Computer Scientist?

[sweetdreamr]

I'm in a three year college computer science program that teaches a little bit of everything. Basic networking, database (SQL), and programming (Java, C, C#, .NET) and I've come to a place where I realize I'm probably not a good enough coder to go into software development, I hate networking, and the database protion was not enough to get me a job. Basically, I think I'm ****t after two years of school, and I'm not sure where to go. I'm really intimidated by the job ads I see because they mostly want experience, are there positions out there that will hire someone who's still learning?
How competitive is the IT field these days? Any thoughts?

[ipxxx]

... and I've come to a place where I realize I'm probably not a good enough coder to go into software development ... and I'm not sure where to go. I'm really intimidated by the job ads I see because they mostly want experience, are there positions out there that will hire someone who's still learning? How competitive is the IT field these days? Any thoughts?

I stripped out what you said down to some of the important facts. I'm a little confused as to why you're asking how competitive the IT field is when you already admitted that you are not a good coder and that you're not sure of the direction you're heading. What are you good at? What drove you to take computer science in the first place? I'm sure you took some "programming" classes in highschool, weren't these an indication of whether or not you would be a good coder?

Also the IT field covers a wide range of careers...what specifically are you looking for? Tech support, Web design, Software Developer, Network Administrator???

Anyways, I work as a developer and there are some people who are smarter than me and others who are dumber than me...so who knows, you may find your place in a company - start small though (through a smaller company) and work on your experience there.

[sweetdreamr]

My ideal job would be one where I work between coders and clients on program specs working out what can and cannot be done planning and overseeing a project to completion.

It's not that I'm bad at coding, I can learn the languages fine enough, I just don't have any hands on experience coding anything people actually use and I don't see how I can get where I want to be.

[hrmmm]

Let me just add that if you haven't found something you can be passionate, and motivated with in IT, then you are NOT going to be happy in IT. Find something you are really interested in and learn as much about it as you can. If you haven't found it, then explore, research, read, experiment...explore, research, read, experiment, repeat. You still have time... Seriously, you have to be active continuously. You got to stay hungry to be competitive. That's how it is in IT. Buy books, read forums, try out examples, participate in projects, create a blog, express and communicate yourself. It's about personal and professional development. If you maintain this attitude, you'll be more than fine.

It sounds to me that you are discouraged, and maybe that is justified. Some people just don't like IT and don't see themselves in it for the long term for many reasons. But IMO i think it's all about motivation. If software development doesn't appeal to you, then there I would be very concern to stay in IT much longer

[hrmmm]

Uhh, that would be a project manager. Normally, to be a successful project manager you need some good experience as a coder/programmer in a development team. So it's not like you can get away with not doing any coding. Oh yeah, you also need some pretty damn good communication skills. So you should definitely put some emphasis on that area.

Coding for the sake of coding is boring. But when you have an idea, and you bring that idea to life with software and it affects people's lives, that's the amazing part. If you don't share this view, then you will not go where you want to.
My ideal job would be one where I work between coders and clients on program specs working out what can and cannot be done planning and overseeing a project to completion.

It's not that I'm bad at coding, I can learn the languages fine enough, I just don't have any hands on experience coding anything people actually use and I don't see how I can get where I want to be.

[evilution]

It seems like you're just intimidated by the "experience" part of it all.

Don't worry, companies know that you're still young and starting out.. Does your college/university have internship programs? I definitely recommend those.

To get more experience, start doing some coding for personal stuff. Open source things, OTHER than just your assignments. You can volunteer your time to make webpages for student groups or something.

Also, when you are applying for jobs, the only REAL experience you have (if you didn't have an internship) is your group projects. So when you're deciding what group projects to do, don't pick the easy one. Pick the hard one, that might not get a good of a mark, but you'll learn a lot more, and you can thus talk a lot more. Job interviewers like that quality, that you are eager to learn.

To be a mediator between clients and coders takes a lot of experience in the coding field, or you're part of the business side of a company.. the marketing and sales, and are always pushing coders to do things, and giving them deadlines..

But most importantly, as someone else stated, if you're not into it, don't waste your life doing a profession you're not interested in.. Don't think that you wasted 2 years.. it's better than wasting 50..

Having a comp sci background is really useful actually.. EVERY field needs a computer know-how person, and you get to understand the fundamentals behind it all.

[sweetdreamr]

thats comforting, Im attempting to push myself to do projects by myself but its hard to keep coming up with ideas of what to make, I'm gonna stick to it though, I do love seeing projects through from beginning to end

[thecharlie]

If you think you would enjoy project management, you might want to look into the PMP (Project Management Professional) certification as it will give you an advantage for employment opportunities. You should see if your school offers night courses for the PMP, as I know many schools offer a prep course for the cert.

Maybe this link may be helpful:

http://www.pmi.org/info/PDC_PMP.asp

Good Luck