.
- Programming languages and theory.
- Working with requirements.
- Quality control and testing.
Continued education is essential for programmers to remain up-to-date on emerging technologies. Certificate courses for a particular technology, product or programming language are often used as a way of furthering skill sets, and are available online, through colleges and universities, or sometimes through employers.
Online Classes and Programs
Because of the common use of telecommuting among programmers, obtaining an online information technology or computer science two-year degree or four-year degree is often preferred over attending on-campus classes. Choosing educational programs that are accredited by organizations such as the Computer Science Accreditation Commission (CSAC) ensures that credits will be accepted at other schools in the future, and can help narrow down which program is the best match.
Employment Requirements
Requirements for programming jobs are specific to the kind of development being done, and the languages, software and technology being used. Although bachelor's degrees are considered desirable, and may be required by some employers, demonstrated ability in the form of a portfolio, certifications or work experience may suffice as a minimum requirement for some jobs.
How to Evaluate Computer Programming Schools
Aspiring programmers should ask the following questions when evaluating two- and four-year degree programs:
- Accreditation - Is the program accredited by a governing body in computer science / information technology, or direct learning (for online programs)?
- School and class size - What is the student-to-faculty ratio within relevant courses? What additional amenities such as computer lab technologies may a school offer?
- Relevant courses - Does the program offer enough courses in the languages and technologies necessary for specific career objectives?
- Practical experience - Does the program require substantial lab time, or provide internship or practical experience opportunities for hands-on learning?
- Tuition and financial assistance - Financial assistance in the form of scholarships, loans or work study can help defray the cost of tuition. How much guidance does the school provide students as they navigate through these options?
- Additional costs - In addition to textbooks and fees, will students be required to pay for lab time or to purchase expensive software programs and manuals?
- Career assistance- Does the school offer career fairs where a long list of major employers attends each year? Do they offer a comprehensive job placement program? How many graduates are successfully placed?
Computer Programmer Job Description
Designers of software, websites, databases and other technologies rely on programmers to make their vision come to life. Knowledge of programming languages, well-developed logical skill and creative problem-solving allow computer programmers to develop computer-based products -- controlling their structure, appearance and functionality. The instructions they write using programming languages like COBOL, C++ or Java command computers to perform in a desired way to achieve a measurable result.
Is Computer Science Just Programming?
Career tips, salaries, and lists of schools.
This fun, quick video gives an introduction to computer programming and where it applies. Produced by a group of community colleges in Canada.
The duties of computer programmers can typically include:
- Working with designers and analysts to conceptualize a realistic product or a specific setup among computers and networks.
- Following detailed instructions provided by designers and analysts to produce the final product or system.
- Testing their work product according to specifications and debugging errors.
- Using or inventing program tools with which they create components or fix problems.
- Expanding, updating and repairing existing products.
- Documenting the purpose of code within the code for other programmers.
- Communicating time estimates and actual time to finish programming work to project managers.
- Managing different projects at one time.
Some programmers are involved in a project from start to finish and use different languages and technologies to create the final deliverables. Others are part of a team and create specific pieces of the whole. Application programmers specialize in writing task-oriented programs, while systems programmers use code to establish and maintain systems within organizations.
Computer programmers work in office environments, either on site or telecommuting, as full time employees or frequently as self-employed consultants.
Career Profiles
To help career searchers evaluate their options, BrainTrack has asked hundreds of workers to profile their jobs with a review and ratings. See below for a summary of this career compared to all rated careers and for detailed reviews.
| Category | This Career | All Rated Careers |
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| Opportunity for Promotion | | |
| Career Flexibility | | |
| How Cool Is The Career | | |
| How Stressful | | |
| Social Orientation | | |
| Earnings Potential | | |
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Job Title: Programmer/Analyst
Attended: University Of Tennessee • Knoxville, TN
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2006)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 1/23/2012
"By and large, I really enjoy the work that I do. My major complaint is having to get up in the middle of the night on the weeks that I'm on call to fix batch jobs on the mainframe."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | UTK's computer science course offerings were very theoretically-oriented. Had I not had the background I did before I entered my program, I would have been woefully unprepared to enter the job market at graduation. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | At my current employer I probably won't be able to get a promotion until someone leaves, but in general there's a fair bit of upward mobility in this career field. If my career would've happened out to have involved less legacy programming work and more work in a hotter area, I'd probably have more mobility. |
| Job Security | 4 | The kind of work I do is constantly at risk of being outsourced to India or China. I do my best to emphasize the people aspects of my work in hopes that, if my company does start outsourcing coding positions, I can keep safe. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | The market isn't as good as it used to be and certainly isn't as strong as it was when I entered my program. I don't feel as safe as I'd like to in my current job, but I'm reasonably certain I could find work again if I had to look for it. |
| How Stressful | 3 | The hours can be very long sometimes, but my employer is very good about granting us comp time (as I said previously). People who work in game programming houses tend to have very grueling "crunch" hours that I don't personally have to deal with. If I did, I would likely rate this job as massively more stressful. |
| Task Variety | 8 | There's almost always a surprise or two waiting in the shadows on an on-call week. That said, the work tends to be fairly similar but involves moving around from project to project a lot. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 4 | Game programming in general is much cooler than the work I do. My particular employer is pretty stuffy and corporate, but programming work especially, at indie houses and places like that, can be very exciting. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | The hours are amazingly flexible and my particular employer is very good about giving comp time for overtime and minimizes off-the-clock work. Not everyone can say the same, however. My employer doesn't offer a work-from-home program except in case of emergency, but in general that's something that's readily available in my field. |
| Social Orientation | 3 | This career path is not for social butterflies! I do my best to incorporate interacting with our end-users in my job and serve as an informal liaison of sorts, but by and large this is extremely solitary work. |
Job Title: Programmer V
Attended: Texas Tech University • Lubbock, TX
Studied Management Information Systems (MIS) (completion in 2000)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 2/29/2012
