IT Career Advice

I'm finishing up my masters in computer science and I've gotten a few offers but I'm not sure which direction to go in.

One is IT project management. I have some management experience. I like the challenge of meeting goals and working in teams

The other is Software Developer. I like coding and the problem solving nature of programming. (I do mostly mobile development and server side stuff)

I know some of you work in IT and I wanted to get your thoughts. Which path is better for a career in terms of:
-Salary
-Upward mobility
-Variety of work

 

I'd recommend the project management route. Companies are always trying to offshore the development work these days.

 

Let me get this straight........ they are going to PAY you to be a nerd!???

 

You're not fooling anyone. I know you can geek out with the best of them.

 

Project management. My dad is in that field and the only way to go is up. What companies have you received offers from?

 

Thanks for the input.

I'm considering offers from GE, Deloitte and Corning. I've got a few more interviews coming up too.

 

Im a software engineer, its the way to go!

lol i dont know what IT project management is, if its like IT or not.

But a masters in CS in portland should get you a salary starting around 75k.... sooo.... thats pretty good

 

Thanks for the info. I'm actually in North Carolina.

how is the job security for SEs in Portland? What do you like best about your job?

 

Well in my job i touch a lot of different areas.... software/hardware... so its never really boring. I wish i would do more development, like 80%, i currently do around 50% dev.

My job security is very good, but i think thats because of who i work for.... in general, i think its pretty decent

 

Damn, 75k to start out with? I might have to look into this...

 

With a masters yea.... i only got a bachelors and its not much worse

 

Consider also you have the option of starting in software development and then switching to project management. Personally I find project management tedious... and software development so enjoyable that time flies. IT may be easier to get into to project management though... with software development you may have to intern for some experience. Boeing also has plenty of openings for project management.

 

Thanks. Are you in project management?

 

Before you decide I suggest you watch the movie Office Space.
There is much truth in it.

Seriously though I would suggest Software Development only if you enjoy making cool things from time to time.
If creation doesn't thrill you then it won't be worth the frustration of the rest of the job, which accounts for a huge portion of what you do.

Also, don't work on games.
Cool as it sounds you will get paid shit, worked too hard and fired on a whim.

Project management has always seemed to me to be the way to go if money is your primary motivation.
If learning new things and using them is your primary motivator then software develment is probably your best bet.

 

thanks for you contribution. A lot of people have warned me against going into game development. It's not my thing anyway.

Are you a developer?

 

IMO, you should start as a SWE. This will give you the background and experience to change jobs and go wherever you want at anytime.

Then move into PM. This will allow you to not be one of the thousands of minions staring at their computer screen while somebody else makes their money off of you.

 

I got no degree in computer science and do comparable, in computer science. Having a degree helps, but is not necessary if you have experience. My first computer job paid 50% more than my best chemistry job.

 

Thanks. It definitely will be harder to go from PM to SWE than the other way around

 

Seems like there are a few SWE on this board.... NICE!

 

Yeah, I have been a software engineer for 13 years or so.

I have worked for companies with as few as 5 employees total up to a company that as several thousand world wide.
Mostly I have worked on legacy applications that have been running for years and years.
For example, I am currently working on a software package that insurance companies use to value a car in the case of a total loss.
This thing has been in constant development for the last 17 years and has been worked on by 30 or 40 different developers in that time.

As you might imagine, this software is the very definition of a kludge.

If you get the choice you should work on something that actually get's shipped and patched, then the next version is built.

However, if you don't get to do that, I would recommend the book Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael C. Feathers.
I have found that one thing a CS degree doesn't prepare people for is working on some old shitty code that is completely uncommented.
Unfortunately that can be what you spend most of your career doing.