Many schoolchildren, having graduated from their "alma mater", are faced with the choice of a profession, and someone, already having an education, simply does not want to work in their specialty. Now, in modern times, when technologies are developed and various gadgets are so widely used, the profession of a programmer is in great demand. Therefore, before you go to study for the "king of computers" or take additional courses, you need to figure out what the matter is, what pros and cons it has.
A programmer or IT technician is a person who develops scripts for different types of computers, from simple personal ones to industrial ones. To summarize, the programmer is engaged in programming various devices, working in a team or alone.
Not one company can do without a technician or programmer, which is why these professions are so in demand, however, like all other areas of application of efforts, it has its drawbacks. A programmer must not only know the description of the latest new programs in order to translate the manager's assumptions into reality, but must also be a creative person.
Features of training
It is worth knowing that it is important for a future specialist to have good knowledge in mathematics, as well as to understand computer science, physics and know Russian well. Also, some companies require knowledge of English. If at school there were no problems with learning foreign languages, then the profession of a programmer is already halfway yours. When there is a problem with English, but you still want to become a programmer, you will have to visit a tutor.
The main plus of IT technicians is that this profession can be obtained not only in specialized centers, but also to master it yourself at home. To do this, to help those thirsty for digital knowledge, there will be tutorials where programs are clearly described, training sites on the Internet or books are also suitable. But still, as practice shows, information is best absorbed through examples. It's good if there is a person (friend or colleague) who can clearly tell and teach everything.
The work of an IT technician can have several directions:
- Applied Technician. The specialist deals with software, its development and improvement for the convenience of working in organizations. Usually these are specialists of the 1C program, technicians are engaged in settings, descriptions of functions and revision for the requirements of a particular company.
- Systemic direction. Employees are engaged in the development and description of databases, interfaces. They are also administrators of social networks.
- TP (technical support) specialist. Irreplaceable workers, help to eliminate problems and errors in a short time.
- Tester. They, in particular, are engaged in the finalization and testing of ready-made programs.
Regardless of which direction will be chosen, any programmer is engaged in the development of standard or highly specialized program codes and tools.
What should be a programmer?
Of course, to become a specialist, you need to have certain qualities, this also applies to programmers. To gain knowledge, and in the future work, a future specialist must have the following talents:
- have a non-standard mindset, preferably technical,
- understand information systems and logarithms,
- be fast and mobile,
- have a good memory,
- be able to clearly express thoughts,
- be assiduous, collected and attentive,
- be able to solve complex problems with a technical bias.
Also, the programmer should have excellent eyesight, but in such cases, with good knowledge, you can resort to wearing glasses or lenses.
Advantages and disadvantages of the profession
Like any profession, specializing in programming has its advantages and disadvantages. The main plus of the profession is demand, as well as high income. IT technician is a very popular position, the variety of jobs allows the future employee to choose his direction, as well as the place of work (at home or abroad).
But there are still the following disadvantages of the profession of a programmer:
- High competition. The best places are taken by those who know their profession perfectly.
- You need perseverance and diligence. Not everyone will be able to sit for several hours in a row to develop a program or solve an algorithm.
- You need to study a lot and constantly update your knowledge base, since the world of technology does not stand still, and in order to be the first in your business, you need to constantly develop.
Most employers require confirmation of knowledge, therefore, in any case, training is necessary, you can at least take short courses.
Despite the existing disadvantages, the advantages outweigh to a greater extent. You can try to contact different organizations, post a resume, there is an employer for each programmer.
Where to find a job?
IT technician in general is a multifaceted profession. Despite the fact that, according to statistics, there are 15 workers per 1 workplace, it is still possible to get your place in the sun. It all depends on the skills and dedication of everyone, because if you sit and do nothing, you will hardly be able to get a high position.
Each future specialist must first of all decide for himself what he wants. After all, you can not only work and go to the office 5 times a week, but also become a free programmer or freelancer.
If the choice fell on a company, then the first step is to write a resume. It should indicate:
- available skills, even if there is no supporting document,
- education,
- experience,
- extra skills,
- personal qualities.
