One thing that is very different from going to school for computer science and actually having a job as a software engineer is that in school you are expected to keep everything inside your own head and not rely on an outside source. In the world of software engineering you have the option to actually look up anything that you do not know off the top of your head. Granted that you cannot constantly be looking up things and even if you do it very rarely it ends up taking a lot of time trying to find the specific thing you are looking for. That is where cht.sh comes in handy. This website lets you look up cheat sheets on a lot of different languages and even has a way of searching the web for content if it does not already have the answer you are looking for. It isn’t even necessary to go to the website in order to look things up. You can simply use the command line to access everything. It has some predefined cheat sheets and even has a tutorial over the basics of many languages. There is a command for searching the documentation or if it can not find it then it will simply look up an answer for you. It is a very nice tool to have as a developer and can come in handy when needing a quick refresher on something.
What is the best operating system?
There have been numerous debates on which operating system is the best to use as a software engineer. You will find someone in every corner trying to convince you that the operating system they use is the best. The truth is though it comes down to preference and what kind of software you are using at the end of the day. Even in your job it will come to what the business prefers and what software they are invested in. At my work we are highly invested in Microsoft so it is only natural that we use Windows 10. Granted it’s not my favorite operating system, but that is just my preference. In reality as a software engineer I would suggest that you get familiar with all the operating systems, well mainly Microsoft, OS, and one Linux distribution that you like. This is so you will have experience working in all 3 and be able to adapt when your job calls for it. So I wouldn’t focus on which operating system is better and just learn to use the 3 of them, this will ultimately help you in the long run. Don’t let people convince you that one operating system is better to code in than another either because that just isn’t true. They are all fine to code in and again that really just comes down to preference.
How do you build your credit as a college student?
Credit is a mysterious thing, but what is not mysterious is that it is very important for your long-term financial health. One thing you can do as a college student is set up an account with credit karma and see what your score is and what kind of credit cards they recommend. Try to find a card recommendation that does not have any annual fees and a low-interest rate. Also try to sign up for the card before you take out any loans. This is because when you take out student loans for a period of time it will be factored into the decision of them giving you a credit card. Once you finally have a card find out the maximum credit on the card and calculate what 30% of that would be, this will tell you how much you can actually spend with the credit card. This probably won’t be a lot of money at first since the maximum credit will probably be around $500 and 30% would be $150. Basically just use the card for getting gas for your vehicle and make sure you do not go over the $150. If you go over that amount then your credit will get dinged. Be sure to connect the card to your bank account it can be paid automatically when the time comes each month. This will allow you to never miss a payment, which will help your credit score. Keeping this card through your college career will greatly help you because then you will have at least two open lines of credit for a few years. There are other things that can also be done, but this is one of the easiest things to do in order to help build your credit.
How do you get your first job in software engineering?
There is no sure fire way to get a job fast, but there are some steps that you can take. The first step is searching for openings at companies and then applying to them. Remember that you will probably get rejected 10 times before you actually get an interview with one. Also remember that if they do not explicitly say that you cannot reapply for a position then any time they re-post the job offer apply for it again. There is usually no harm in doing this, it is actually how I got my first position. Also attend job fairs whenever they come around and be sure to scout out the companies before you go. Once you get an interview then you follow all the simple rules about showing up on time and dressed appropriately. Honestly all companies do different things for the interview process and ask different questions. At least get to know the business the best that you can before the interview. After that just do your best and try to learn from the experience if it does not work out. Also, don’t be afraid to ask around about job openings from friends or even have your friends ask about job openings. That may be the fastest way to get a job, but still apply for others just to get experience. Remember that the entry level job will probably expect you to know very little about how they actually do things at the company and that they probably expect it to take a few months before you are relatively up to speed. So try not to worry if you don’t get everything on your first day on the job and feel completely lost.
How do you pay off student loans?
This topic may not be directly related to the field of software engineering, but it definitely has an impact on most. There is no easy way to pay off student loans and it will take some time to pay them all off no matter what approach you take. There are a few things to keep in mind that may help you pay off those loans faster. The first thing to keep in mind that the loans you have probably compute interest daily and this means that the interest can start to add up fast. It also means that the longer you go without making a payment the more of that payment will go toward interest. It is usually better to split up your monthly payment into four small weekly payments. Just splitting the payment up you can take one to two years off the life of the loan. Granted this can depend on what your certain circumstances, but in most cases this will help lower your loans faster and you will have to pay less interest. The next thing to remember that usually the payment that the institution that services your loan calculates is the bare minimum and that it is better to try and pay more then the actual payment. This can be hard sometimes but every little cent adds up when paying of the loans. Another thing to do is read all of the documents regarding your loan. Sometimes the small details in those documents can save you some money and save you from getting into a tough situation. Just think once that loan is gone you will have an extra chunk of money each month to spend or invest.
What is the first programming language you should choose?
I decided that for the first post on the blog I would tackle a very common question in computer science. This is a question that has been debated by many people and colleges for that matter. Some people will tell you that you need to learn C++ or C first because they will make other languages easier to learn later or that they are the only way to truly get a grasp on some programming concept. Others will tell you to learn python or ruby because they are easy to pick up and you can see results fast. There is always a reason why someone recommends one language over another. Usually though the main reason that someone suggests a language is because that is the language they have grown to like or it could be an “earn your stripes” mentality. The simple answer is that there is particular language that is better to start with then another. The main thing to do is find out exactly what you want to do. If you want to make websites then you will probably start in a different language then if you want to make an app. Even then you will have several languages to choose from and for that you will just have to pick one and start coding in order to find out which language you like best, because at the start it only matters that you enjoy programming. So just go find a language you like and then start coding practice problems from the internet.
The Journey Begins
I am here as a software developer to share my experiences and give advice on many different topics. I am creating this blog mainly to help beginners into the field get a better understanding of what they are getting into and some tips that will help them in the beginning of their journey. Thanks for joining me!
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
SoftwareUpdates 