"Computer programming does provide for a sufficient living; however, it is a very stressful career. There are many other career fields that I would rather pursue."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | Texas Tech provides a sufficient educational experience for the computer programming field. Not only do they prepare you for the technical (programming) side of things, but they also have many courses for project management. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | If you really like programming then you can stick with that and work your way up from a Programmer I all the way to a Programmer VI. If you prefer the business-side of things, than you can become either a Programmer/Analyst or a project manager. |
| Job Security | 8 | I have good job security because I am a good worker and am very detail-oriented. I'm also provided with good job security because I work for the government which is more secure than private industry. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | The IT sector provides a very high potential for earnings if you are competent in what you do. I only rate myself a little lower because the pay for a government job is a little less than it is in the private sector. |
| How Stressful | 9 | Programming is very stressful. We get specs from clients, and they are constantly changing as we are trying to write the code. It causes many headaches. We also have to support live applications, and when they break, they must be debugged and fixed sometimes within an hour or less. |
| Task Variety | 7 | Many of the tasks that I perform are very similar from day-to-day. There are, however, days where live applications break which causes you to come up with inventive ways to debug and fix the applications. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | I wouldn't really say the job is that "cool." It is a very detail-oriented job that can be very mundane at times. My exposure to clients is fairly limited. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | I'm in one of the best cities in the country for IT careers, so I'm not really limited to the current job that I have. Many of the jobs advertised offer flexible schedules and even some work-at-home opportunities. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | I have little interaction with our clients. Mostly the specs are given to me from an analyst that spends time with the client group. However, I do get to interact with my other team members on a daily basis. |
Job Title: Senior Programmer/Analyst
Attended: Umass Dartmouth • Dartmouth, MA
Studied Computer Engineering (completion in 2004)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/1/2012
"They say to follow your talents, and I was best at programming. I am also following my dreams, and to create and fix problems is what I love to do."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | It's the only school that I have been to. Also, it's professors are mostly all PhDs. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | There are always spots open for management and supervisory roles. I didn't give this a 10 because there are none open in my particular application. |
| Job Security | 9 | We have never laid anybody off in 40 years. It is in healthcare and we are one of the most used vendors. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I make well above the average income for my state and age level. I can afford to pay all of my bills as well. |
| How Stressful | 6 | If a hospital has big problems, they get demanding. We constantly have to juggle problems and prioritize accordingly. |
| Task Variety | 7 | No two days are alike at work. We have many different varieties of issues that come up in the code. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | Working with computer code is like working on video games. Fixing bugs is exciting! |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | We can switch to part time for any good reason. Also, there are multiple divisions in the company to try our hands at. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | There are 3000 other people in the company, many of which are my age, so I get to interact with many people everyday. |
Job Title: Lead Programmer
Attended: The University Of Montana • Missoula, MT
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2000)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 2/29/2012
"It is easy to sometimes fall into a rut, especially on upgrades to existing code. New problems to solve are much more exciting."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | The professors have real-world experience. The campus is small enough for individualized attention. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | Plenty of room for advancement as you get more experienced. However, you can only go so far before you max out. |
| Job Security | 10 | As the world goes digital, someone has to write the code. Experienced programmers avoid the pitfalls made by those lacking maturity. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | You can make good money. However, since people do not understand what you do, that does not always translate to high salary. |
| How Stressful | 10 | Deadlines can be challenging. Clients who lack a clear understanding of their "wants" and who change their mind mid-project make things tough. |
| Task Variety | 10 | There is always some bug to fix or a new problem to solve. It is easy to stay entertained. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | I perform magic. I make things happen that people do not understand. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I have been able to telecommute extensively. Also, I am able to take time off on short notice. |
| Social Orientation | 4 | Most interaction is online or digital. It is nice having a recording of conversations so that there is less confusion. |
Job Title: Program Analyst
Attended: Southern Illinois University Carbondale • Carbondale, IL
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2008)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 2/29/2012
"The field tends to get redundant, doing similar projects with minor changes. It also tends to have people in charge that have very little knowledge on how to program."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | School my freshman year was great and the school was one of the top rated in the field. However, the school lost funding and a lot of the classes were cancelled by the time I graduated. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | Right now there are plenty of advancement opportunities. Plus, I can always change jobs as programmers are needed in almost any company (at least as web designers). |
| Job Security | 7 | It's hard to find someone who will work for a job with minimal pay. Plus, programmers tend to work for themselves as independent contractors. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Everyone will always need some sort of programmer. Therefore, you should not have a problem finding a job that pays. |
| How Stressful | 7 | Sometimes the job is very stressful, especially when you have a deadline coming up and you can't quite get the program correct. |
| Task Variety | 1 | You basically sit at a computer and do similar programs day after day. Programs tend to have slight variations, but they're basically the same. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 1 | There is a reason computers scientists are called geeks and nerds. There really is no glamour to working in a cubicle. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | You can usually find a work from home job or a job where you can choose your own hours. This is possible because the only thing you really need to program is any computer and the data necessary. |
| Social Orientation | 3 | You really only need to socialize with your computer. Socializing with anyone else tends to be optional. |
Job Title: Programmer/Analyst
Attended: Concordia University • River Forest, IL
Studied Computer Science And Mathematics (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/1/2012
"I find that my work is more stressful than I had originally anticipated, with long hours and quick deadlines."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 2 | My school, when compared to other schools, has a very poor computer science program. If not for my love of computer programming and my certificates, I do not think I would have been able to get a job. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | I haven't been working with my company for a very long time, but they do tend to promote from within. I feel that soon I may have the opportunity, but not at this time. |
