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.

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.