What is GIT?

There is one piece of technology that was never really mentioned until late into my CS degree and that would be version control. This is the main reason for this post, since I think it is actually a good thing to know about and exactly how important it is to get familiar with some sort of version control software. The one I will talk about is GIT and github.com, that is because it is free and has a very large community. To make one thing clear, GIT is the version control technology and Github is a website that freely hosts your repository and works with GIT. A repository is just a place where your code is stored. The nice thing about GIT is that it makes different versions of your code. That means when you change your code and it doesn't work you can just go back to the previous version and start over. It is good to know and use GIT because when you get a job they will probably use some sort of version control system. Also GIT has become a place for programmers to showcase their work to potential employers. It can even make doing homework for a computer science degree easier since you don't have to worry about messing up. You can start learning git on their website here.

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 long does it take for a Associate programmer to get up to speed with a project?

This is a question that many young programmers ask themselves and can be very shocking to find the answer is that it takes months before you will become even somewhat familiar with the code base that the company has you working in. It truly takes a determined person to be a computer engineer because you have to deal with constant failure and learn that it is alright to fail. You can't know everything off the bat and it takes time to learn all of the nuances and logic behind what made the project you are on so far. Sadly when your teachers told you that reading other developers code would be the things that you do most they were completely right. It is a good habit to get into before you get an actual job because the main way that you can get going on a project is by reading through that projects code and understanding what other people have written. This is easier said then done and can be very frustrating, especially at first when you have no experience. This however will get easier the more that you do it, so after your first project then the next few projects will get easier and easier until you can get up to speed with the project without much effort at all. So don't give up and keep at, because you will get it eventually.

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 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.

Returning

I have decided to shut down the other blog and add all the writing I did for that to this one instead and future content will be posted here. Sorry for any confusion this may cause but it seems I don't like the narrow content I put myself in writing. I like the freedom to write anything I feel like.