| Job Security | 8 | I feel that my job is quite secure because IT is a growing field and it is difficult to find Math AND Computer science people. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I might not ever be a millionaire, but my salary is quite comfortable. Plus, I know there is a lot of room to grow and get potential raises. |
| How Stressful | 9 | My position is under constant scrutiny for performance and production. There are many nights where I am up all night writing to meet a deadline. |
| Task Variety | 5 | I am usually working on a big project, so it is usually focused on that. Any kinds of changes are usually just directed towards a different part of my code. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | I don't think that being a computer programmer is very cool. I mean yeah, it can be challenging at times, but it is hard to relate that to regular people. |
| Career Flexibility | 4 | My location is very flexible. Only in the most extreme circumstances do I need to come into the office. However, that been said, I find that I am being pushed for deadlines. |
| Social Orientation | 3 | I am frequently working by myself at home. The most interaction I have is over the phone. |
Job Title: CIS Management Analyst (ORACLE CC&B System)
Attended: University Of Texas, El Paso • El Paso, TX
Studied Information Technology (completion in 2004)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 2/29/2012
"I have over 10 years of IT experience, including Computer Programming, Database Management, and Project Management. The experience has been great. However, my main goal is to become IT Director."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | I believe the course material was good and has helped me with my career. However, I did have an instructor or two who did not have "real world" experience in programming, which was very frustrating. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | There are several opportunities I can venture into. I can do SQL programming, JAVA programming, or Database Management at my workplace. I can also get promoted as a Project Manager for a particular area. |
| Job Security | 8 | My current position is in high demand at my work place, which makes me feel secure. However, this will not hesitate my organization from letting us go if needed. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | The money is good. However, sometimes I feel as if I do not get paid enough for the stress involved in this position. |
| How Stressful | 9 | This position can be very stressful. The organization depends on my expertise, and when a program fails, it is up to me to make it work. |
| Task Variety | 8 | Although I work on long-term projects that remain constant until I complete them, every day there are new challenges. Sometimes I have to apply a hot fix to a code, and other times I have to create a brand new program on the fly. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | Some people may not think what I do is cool, but I love doing geeky things, and this is definitely cool! |
| Career Flexibility | 3 | My work requires me to be available at odd hours. I am constantly "on-call," which means that I can get contacted by the organization in case a program fails in the middle of the night. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | I work in front of my computer most of the day. The few times I interact with people is when I ask users to test my program. |
Job Title: Java Script Programmer
Attended: SUNY Farmingdale • Farmingdale, NY
Studied C++ Programming (completion in 2011)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 3/1/2012
"I have great job security. The field is still growing so I can always learn more."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 6 | My school taught me the basics of programming. When I entered the field, I learned a lot more. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | The only other higher level position is programming manager. I know more opportunities will come soon. |
| Job Security | 10 | The job is very secure since it is still a growing field. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I get paid very well now. The bonuses and future potential earnings are well worth it as well. |
| How Stressful | 5 | During the work day, it's not stressful at all. When I am out on the weekends, the phone calls are very stressful. |
| Task Variety | 1 | Programming is always the same. That is why I love it. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | Most people do not like sitting in front of a computer all day because they get bored easily. I love it though. |
| Career Flexibility | 1 | I do not have flexibility with my schedule. I work tons of overtime, often from home. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | I am always having fun in the work place. It is not a job where you are always being rushed or watched. |
Job Title: IT Head / Developer
Attended: University Of Oklahoma • Norman, OK
Studied MIS (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 3/2/2012
"Development provides work that is both very technically challenging and very creative. It is also a career that pays fairly well."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | The MS in MIS program at OU was very challenging and very fast paced. The degree I earned in the program helped me advance my career. I feel like the program should have focused more on current technology. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | There are not a lot of opportunities for advancement in my current job. However, in the industry as a whole, there are opportunities to advance. |
| Job Security | 9 | I feel like my job is very secure. I also feel like the job market is very healthy for people with my skills. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I think the earning potential for IT development is very good. Especially if you are willing to work on contracts and jump to different work environments, you can make really good money. |
| Task Variety | 6 | Well, development is in some ways always the same process, but your goals and maybe the technologies used are different, so the experience is different. If you get called on to maintain old code in old production systems, your work load can be extremely varied. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | I am not sure how cool IT is. I think it is cool, but that usually means it is not cool. I think my peers respect the work that I do. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | That is one of the great benefits about IT. My job, like most IT jobs, is very flexible. I can work at home or while I am traveling. |
| Social Orientation | 3 | In IT in general I think there is less direct social interaction. Especially when you are working on development projects, you often try to isolate yourself so you can focus on your work. |
Job Title: Web Application Developer
Attended: Art Institute Of York - Pennsylvania • York, PA
Studied Web Development / Design (completion in 2007)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 3/2/2012
"I love what I do. It is fun to see a site/application start from the design phase and move to a finished product."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | Some teachers weren't aware of what they were doing. Not all of the classes were relevant. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 3 | I work in a small company. I could only move forward as a manager. |
| Job Security | 7 | Tech jobs are pretty secure. Haven't seen much of a hit due to the economy here. |
| Earnings Potential | 5 | People in my field can make anywhere from 30 to 80 thousand a year. Right now I am at the lower end of that spectrum. I need more experience to get to the higher end. |
| How Stressful | 3 | I get input into deadlines. I also have a good deal of support on the team. |
| Task Variety | 6 | What's nice about my job is working with several clients. Every day there is something new that challenges me. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 6 | I think it's cool, at least! Most people are in awe of what I do on a regular basis. |
