[Nfbmo] FW: [nfbcs] Career Advice

Wed Oct 10 02:43:57 UTC 2012

I don't like web sites or computers. I prefer to cook food for people.

Computers and web sites pay the rent and I am good at it, but they are not
my passion.

On Tue, Oct 9, 2012 at 10:32 PM, Gary Wunder <gwunder at earthlink.net> wrote:

> We agreed to work with Wisconsin and Mr. Beezley to do this and they are
> still all for it. They are very glad to help and have invested some real
> time.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nfbmo [mailto:nfbmo-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bryan Schulz
> Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 5:16 PM
> To: NFB of Missouri Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] FW: [nfbcs] Career Advice
>
> Gary,
>
> it's the little details that we don't know about members.
> Matt would most likely be able to draft the convention registration page
> like myself and he could figure out the card processing/paypal faster so
> why
> haven't we asked him?
>
> Bryan Schulz
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Matt Sievert" <matt.sievert at gmail.com>
> To: "NFB of Missouri Mailing List" <nfbmo at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2012 3:13 PM
> Subject: Re: [Nfbmo] FW: [nfbcs] Career Advice
>
>
> > 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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> >> nfbcs at nfbnet.org
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> >>
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> >>
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> >>
> >>
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> >>
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