Personally I think I should be reimbursed for all the driving I have in the last few days. At the very least, for all the bus tickets I have bought over the last 2 weeks. Too many meetings, not much work getting done.
Looking for the ideal job is hard. Refusing to "settle" is one of the main goals; finding a job that suits my ideals is the goal. Large companies will not even meet people face to face unless you say exactly what they want to hear over the phone, and small companies do their best to stay afloat financially, not offering much in term of money.
But there lies the catch. Playing the corporate hype game to get a decently paying job would require settling. Settling for a culture that only sees three months in advance, where everything is expendable. Short term gain seems more important that long term stability. The hierarchy of bigger companies is also a huge a factor. The leaders of the firm are very far removed from the people actually doing the work, it can be very hard to get noticed for work done.
Smaller companies keep a close eye on their finances, which means the pay for positions available tend to be less. Especially for start ups. But the pay off is job satisfaction. The relationship with the boss is separated by the size of the conference room table. Where you are not just shown a cubicle and told to get to work, but real collaboration and interaction occurs every minute.
Interaction is necessary for a high job satisfaction rate. Where one an freely converse with their co-workers. And while the workload tends to be a little higher, the satisfaction that comes with being able to track a project from start to finish is very rewarding.
Even though start ups necessarily keep a close eye on their finances, the work culture tends to be more relaxed. No formal dress code day to day, no preset time for lunches or breaks, and a much more forgiving attitude towards needing time off. Small businesses tend to remember actual people work for them.
Finding the perfect job is the goal, but the perfect job will never be found. There will always be some trade off; less pay for more human environment, or more pay for a less interesting job.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
What is a DEC
It has occurred to me that the three or four readers who follow this may wonder what a D.E.C. is. Put simply, it is the best way to keep people in Quebec. Kind of. Well, mostly.
Quebec has a very odd need to be different than its neighbours. Quebec also has a serious paranoia about people leaving. Creating a different school system is the easiest way to do this. Everything done in the school system is done to keep people from evolving, intellectually and socially. At times, it feels like lines from Braveheart when the King of England is trying to rid Scotland of the Scots.
A D.E.C. is simply a pre-university degree that is useless outside of Quebec. The last year of high school and the first year of university have been combined into this useless waste called C.E.G.E.P. As a pre-university stream it is complete garbage. Resdients of Quebec have a harder time getting into schools outside the province. And never mind the language issues.
Where C.E.G.E.P. does excel is in professional training, which is different than the pre-university stream. It is three years instead of two, and can lead to decent jobs right away. But it is still not the same as getting a University degree. Far from it. In fact, most jobs I have researched have required a Bachelor of some kind. An most professional programs do not lead directly to a university program.
Quebec has a very odd need to be different than its neighbours. Quebec also has a serious paranoia about people leaving. Creating a different school system is the easiest way to do this. Everything done in the school system is done to keep people from evolving, intellectually and socially. At times, it feels like lines from Braveheart when the King of England is trying to rid Scotland of the Scots.
A D.E.C. is simply a pre-university degree that is useless outside of Quebec. The last year of high school and the first year of university have been combined into this useless waste called C.E.G.E.P. As a pre-university stream it is complete garbage. Resdients of Quebec have a harder time getting into schools outside the province. And never mind the language issues.
Where C.E.G.E.P. does excel is in professional training, which is different than the pre-university stream. It is three years instead of two, and can lead to decent jobs right away. But it is still not the same as getting a University degree. Far from it. In fact, most jobs I have researched have required a Bachelor of some kind. An most professional programs do not lead directly to a university program.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Three Years Later ...
... I think I'm done. Three years ago I called up John Abbott College to apply for the three year Computer Science program. Which is a three year technical degree. And I was let in with arms wide open.
In the last three years, the program covered the wide spectrum of the IT industry, from Excel spreadsheets to networking to application design. If there is one down fall to the program, it would be the entire first year.
The first year started assuming no one knew anything about computers, it went so far as pointing the "ON" button at one point. But more importantly, the first year was devoted entirely to the syntax of C++. Most of th programming classes were based on command line programs. Which are essential in the learning curve, it created a huge dissconnect once we started graphical based applications. It would have made more sense to create GUI based applications using a language we are already familiar with.
It was not until the third year everything started to come together. Even then, only the surface of GUI ased applications were covered. Most of the learning was done during our stage.