| Career Flexibility | 3 | Standard schedule. Monday thru Friday, 8am to 5pm. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | I work with like minded people. We push each other to be better. Overall I have some friends from work, but they're not great friends. |
Job Title: Lead Programmer
Attended: Pennsylvania State University • Harrisburg, PA
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2004)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/2/2012
"I enjoy working on computers because logical thinking fits my personality traits well. However, I've learned that stress involved in doing this as a career can be overwhelming at times."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | The staff at the Harrisburg satellite campus were of a high caliber. They had a willingness to help students understand tough concepts and at the same time always pushed students by challenging them with a tougher curriculum. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 6 | There is no room for promotion at the company at this point. I've reached the highest obtainable position for my field within the company. At a larger company this would not be a problem, because positions in IT are usually tiered pretty well. |
| Job Security | 9 | I work in a health care software company, so the job security is very high in terms of the market. I've also become an indispensable part of the company by solving many tough problems that others could not. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | This is one of the highest paid careers in the job market today. The pay range is probably one of the broadest as well. |
| How Stressful | 9 | Due to the overtime that most jobs in this career require, it becomes very stressful. This coincides with deadlines that are seemingly impossible at times due to the nature of running into many 'cutting the gordian knot' type problems, i.e. no matter how easy the end solution to a problem is, many times the length of time it takes to solve the problem is a high stress point. |
| Task Variety | 7 | In essence, you're always doing programming of some sort. However, the essence of programming requires the person to be very flexible and able to adapt to varying situations for which development tasks are required. Programming software to track race car stats versus software to chart clinical home-care visits is vastly different. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | This career is great if you are a true 'nerdist,' meaning you have a natural burning desire to discover the complete inner workings of anything. It is challenging, but there within lies the beauty that you are constantly presented with new concepts to learn and understand on a daily basis. |
| Career Flexibility | 2 | Computer programming falls into the same pitfall that most other IT positions do. Working overtime without pay is far too common an expectation in this career. My current job has a normal schedule of 45 hours, which is 5 over the standard full time schedule (without extra compensation). |
| Social Orientation | 8 | A large part of computer programming is working within a team environment to accomplish a much larger goal. By nature, this means that computer programming comes with a requirement of working in a very social environment. |
Job Title: Senior Software Developer
Attended: University Of Michigan • Ann Arbor, MI
Studied Computer Science (completion in 2002)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/3/2012
"I spent the first 7 years of my career as a network administrator and got back into full time programming 3 years ago. I feel the programming allows me to be more creative and it feels like I'm accomplishing something, instead of what seemed like mostly maintenance work in my previous career."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | The computer science program at Michigan was very hands on - teaching coding principles through complex projects. I feel that this hands on approach better prepared me for the workplace than grads from other college programs that seemed more theoretical. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | Being in a small, growing company leaves ample opportunity for somebody like myself who is a hard worker to get promoted. As our development team continues to grow, more lead positions and team leaders continue to open up which creates more of a vertical structure, allowing for more opportunities for promotion. |
| Job Security | 9 | I feel that I have very high job security since I'm at a small company with a very complex codebase. Since I've been here for a couple years, I'm one of only a few people who has intimate knowledge of the different services in our codebase and I am also valued highly for my work ethic. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Programming careers can offer pretty good salaries. However, it's hard to get a top of the line salary unless you get into being a programmer in the financial industry. |
| How Stressful | 8 | The stress fluctuates quite a bit, but being a developer at a small, fast moving company can be pretty stressful at times as you're trying to continue to put out new features, fix bugs, and keep clients happy. Programming jobs at bigger companies aren't quite as stressful because you can be more focused on one area. |
| Task Variety | 8 | Working in a smaller development shop can lead to a big variation in day-to-day activities. One day I can be spending time creating elaborate new code, the next day tracking down a live bug, and the next day looking into new technology solutions to better host our applications. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | I don't consider there to be a lot of glamour or prestige, but programming can be very exciting, especially on a small team at a fast growing company. However, there is a certain coolness factor to a lot of development companies, and they try to do fun things to treat their employees well and make the job more attractive. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | I consider my career to be pretty flexible. At my current job we have very flexible hours and the ability to work from home some of the time. Job locations tend to center on bigger cities, but there are many contracting and other remote work opportunities as well. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | My particular career is highly social, working in an open environment with several other programmers. We also have many work sponsored and non work sponsored events where we enjoy socializing because of the many different, interesting, and intelligent people we work with. |
Job Title: Software Developer
Attended: Purdue University • West Lafayette, IN
Studied Computer Science (completion in 1976)
Highest relevant degree: Doctorate
• Submitted: 3/3/2012
"I love to do software development. Also, I get to apply my craft to many different areas and learn a lot in the process about those different areas. There is always a new area I can work in, so I never get bored."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | Purdue was one of the early pioneers in offering CS degrees, and is still highly regarded for CS. It is one of the schools my company likes to send employees who hire on with a BS degree to get their MS degree. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | Software developers shouldn't necessarily expect to get promoted into management. Management requires a different personality and skill set which is kind of opposite of most software people. Some companies have a parallel track for promotion within the technical ranks, however, so a person can get promoted to project manager, senior scientist, etc. |
| Job Security | 9 | My company has very high job security in general; they are choosy about hiring and don't do much firing. Competent software developers are very valuable to the company. This is true in general at other companies too, I would think. Software developers stay in high demand. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Salaries are decent; starting salaries are good relative to other fields. You will never get rich like a hedge fund manager, but you will earn a good living. |
| How Stressful | 8 | Debugging and meeting deadlines can be stressful. Schedules usually tend to be overly optimistic. |
