[nfbcs] Research

Mon Feb 27 15:50:42 UTC 2017

I beg to differ here. I found something on the todo for FreeBSD and
implemented it. There's one open source contribution. If you use a
project and find bugs, contribute. There's another contribution.
Volunteering and working on a project doesn't mean  you just find one,
jump in and start coding. Usually people dogfood it, realize there's a
problem and then fix said problem.
On 2/27/2017 10:08 AM, John Heim via nfbcs wrote:
> By definition, an "entry level" job is one that does not require
> experience. That's what "entry level" means.
> 
> For most people, I don't think it is really practical to suggest that
> they get experience by volunteering for an open-source project. You
> can't just walk into an open-source project and start coding away like
> crazy.  The project manager is going to say something like, "We could
> really use someone to write a USB driver. How much kernel module
> experience do you have?" Or something like that. It's true, though, that
> if you are the type of person who can jump into an open-source project
> and teach yourself somethinglike how to write a kernel driver module,
> then you probably don't need a CS degree.
> 
> The main value of things like volunteering for an open-source project or
> building a web site for your church would be that it shows initiative.
> You didn't just sit around waiting for someone to offer you a job. This
> is really probably the elephant in the room. The truth is that if you
> are smart enough and determined enough, you can overcome any
> disadvantage. If you're not, you can fail in spite of every advantage.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 26/02/17 12:08, Andy B. via nfbcs wrote:
>>> If you can get experience through opensource projects. Most hiring
>>> managers
>>> around here require boat loads of experience. Who wants an entry level
>>> (jr.
>>> developer job) when it requires a B.S. in CS and 5+ years of
>>> experience? Iam
>>> sure contributing to opensource and building personal projects doesn't
>>> pay
>>> the bills for 5 or more years. Most graduates have at least a $40K
>>> bill from
>>> school to pay back as well. We know the trend is for hiring
>>> organizations to
>>> keep the jobs just out of reach of recent graduates. What are we going
>>> to do
>>> about it? Most people start their own business, become freelance
>>> developers,
>>> or create a startup. Never forget that working for someone else is not
>>> your
>>> only option.
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Christopher
>>> Chaltain via nfbcs
>>> Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2017 11:54 AM
>>> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
>>> Cc: Christopher Chaltain <chaltain at gmail.com>; David Andrews
>>> <dandrews at visi.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Research
>>>
>>> It is true that a CS degree will not guarantee you a job, and it's
>>> also true
>>> that not everyone working in the technology field has a CS degree.
>>> I've been a hiring manager in the technology field for over 15 years,
>>> and
>>> I've worked for three different companies during that time. Most of the
>>> positions I've helped staff have required a CS, CE or I degree or
>>> equivalent
>>> experience. Obviously, if you're a recent college graduate, it's going
>>> to be
>>> hard to have that equivalent experience if you don't have a technical
>>> degree.
>>>
>>> My advice to anyone going into the technology field would be to pursue
>>> the
>>> appropriate degree. If you want to go into software engineering then I'd
>>> recommend a CS or a CE degree. If you want to go into some other area
>>> of IT
>>> then an associates degree or a relevant certificate may be appropriate.
>>>
>>> Whether you have a technical degree or not, internship experience is
>>> key. As
>>> I think someone else pointed out, nothing prepares you for the real
>>> world
>>> better than experience. Volunteering or contributing to an open source
>>> project will also help you stand out by showing your commitment and
>>> demonstrating your experience. All college graduates, especially from
>>> the
>>> same university, look the same. Internships and other experience can
>>> help
>>> you stand out.
>>>
>>> On 25/02/17 14:19, David Andrews via nfbcs wrote:
>>>> Greg, I have no doubt that what you say is true. On the other hand,
>>>> most people who hire entry-level people are going to consider
>>>> blindness a strike against a person. Not having a CS degree is
>>>> another, and this isn't baseball -- two strikes and you are out.
>>>>
>>>> We always need that little extra edge to end up in the same place.
>>>> You can talk about overcoming countless accessibility obstacles to get
>>>> your degree. This is a plus.
>>>>
>>>> Dave
>>>>
>>>> At 01:49 PM 2/24/2017, you wrote:
>>>>> This is going to sound odd but I work for a major technology company.
>>>>> I can not think of a single person in my group with a CS degree. More
>>>>> common in fact are fine arts degrees, like mine, history and
>>>>> humanities and music. We have some people including a supervisor who
>>>>> have no college degree at all, he came out of the military. We are
>>>>> all doing very technical work much of which involves coding which we
>>>>> all seemed to have learned as we needed it.
>>>>>
>>>>> So is having a CS degree a guarantee of a good job at a technology
>>>>> firm? Silicon Valley is filled up with CS graduates working at
>>>>> Starbucks so the answer is clearly no. IS not have such a degree
>>>>> going to keep you form a career at such a firm, well my experience
>>>>> the answer no as well.
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>> m
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Christopher (CJ)
>>> chaltain at Gmail
>>>
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>>
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