3 days a week for 3 months spent in the workforce. Some people were stuck with technical support stages, while others were lucky enough to get a spot in software development. I was extremely lucky where I got placed at a small development company. In addition, I was given my own project to develop, from start to finish, in an area that was completely new.
So three years done, now it is time to start looking for a "real" job. And if anyone has a "real."
In the last three years, the program covered the wide spectrum of the IT industry, from Excel spreadsheets to networking to application design. If there is one down fall to the program, it would be the entire first year.
The first year started assuming no one knew anything about computers, it went so far as pointing the "ON" button at one point. But more importantly, the first year was devoted entirely to the syntax of C++. Most of th programming classes were based on command line programs. Which are essential in the learning curve, it created a huge dissconnect once we started graphical based applications. It would have made more sense to create GUI based applications using a language we are already familiar with.
It was not until the third year everything started to come together. Even then, only the surface of GUI ased applications were covered. Most of the learning was done during our stage.
3 days a week for 3 months spent in the workforce. Some people were stuck with technical support stages, while others were lucky enough to get a spot in software development. I was extremely lucky where I got placed at a small development company. In addition, I was given my own project to develop, from start to finish, in an area that was completely new.
So three years done, now it is time to start looking for a "real" job. And if anyone has a "real."
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Adventures with Apex
I have been trying to learn Oracle's Application Express (a.k.a. Apex
). Not for my own personal pleasure, for a class, fittingly enough named Oracle Technologies. And I am still rying to find out where the express part of it comes into play. So far, after working with Perl, PHP, ASP.net (using VB for the code behind), and Flash and ActionScript 3.0, I find Apex the most confusing to work with.
Something as simple as a select list was a 3 hour nightmare. I can get more done in less time with plain html and Perl than I can with Apex. At least in Perl, I know what the code does. I wrote it. In Apex, I am constrained by the way the Apex developers have envisioned a web application.
And that's my rant on Apex.
For those wiching to tackle Apex, you may need this:
). Not for my own personal pleasure, for a class, fittingly enough named Oracle Technologies. And I am still rying to find out where the express part of it comes into play. So far, after working with Perl, PHP, ASP.net (using VB for the code behind), and Flash and ActionScript 3.0, I find Apex the most confusing to work with.Something as simple as a select list was a 3 hour nightmare. I can get more done in less time with plain html and Perl than I can with Apex. At least in Perl, I know what the code does. I wrote it. In Apex, I am constrained by the way the Apex developers have envisioned a web application.
And that's my rant on Apex.
For those wiching to tackle Apex, you may need this:
Friday, November 19, 2010
Getting Ready for Stage
My last post was a while ago. Almost two months ago. My goal of posting something every week has been tossed out the door. Or more like tossed for me.
24 hours in a day, and only 7 days in a week feels like a cruel joke. Whoever cam up that system was obviously not balancing work, school, and an actual life. Or this person had "people" working for them. Looking forward at how much work needs to get done to finish the semester, I am trying to figure out how fit it all in, without alienating the girlfriend. There is still an Oracle application to implement (if anyone knows of a simple guide to Apex, please let me know), a shopping cart in ASP.net to finish, a mail server to install and configure, and a message board written in php to produce.
As the end of the semester gets closer, we also have to get ready for our stage (a.k.a. internship for those outside of Quebec). I have already been to two interviews. Each at very different companies (nameless companies of course, just in case).
My first interview was at a small start up. A tiny little office that barely fit the five desks. Basically a cafe that, for one reason or another, is producing all their management software in house. Probably to bring to market in the near future. Very anti corporate guys, and looking at their website, very community oriented. The more casual style of this company fits my style very much.
The second, which was self defined as a small to medium business, had a more cutting edge feel. And cutthroat. Though my interviewer was impressed by my C.V., despite the immense lack of IT experience. I felt like fumbling idiot at this one.
Neither place asked a for quick programming test, like others in my class had to perform. Both places what projects I had in progress outside of school.
Outside of school, my life is ruled by work, and a friends. And I am starting to get a feel for this industry, and while whatever skills and knowledge acquired on my own can only be beneficial, my interviewers seemed surprised how I do not live and breathe programming outside of a work/school environment.
Having a side project looks like the norm in this industry, and sleep and friends take a back seat.
24 hours in a day, and only 7 days in a week feels like a cruel joke. Whoever cam up that system was obviously not balancing work, school, and an actual life. Or this person had "people" working for them. Looking forward at how much work needs to get done to finish the semester, I am trying to figure out how fit it all in, without alienating the girlfriend. There is still an Oracle application to implement (if anyone knows of a simple guide to Apex, please let me know), a shopping cart in ASP.net to finish, a mail server to install and configure, and a message board written in php to produce.
