[Nfbmo] FW: [nfbcs] Career Advice

[Matt Sievert]

Good to meet you John,

My name is Matthew Sievert.

I have been a programmer since I was in fith-grade.
My current programming backgroud includes
Microsoft .net
Oracle Packages and procedures
JAVA
Php
Cold Fusion
Some javascript
and of course the adoption of jQuery



On Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 12:33 PM, Gary Wunder <gwunder at earthlink.net> wrote:

> This may contribute something meaningful to our employment discussion.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of John G. Heim
> Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 11:12 AM
> To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Career Advice
>
> I am the President of the International Association of Visually Impaired
> Technologists (www.iavit.org) and I'm employed as manager of high
> performance computing at the University of Wisconsin Department of
> Mathematics. My opinion is that information technology is about as good of
> a
> career for blind people as it gets. There is hardly any career where you're
> not at something of a disadvantage but in information technology, you're
> about as even with your sighted counterparts as you can be in any field.
> And
> it pays well.
>
> I was just in a tavern with my friends last week and we were talking about
> the state of the job market in info tech. I mentioned how many of my blind
> friends were unemployed and another guy asked, "But do you know anybody who
> is any good who is unemployed?" I had to admit I did not. Everybody I know
> who is blind and is unemployed either didn't have the aptitude for it in
> the
> first place or else they let their skill set lapse. But I know a lot of
> sighted people who deserve jobs far less and are still employed. I just
> think its way harder for a blind person who not only has to stand out above
> all the other applicants, has to stand out so much that the employer will
> take a chance on a blind guy.  But, of course, that problem applies to
> every
> career choice.
>
> I'm not so sure about going into programming though. About 8 years ago, I
> deliberately acquired a new set of skills in order to switch from
> programming to systems administration. I'm not sure I'd advise even a
> sighted person to go into programming these days. I think all the
> programming jobs are drying up and/or moving overseas. All the blind people
> I know have jobs as various kinds of systems admins. I personally do not
> know a single blind programmer.  But I'm not sure my sample size is
> meaningful and other people might be able to confirm or deny this
> impression
> of mine.
>
> I've never been unemployed in my entire career. That's because I have never
> let my skill set lapse. I spend my own time and money if necessary learning
> the latest and greatest. And I work harder than everybody else. I just
> think
> that's what you have to do to succeed as a disabled person.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Daniel Garcia
> Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 9:08 AM
> To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nfbcs] Career Advice
>
> Hello Everyone:
>
> I hope this is the appropriate forum for this question.
>
> I am legally blind with a background in engineering and manufacturing.
> After
> talking with many blind engineers, I find that many of them are thriving
> computer programmers.
>
> I am now trying to decide whether to go to Lions World in Little Rock to
> take their 10 month computer programming course. My counselor at my states
> agency for the blind wants me to go to Lions World but to take one of their
> IRS courses, which would in essence be a guaranteed job with the Feds.
>
> I am the type of person who could do any job, at least that is what my
> aptitude tests tell me.
>
> What is life like for blind computer programmers? Do most work for
> employers
> or as freelancers/contractors? Are there any languages in particular I
> should focus on? Are there any other ways of learning computer programming
> as a blind person than going out of state? Learning on my own is just not
> working for me.
>
> Any advice you can give would be appreciated.
>
> Regards
>
> Daniel Garcia
> Northville, MI
>
>
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