*snort* Programming job for a teen still in highschool?

Miscellaneous Topics
#1

Hey guys, I live in California (Ventura area).

I’ve been programming in Java since I was 13, when I was 15.5 or so I decided to pursue developing skillz in computer art and such, so I sort of abandoned programming, only occasionally writing some code now and then. About six months back, I decided I’m not really cut out to be an artist, so I’ve picked up programming again.

I’m turning eighteen at the end of this month. I’ve already bought a car (found a great deal on an almost mint condition 1993 3000GT SL), and I obviously need a job for insurance when I get my license, which I’ll be getting at the end of this month.

Now, I can work at a hospital for about ten dollars an hour, which is a good wage…but I’d rather not. I’d rather not work at all, but I need money, and unfortunately nobody planted a money tree in my backyard. ::slight_smile:

So if I have to work, I’d prefer a job in IT at the very least, and I’d like something that’d have me writing Java code.

I searched on Monster for java programming jobs in my area, and everybody seems to want college graduates with one to two years of professional experience at the least.

Should I give up on trying to find a programming job? If not, where should I look?

#2

It’s hard enough for CS graduates to find programming jobs, much less highschoolers. I’ve not ever seen a highschool kid working in any office I’ve been at (college interns being the youngest).

I think you are going to find it incredibly difficult to get a job like that, unless you happen to know someone. Just do like the rest of us do and make pizza, go to college, then struggle to get that job again. :slight_smile:

#3

Ok, I had figured that’s how it’d be. :slight_smile: Just wanted to make sure. :slight_smile:

#4

Yeah what monkey said.

It used to be possible to get into the game industry self-taught, but yo uhad to at elast write a sample agme first. These days the self-taught game prgorammer is becomign a rare breed.

Frankly, my friend, trust me, you don’t know squat yet.

I’ve been programming since I was 8, but my college degree fundementally changed the way I go about writing code.

If you want to program computers for a living, get the degree,

#5

[quote=“Jeff,post:4,topic:24562”]
Hmm. It’s not my first career choice. My primary choice and dream is to be a filmmaker, but I’m being practical and realizing the chances of that are slim, so I’m going to minor in CS (majoring in Film Production). Is minoring good enough?

#6

This is something I’m going to have to 100% agree with.
The way I think has significantly changed.

Back OT:
There is far more to programming than knowing how to use a language.
I never had any trouble going to or from any computer language, this has not made me a good programmer.
Just because you can use a spanner doesn’t make you a good builder. Anyone can learn how to use a spanner.

I would just like to note that just because Java programming on your own is fun doesn’t make it fun when doing it in industry.
The chances are you will eventually learn to hate a lot of things.
Find something you really love, this may take some time. It has taken me several years to do this.
Originally I just wanted to do something with computers, now I wouldn’t touch something I don’t like (networking, databases and a few other fields).

#7

Gah. I think you’re all wrong. Send me your CV + portfolio (adam at mindcandydesign.com) - I’m looking for someone who can churn out small and interesting java games very fast, and do their own artwork too - but since the timescales are very short, the aim is to be cunning and avoid needing much artwork in the first place.

If you look at the best games from the 4k contest, that’s the lowest end of what I’m after. The highest end is e.g. a 3D game written in 3 weeks from scratch (using as many libraries as you can, and any other shortcuts you can think of).

Unfortunately, I really want someone who can work from London, so you probably won’t get it, but it’s worth a try (there is a very small possibility we’d accept a remote worker).

#8

About the years of experience, you can allways colaborate in open source proyects.
There is no excuse for a just-graduated cs engeneer for not having such a thing like experience :stuck_out_tongue: (or at least that was said in a open source speech at the college)

#9

Well I have plenty of time, I’m not even a highschool grad yet. :wink:

#10

I PM-ed you.

#11

Opportunity knocks :slight_smile:

Cas :slight_smile:

#12

Anyway, if you ask me, i’d tell you to go for the degree.

#13

Im in a kinda similar position to that guy, and i saw some degrees in Video game programming, would you recommend them or comp. science? Has anyone got a degree in video gme programming(i think that was what it was called). Im not really considering them tho due to my being a noob. At least i think im a noob, how can i tell ;D

#14

That’s a totally separate question deserving it’s own thread.

I’ve seen ONE highschool student/recent graduate in the work place; she was a hot little 18 year old who got an internship with the desktop support guys were I work. I promise you she got the internship for one reason only; the guys wanted to have something nice to look at ::slight_smile: .

Anyway, the job market is becoming more brutal all the time. With trade between nations becoming more free (EU, CAFTA, NAFT, WTO etc) it’s just going to get worse. The truth is it doesn’t take alot of skill to crank out business app version 99812744.3 so employers can afford to pick from a large pool of eligible people. IMHO.

#15

An attractive girl started at our office a couple of months ago. I even shaved twice a week.
She’s gone now. Disappeared mysteriously like ships in the night…

Cas :slight_smile:

#16

c.s. degree is best

good games degree is very good, and gets you a headstart in the industry, so long as “lead programmer” is not the job you aspire to - a true compsci will ALWAYS beat anyone else.

rumour has it that there are now a good half dozen good games degrees. Seeing as there are > 100 game degrees, and most are AWFUL that’s a minefield for you to wade through :(.

EDIT: not necessarily bad degrees, but not much use for games industry, is waht I mean

#17

This is not true. (I.e. I must defend my degree :))

I find a Computer Engineering degree is quite valuable and in many cases it I would prefer it to a Comp Sci. degree. Generally because the Somp Sci. degrees come from the Math dept. and the Comp Eng. degree comes from the engineering dept. The Math guys like numbers for the sake of numbers. The engineers like to make stuff that works. :slight_smile:

My first job in highschool was a programming job. I continued at that job for a few summers in highschool before I went to university to get my degree. (In Computer Engineering, of course). That first job was actually working for the board of education, writing educational software for grades 1-6. Things like text adventures, tetris, interactive choose your own adventure writer, math quizes with a theme, prgs for yonger kids to identify things that are the same and things that are different… It was fun and sure beat working in the service industry :).

#18

Hm, in the UK we don’t really have the two separate… there’s generally just Comp. Sci. The only lower form of life in the university were the cyberneticists.
(Yes, the world famous Reading University, home of Captain Cyborg!)

Cas :slight_smile:

#19

Yeah, sorry, we dont “do” comp.eng. here :(. You can do electrical eng, but that is very remote from everything games related - you do even less C/C++/Java programming than a lot of the plain engineering degrees do, since the elect.eng. is (IIRC) m-processor design, VLSI, PCB’s, assembler, etc.

#20

There are quite a few “Software Engineering” degrees in the country. A few people here did the one at Bournemouth.

Kev