As the end of the semester gets closer, we also have to get ready for our stage (a.k.a. internship for those outside of Quebec). I have already been to two interviews. Each at very different companies (nameless companies of course, just in case).
My first interview was at a small start up. A tiny little office that barely fit the five desks. Basically a cafe that, for one reason or another, is producing all their management software in house. Probably to bring to market in the near future. Very anti corporate guys, and looking at their website, very community oriented. The more casual style of this company fits my style very much.
The second, which was self defined as a small to medium business, had a more cutting edge feel. And cutthroat. Though my interviewer was impressed by my C.V., despite the immense lack of IT experience. I felt like fumbling idiot at this one.
Neither place asked a for quick programming test, like others in my class had to perform. Both places what projects I had in progress outside of school.
Outside of school, my life is ruled by work, and a friends. And I am starting to get a feel for this industry, and while whatever skills and knowledge acquired on my own can only be beneficial, my interviewers seemed surprised how I do not live and breathe programming outside of a work/school environment.
Having a side project looks like the norm in this industry, and sleep and friends take a back seat.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Balancing Life, Universe, and Everything
This has taken me quite a while to write. Too much real life stacked up in front of me while I had other things planned. A friend's 30th birthday was cut short short for me, which took away the chance to see long time good friends that I have not seen in a while. School work piled up t the point where assignments were being handed in as a bare minimum of what they could have been. And my boss seems to think I live at her beck and call during the month of September.
These last two weeks felt like one giant loop; a hazy cycle that never found its end. That is what is necessary when one decides working full time, studying full time, and having a full time social life.
Each one of those elements are necessary. Work to pay the rent, school to get a head, and friends for sanity. Too bad once all those things group together in the same week, sanity sneaks out the back door.
On that note, tonight is a night off. Assignments are done, work has not called, but a couple friends are waiting at the bar.
These last two weeks felt like one giant loop; a hazy cycle that never found its end. That is what is necessary when one decides working full time, studying full time, and having a full time social life.
 |
| The Waterfall - by Escher |
Each one of those elements are necessary. Work to pay the rent, school to get a head, and friends for sanity. Too bad once all those things group together in the same week, sanity sneaks out the back door.
On that note, tonight is a night off. Assignments are done, work has not called, but a couple friends are waiting at the bar.
Friday, September 17, 2010
And the Web Moved On
The World Wide Web, with all its uses, potential, and technologies, is one of the reasons I chose to enroll in computer science. Cloud based systems, and advances in web browsers, have made the internet a much more intersting.
To give an idea of how old I am, I remember a book my parents bought somewhere around 1995: Netscape 2 for dummies. This was back in the day, before Google, or even Hotmail. Netscape 2 for dummies gave a step-by-easy-step explanation of how to surf the web. Many details of that book are now long forgotten, but one phrase still sticks with me: "If it takes longer than the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee, there's something wrong with the network."
That was also the time when surfing the web was event unto itself. Everybody had a dial-up connection, and more than 2 images meant a pee break. Yahoo was the up and coming revolutionary web product, and Alta Vista and Lycos were the leading search engines.
Contrast that with now, Google reigns supreme in search and has produced a better web mail service (with a better name), if a web site has not loaded immediately after we click, we move on, and Yahoo is just barley a skeleton of what it once was.
So there we have it. For those who don't remember the internet before Google, or never experienced it, that was the internet viewed by the masses.
Later,
Mike D.
To give an idea of how old I am, I remember a book my parents bought somewhere around 1995: Netscape 2 for dummies. This was back in the day, before Google, or even Hotmail. Netscape 2 for dummies gave a step-by-easy-step explanation of how to surf the web. Many details of that book are now long forgotten, but one phrase still sticks with me: "If it takes longer than the time it takes to brew a pot of coffee, there's something wrong with the network."
That was also the time when surfing the web was event unto itself. Everybody had a dial-up connection, and more than 2 images meant a pee break. Yahoo was the up and coming revolutionary web product, and Alta Vista and Lycos were the leading search engines.
Contrast that with now, Google reigns supreme in search and has produced a better web mail service (with a better name), if a web site has not loaded immediately after we click, we move on, and Yahoo is just barley a skeleton of what it once was.
So there we have it. For those who don't remember the internet before Google, or never experienced it, that was the internet viewed by the masses.
Later,
Mike D.
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