| Task Variety | 5 | While the task is always the same, in that it is writing code, there are always creative challenges and unexpected surprises during debugging. So although there is not a lot of variation, per se, it doesn't get boring. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | It is behind the scenes type of work, but that usually suits the software person's personality just fine. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | Depends on the company, of course, but in general, software development lends itself to being done at almost any location, anytime of day, so opportunities to work at home or from across the country are there. Video conferencing helps for coordinating, meeting with clients, etc. The need for software development is pervasive, so lots of opportunities in lots of places. Specializations, such as information security, are available too. |
| Social Orientation | 3 | There is interaction within the software development team, and with clients. But mainly there is a lot of solitary work. Software developers do like to go out to lunch together and share their wacky senses of humor. |
Job Title: Programmer Analyst I
Attended: Troy State University • Montgomery, AL
Studied Computer Information Systems (completion in 2007)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 3/3/2012
"I feel that the program had lots of classes that prepared me for a the type of job that I have now. I really do believe that the instructors had great insight into the real world of work."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | I believe that the program is good because it gives you some real world examples. You also get the chance to debug and troubleshoot problems. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | There are lots of opportunities for programmers to move up. The level of success depends on your ability to handle jobs. |
| Job Security | 10 | I believe that the field is very stable because there will always be a need for programmers. I work in education technology and this field is really growing. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | I have been able to start off with a great salary. Fortunately, there is room to earn even more as I advance from one level to the next. |
| How Stressful | 6 | The job isn't extremely stressful until we get down to the deadline. There's nothing worse than having a project due with a looming deadline. |
| Task Variety | 10 | My tasks are different on a daily basis because I am part of a team. I switch from programming and design to testing and debugging throughout the week. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | The job is cool because I interact with lots of people remotely. I can connect with clients all over the world in my line of work. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | The job is flexible because some programmers can work from home. We handle projects that give us lots of downtime during the testing phase. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | I get to interact with lots of different clients because I work in web development. I have so many interactions with so many different clients. |
Job Title: Information Technology Specialist
Attended: MIT • Cambridge, MA
Studied Architecture (completion in 1972)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/3/2012
"I've worked many years as a computer programmer and have earned a decent income. However, I do wish I had been more involved over the years with cutting-edge technology of the time."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | MIT is a wonderful resource for anyone planning to make computer programming their career. However, what makes the school fall just short of Excellent is the lack of follow-up for graduates in their job searches. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 6 | Opportunities for promotion do exist in government service, but either require specific expertise or often are in esoteric specialties. Promotions to management levels are at about the same level as in any other office job. |
| Job Security | 10 | I work for the government and am a member of a professional union. Those two facts provide me with an extraordinary amount of job security. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Earnings potential in the field of computer programming is quite good, given that every industry today needs people who can take care of computers. One reason the ranking is not at the top level is that there does appear to be an income ceiling on the work done as a programmer. |
| How Stressful | 5 | Stress in this career is mainly on the administrative side, just like in any office job. Working with failed hardware and software is really part of the joy of this job, in that you figure out the problem and then solve it. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Daily tasks do vary, though the set of tasks done each week stay basically the same. Every few years, my job has changed underneath me, where I keep the same managers, but find my set of daily and weekly tasks have changed dramatically. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 2 | Working in a government office has never been cool. Unless one is working directly for the governor, there is very little prestige, glamor or excitement. |
| Career Flexibility | 6 | Flexible work schedules, including options for part-time work and for tele-commuting, have been easily obtainable throughout my career of government service. There has been little choice of other locations in which to work. Career options and specialization have varied greatly over the years. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | Because most of the social interactions during my career took place in an office and not in isolated locales, I rate this one Average. Most of the interaction, however, has been usually over the phone and via email, neither of which are conducive to the strongest social interplay. |
Job Title: Programmer/Analyst
Attended: Columbus State Community College • Columbus, OH
Studied Computer Information Technology (completion in 2013)
Highest relevant degree: Certificate
• Submitted: 3/3/2012
"The pay is more that what my other skill sets would provide. However, the work is not as creative or inventive as I'd hoped."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | Columbus State Community College isn't nearly as large or well-recognized as other local universities (such as the Ohio State University). But, the school provides an exceptional education at a very reasonable cost. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | The opportunities for advancing in my current position using my current programming language are fairly slim. We are a small group with well-tenured employees in the higher level positions. |
| Job Security | 8 | In the short-term, my position is very secure. I work for a very stable company and the programming language that I use is not a common one, and we use an unsupported, outdated version. So, finding outside programmers who know this language and version has proven difficult. But the long-term prospect is not good, as we will eventually phase out use of the language to opt for more .Net programming. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I am underpaid at the moment because I don't have complete knowledge of a marketable programming language. However, once I complete my certification program, my prospects should greatly increase. There will be more opportunities at my current company to work in another language, as well as the ability to prospect for positions at other companies or as a consultant. |
| How Stressful | 8 | Every project was needed yesterday, it seems. It gets stressful because of the urgency of emerging new ideas, the demands of good design, the general lack of resources, on-call rotation, and the complexity of making it work with existing (antiquated) code. |
| Task Variety | 3 | We have many tasks to perform, like coding, collaborating, design, debugging, etc. However, we do these same things in varying amounts pretty much every day. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | I wouldn't say it's cool or glamorous, but some folks assume a programming position pays very well. There's a bit of prestige involved because we understand things about how computers work that seems a mystery to some of the general public. |
| Career Flexibility | 6 | My department is fairly flexible when it comes to work hours. We have core hours generally from 9am to 3pm and can come or go as we please in both arrival and departure as long as we complete the necessary weekly hours for our salaried positions. Time off during the day for appointments and home life needs are accepted without too much question, as long as the privilege is not abused. I even telecommute on occasion. I wish there were more options for part-time work and location selection. |
| Social Orientation | 6 | While a good portion of my profession is the quiet relationship between me and my keyboard, there is a lot of human interaction going on as well. We have a small team that is very supportive of each other's shared endeavors and do a lot of collaborative project design and implementation. |
Job Title: Sr. Computer Programmer/Analyst
Attended: St. Francis College • Loretto, PA
Studied Math (completion in 1990)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/4/2012
"I love computer programming. I find it challenging and fulfilling."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | I was a math major with a computer science minor. I feel like the computer programming classes prepared me well for my job. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 4 | I am as high as I can go. There is no where else to move. |
| Job Security | 8 | I am in civil service which has typically been safe. But with the changes in the economy, nothing is as safe as it used to be. |
| Earnings Potential | 5 | It's civil service. There is limited earnings potential. |
| How Stressful | 8 | There is a lot of change. It's a stressful environment. |
| Task Variety | 9 | There is always something different to do. With the new software, we will be learning VB. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 2 | It's not a cool place to work. There are no perks because it's civil service. |
| Career Flexibility | 3 | They do not allow work from home. There are no other locations. There are no part time options or flexible schedules. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | The people are nice, but there is no interaction outside of work. |
Job Title: Principle Member Of Technical Staff
Attended: New Mexico State Univ • Las Cruces, NM
Studied Computer Science (completion in 1996)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 3/4/2012
"It provides a good income. Jobs are more stable and available in the software engineering field than in other fields."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | We have many graduate students working in the hi-tech companies. We all do well. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | It's a typical path where you need to work hard to stand out and be promoted. If you get promoted, you also need to work hard to keep that position and be further promoted. |
| Job Security | 7 | The career path is clear and defined, and the work is very manageable. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | Engineers earn decent salary. They also maintain stable careers. |
| How Stressful | 5 | Actually, it's less stressful than most other professions. Keep learning - that is the key. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Some parts of the job are repetitive while others are new and challenging. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | The hi-tech work is cool. The routine work after several years gets boring. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | Working time is flexible. You can have a balanced work/family life. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | Expectation is the key to happiness. Who needs a lot of social interaction when you have a full load of things to do already? |
Job Title: Computer Programmer
Attended: University Of Miami • Miami, FL
Studied Information Technology (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 3/4/2012
"Presents challenges everyday. Always learning new aspects of technology."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | Prepared me to use technological advancements, and how those advancements are used in the real-world. The courses were taught by those who are in the field. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | Again, I am good at what I do. |
| Job Security | 10 | Current demand exceeds availability. I am good at what I do. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | The demand for this type of work is increasing. With more experience, earning potential increases. |
| How Stressful | 10 | Time is always of the essence. I work in a hospital that deals directly with patient care. |
| Task Variety | 10 | Different departments need different programs. Different people within those departments need different programs tailored to their needs. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | Cutting edge technology. I am working with doctors. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | I work until the job is done, and that can happen at my own pace. I can also work from home. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | I must work with other programmers, and I also must work with hospital staff. |
Job Title: C++ Programmer
Attended: Carnegie Mellon • Pittsburgh, PA
Studied Computer Sciences (completion in 2004)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/5/2012
"I wake up everyday and do what I love. I love my job!"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | They have all the tech you could ever want. The students are also really cool. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | |
| Job Security | 8 | People are only going to make more technology, and people will always have problems with their new tech. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | The more languages you learn, the more you can get paid. |
| How Stressful | 6 | It's about average. It can be stressful if you have a big job and a deadline. |
| Task Variety | 4 | It can get tedious and boring at times. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 2 | Nobody WANTS to be a programmer. Many people take them for granted. |
| Career Flexibility | 7 | It's not a hard job. You control your schedule pretty well. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | You have to talk to people and collaborate with them. The level of interaction is about average. |
Job Title: Senior Professional Staff
Attended: University Of The Pacific • Stockton, CA
Studied Computer Science (completion in 1999)
Highest relevant degree: Master's
• Submitted: 3/5/2012
"I have been involved in computing for a major defense contractor for more than ten years now. I have a stable job and I enjoy what I do. I am not actively looking for another career, but should another job opportunity arise I would entertain its pros and cons."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 6 | In school, I learned some basics about computing through some archaic languages (i.e. FORTRAN and C++). Today there are many more languages (Python, JAVA, etc) that I have had to learn on my own, outside of an academic environment. I wish my school had been more cutting edge at the time. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 4 | To advance in my career, I really to need to become a manager of some sort (project or personnel). Neither of these avenues appeals to me, as I prefer to be an individual contributor. |
| Job Security | 8 | I work in defense contracting. Even though there has been an economic downturn, my work load has not decreased. I have noticed salary cuts lately, but my reviews have been positive. |
| Earnings Potential | 6 | I know I could earn more if I started managing projects or co-workers, however that holds little interest for me. I am happy being an "individual" contributor. Because of that, I feel like I am limited in my earnings potential. Still, I fell like I make a comfortable wage. |
| How Stressful | 5 | I guess I don't know that much about the stress in other people's lives. In my job I have deadlines that I suppose are normal. Some of the stress in my job is due to the fact that I know what's on the line (National Security) if I "get it wrong." However, there are so many checks and balances for my work that I don't get to worried. |
| Task Variety | 3 | My job generally involves coding up different signal processing algorithms that have been developed by scientists or mathematicians in other departments. I am satisfied with my role and like the fact that my tasks are pretty predictable. I know that there are other programmers who have jobs that require much more innovation; that does not appeal to me. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | I don't think of my job or myself as very "cool." I know there are others who might like my flexibility and I have some co-workers I consider "cool." However, it is not their jobs that makes me think of them this way. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | About 50% of the time I can work from wherever I want. I do some work that requires classified facilities and can only be executed on certain systems. 90% of the time, though, I can work whenever I want. I have a couple of meetings a week I must attend, but other that that I work when I want to, as long as I complete my tasks. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | My job provides a lot opportunity for social interaction. This is mostly with co-workers as I rarely interact with customers. I don't take advantage of all of the social interaction opportunities afforded to me. |
Job Title: Sr. Software Developer
Attended: Stockton State College • Pomona, NJ
Studied Computer Science (completion in 1991)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/5/2012
"Software development is interesting and challenging. Project solutions typically involve combining logical thinking with creativity. Work environments are typically fun, and work is usually interesting."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 9 | Stockton is a feeder school for NAFEC. Because NAFEC uses specialized programming languages, the curriculum focuses on understanding proper programming thinking as opposed to training in a particular language. So you graduate with the ability to quickly learn any programming language. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 6 | If you're talented and can produce, you receive pay increases and title changes. But in general, programming is a narrow world - if you get "promoted" to, say, manager or director, that typically means you leave the confines of programming. |
| Job Security | 7 | Simply put, if you're competent at software development, there is work available for you. It's common for programmers to move to different employers in a 3-7 yr cycle, but in general there is always work available. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | Programmers are well compensated on an hourly/salary basis. However, there typically is not "unlimited" earning or recurring revenue capabilities - there is a ceiling on how much you can make. Fortunately, that often can be well into 6 figures/yr. |
| How Stressful | 8 | Technology is constantly changing, and you need to keep up to stay on top of your game. Software life cycles are typically required on tight or emergency deadlines. You need to be able to work long hours and make things happen. And you are accountable for the success or failure of projects. |
| Task Variety | 5 | Depends on the position. I've known programmers who spent 7 years making changes to the exact same 1000 lines of code. And others are on the cutting edge, innovating new ideas every day. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 8 | Nerds and hackers are generally fun and interesting. Many projects are cutting edge and unique. And finally, fashion has caught up and has made nerd chic mainstream. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | Programming careers are really flexible, and limited only by your imagination and creativity. Every industry has a need or potential need for software, so there is unlimited opportunity for specialization. Remote work and working from home is possible with many jobs. |
| Social Orientation | 6 | You have to work with business and other developers on a regular basis. Team communication, organization, and cooperation is important. I've always made strong friendships by working in these team environments. |
Job Title: Programmer Analyst
Attended: Illinois State University • Normal, IL
Studied Business Information Systems (completion in 1996)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/5/2012
"Due to my degree, found a very good company to work for. They are very stable, provide a lot of flexibility, and pay me well to do something I enjoy. I have been able to live a comfortable life and I am paid above average."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | The specific program gave hands on experience that related directly to my job when I started. The best part was the classes that required us to work as teams on projects. When I started my job it was the same exact thing, but I was getting paid for it. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | Opportunities are good as technology is always changing. Our clients always want the latest technology so we always are implementing new things. This provides a lot of opportunities to do something new and get promoted. |
| Job Security | 8 | Our company continues to expand and need additional help. This creates new opportunities for those of us working there. It makes us feel very secure as we continue to make a profit and grow. |
| Earnings Potential | 6 | For the technology field, I would say about average. But compared to everyone else, much better. I compare myself to my college roommates who are not in Technology fields and I am doing much better than them |
| How Stressful | 10 | We are on call 24 x 7. A lot of high pressure deliverables in a short amount of time. We support some big name clients that want things delivered immediately, so we feel the stress of trying to make that happen. |
| Task Variety | 8 | Daily tasks differ day to day, from creating a new program, debugging an existing program, or looking at data. It's always very interesting. Also, I have meetings some days, talk to the clients the next, and other other days are strictly coding. It's never the same. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 5 | For our work, we wait until things become a little stable before moving to a new product. So we're not on the cutting edge of new technology or cool new items. However, this makes our jobs much more stable. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | Extremely flexible as I am a virtual employee who works from home. Also, I have explored options of job-sharing and working from anywhere in the US. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | Since I work virtually, I don't get to see a lot of people. It can be hard when you feel like you are on an island. However, I feel well connected through lots of conference calls and instant messaging. |
Job Title: Associate Director Of Mobile Architecture
Attended: Southern Methodist University • Dallas, TX
Studied Technical Theater (completion in 1989)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/5/2012
"I work in a place where I constantly learn new things. I am challenged daily and work with a great team."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 5 | My course of study did not include computer programming. I switched to this career many years after I left school. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | There is a lot of turnover here. Opportunities for advancement are common. |
| Job Security | 9 | I work as a mobile developer in advertising. Right now my skills are in high demand. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | Our company's business has been going well lately. Advertising is lucrative. |
| How Stressful | 5 | We do often have to work on deadline. Our client and even our creative team can be very demanding. |
| Task Variety | 10 | I specialize in mobile application development. Every project is different and has different challenges. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | We are constantly trying new technologies. Experimenting is encouraged here. |
| Career Flexibility | 9 | As long as I perform my job, I have great flexibility. I can, within reason, set my hours and even place of work. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | I share an office with a colleague. There are many meetings and social activities during the week. |
Job Title: Network Engineer
Attended: University Of Phoenix • Costa Mesa, CA
Studied Information Technology/Information Systems Security (completion in 2010)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/5/2012
"My work schedule is very flexible due to the nature of my job. I am able to support my family on a single income which means my children are raised by their mother and not some stranger."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 10 | University of Phoenix was an excellent institution to finish my education with the right combination of campus and online based learning. The professors were very knowledgeable and capable. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 10 | With experience comes seniority and the opportunity to move to a team leadership position instead of just being part of the team. Eventually I plan to own my own consultancy firm. |
| Job Security | 10 | The computer industry is constantly undergoing change and growth. Programming these machines will always be a valuable skill now and in the future. |
| Earnings Potential | 10 | This job allows you to earn more for putting in more. I get paid on a billable hourly rate, so more hours worked equals more pay. |
| How Stressful | 8 | The deadlines that are imposed can be quite stressful. Companies rely on my services to function. |
| Task Variety | 8 | Building networks and coding programs offers me a different experience nearly every day. Once an issue is fixed I typically do not spend time with that client unless another issue presents itself. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 10 | My clients are constantly thanking me for figuring out their issues and providing them with complete and functional products. People are often fascinated with the high tech things that encompass my job. |
| Career Flexibility | 10 | My work is on a case by case basis, not a regular 9 to 5 position. I am able to complete most of my job duties over the Internet from the comfort of my own home. |
| Social Orientation | 8 | Much of my job can be completed sitting in front of a PC. End user interaction is definitely required to get the project requirements and ensure the end user is happy. |
Job Title: Instrument And Controls Technician
Attended: Ivy Tech Community College Of Terre Haute Indiana • Terre Haute, IN
Studied Electronics And Computer Technology (completion in 2009)
Highest relevant degree: Associate's
• Submitted: 3/6/2012
"I love what I am doing. Electronics are always changing and so is technology. So I am always learning and can develop new techniques with new inventions."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 8 | I had very good hands on training. The teachers at the college are very knowledgeable and respectful. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 8 | I can always go back to college and get paid by my company. I can move up to a supervisor, group leader, or engineer depending on my career decisions. |
| Job Security | 8 | The big company I work for have been around for over 50 years. Not many people can do the kind of work that I can, so they can't replace me with a temp. |
| Earnings Potential | 9 | I have the second highest paying job in the county. And my insurance and other benefits are cheaper than most people, allowing me to bring home a larger income to provide for my family. |
| How Stressful | 7 | At times, trying to figure out problems at work can be very difficult. Like when I don't know anything about a machine and they want me to troubleshoot and figure out why it isn't working, and they want it fixed now. Sometimes there is a lot of pressure on me. |
| Task Variety | 10 | I never know what is going to go wrong in a plant. I'm always working on different situations day to day. Sometimes I might see the same problem, but not very often. I usually fix something and don't have to work on it again for a few years. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 7 | There are a lot of cool things I can learn at work and I can take my knowledge and use it in everyday situations. Or I can build and come up with my own designs and Ideas for projects dealing with technology. Not many people can do that without proper training. |
| Career Flexibility | 3 | You have to work full time since there is no part time work. And there are a lot of temp jobs available where I work, so temps are always being replaced. |
| Social Orientation | 10 | I have to talk to a lot of operators each week to try to fix their problems with their machines or HMIs. I am always working hand to hand with other maintenance workers to solve problems, so I build relationships with them. |
Job Title: Application Developer
Attended: Harding University • Searcy, AR
Studied Business Management (completion in 1998)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/6/2012
"I am generally satisfied with my career. It provides for my family and it is generally easy for me to find work."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 7 | Harding is a small school so it doesn't have a lot of the same resources that a larger institution would have. However, I do feel like they provided a good foundation. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 5 | Early in my career, prior to the .com bust, promotions were common. Now, promotions are much fewer and farther between. |
| Job Security | 9 | IT is generally a good field to be in regarding job security. The Dallas area, especially, is a good market to be in for IT. |
| Earnings Potential | 8 | I make more money than I thought was possible when I graduated from college. There is a cap on what I'm able to make, but I'm thankful for the earnings I have. |
| How Stressful | 5 | When there is a tight timeline in which a deliverable is due, the job can become stressful. However, the job ebbs and flows. At times it can be stressful. Other times, it can be stress free. |
| Task Variety | 5 | My job now provides quite a bit of variation. The projects are short and the clients are many. I like that. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | Working in a cube is definitely not prestigious. However, I'm thankful for my job and I'm not concerned about it being "cool." |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | The IT industry is a flexible industry. Working from home is always an option. Additionally, many IT jobs exist in any major metropolitan area. |
| Social Orientation | 5 | Computer programmers tend to be introverts and can therefore make the work environment not very socially interactive. However, I have found co-workers with similar interests and I can interact with them. |
Job Title: Business Application Developer
Attended: DeVry University • Tinley Park, IL
Studied Computer Information Systems (completion in 2005)
Highest relevant degree: Bachelor's
• Submitted: 3/8/2012
"I'm pretty satisfied with my career. It's a steady income, has good job security, and is in a decent location."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| School Rating | 6 | My school was incredibly expensive, and in hindsight, I regret going to that school. I could have gotten the same education for much cheaper. |
| Opportunity for Promotion | 7 | More recently, there's been more room for promotions. My company has a high turnover rate for developers, so staying here a few years allows me to get promoted by default, essentially. |
| Job Security | 8 | I have very good job security at my job. Even with the rough economy, I didn't fear losing my job. They made it very clear they were doing everything they could to keep everyone on board. |
| Earnings Potential | 7 | Programming can certainly be a lucrative job, depending on where you work. I started at a relatively low salary which has been steadily increasing for the last few years. |
| How Stressful | 8 | There are times when my job is more laid back, when there's very little work to do because we're at the end of a release cycle and we can't work on code. However, there's also "crunch time" when we need to get an incredible amount of work done in very little time. |
| Task Variety | 3 | This is a tough question, because essentially there's always the same tasks, just slight variations. It's basically always: recreate a problem, research problem, fix code, test. |
| How Cool Is The Career | 3 | Programming in general is incredibly dull to anyone who isn't interested in it. The fact that I program insurance software makes it that much more boring to talk about. |
| Career Flexibility | 8 | My company is very flexible when it comes to my work schedule. I can come in at almost any time, as long as I work a full 8 hours. |
| Social Orientation | 6 | There's moderate social interaction, mostly meetings with designers or testers. I have little to no interaction with my coworkers outside of work. |
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