Many employers, having seen a promising employee, may not even see if he has an educational document or not. It is not only knowledge that is important here, a programmer must have many versatile qualities, which is why self-development is so important.
If "free swimming" was chosen, then you also need to try. The main advantage of freelancers is that in most cases employers do not require documents, as well as freedom in choosing a job. You can independently search for projects, technical specifications and perform at any convenient place for yourself. But there is still a minus - such work is unstable and does not give guarantees. Which way to choose - everyone decides.
Salary of programmers
As already mentioned, a programmer is a very lucrative profession. However, many are still interested in the question, how much do programmers earn? The salary depends on the level of the specialist, as well as on where he works. In big cities, specialists work in good firms, and there is a place for everyone. As for the smaller towns, the salaries are lower, but in line with the standard of living.
When choosing a place of work, you need to pay attention to the level of importance that programming in the company takes, this affects what kind of salary a programmer will have in the future.
For an IT department, you need to have a strong character, be able to make your own deliberate decisions, defend them, as well as be patient and purposeful. All these qualities will help to further advance in and become a first-class programmer.
About times, about morals. Today in Toaster I saw a topic in which a person confessed that while working as a java developer he knew algebra and geometry at the 6th grade level and asked for advice on textbooks. This request undoubtedly commands respect - a person wants to learn.
Start over. I studied at a good physics and mathematics school in the 90s. Read between the lines - according to the Soviet program. This could have been the end, because not everyone studied in a good physics and mathematics school according to the Soviet program, which means that by definition I am terribly divorced from the people. And I definitely don't understand anything in life.
Yes, we started coding in the third grade, and it was not Hogwarts, not a laboratory for pumping eggheads - they were all ordinary guys and girls from the area. Very few with engineering and scientific backgrounds. We had cool math. And also cool work, physical education and history. Everything was saturated with consistency. Did you know at school that history is a science, systematized, filled with internal logic, fit into tables and conclusions? Know this is so. Did you know that the Russian language is described so strictly that almost any situation in it can be solved algorithmically?
In high school, we forced matan so much that then a couple of courses at the university we could have a rest. On which many, by the way, were burned. And no, they weren't geniuses, the brain was boiling, the distribution of grades was the same as everywhere else - poor, C, good, nerds. The nerds were geniuses, yes. The students of the physics and mathematics school disliked nerds as much as they are disliked everywhere. Which proves once again that we were not special. This is important for the following reasoning.
In computer science lessons, we solved the same problems from matan - we found the roots of equations, built graphs. We studied the fundamental construction of languages - types, data structures, algorithms, working with memory, there was a little Delphi and OOP. Basically, of course, Pascal. For general development, there were C and Assembler. The DB was a little overwhelmed at the end, of course with normalizations. Studied binary algebra and made games for fun.
And not even all of this went through, the class was divided into Programmers and Users. Users learned HTML and Photoshop, submitted the site.
And we always knew that we are not programmers, we are so, shkolota. Programmers are the ones who write books. These are the ones who create the OS and the real software. We believed that in order to become a Programmer, one had to teleport somewhere to IBM or Microsoft. And you cannot even properly investigate the function for continuity - where are you going.
It so happened for me that I began to come into contact with programming more than 10 years after I graduated from school. Everything has changed - the web has appeared, a bunch of strange words and names. I knew for sure that these geniuses - Programmers, who create a commercial product, had already gone very far, into some kind of parallel cosmic worlds, where I would never get them. That I will come to them, and they will tell me: “Brother, what is your PHP blog? Let me organize a dynamic array through recursion, then we'll talk. "
And it’s fair. After all, I know for sure that a programmer is not even a profession. This is an engineer specialization.
Suspicions began to creep in when I started reading questions like "Does a programmer need mathematics?" On the Toaster. And answers in the spirit of "solving routine tasks for Landos does not require mathematics."
And so I see a Java developer asking for advice from a school math textbook.
I understand that this area is hungry for staff, that the scope of tasks is simplified, that the entry threshold is low, etc. I agree that if a person does a job, then he is a fine fellow, and let him do it for health. Benefits society, feeds the family, and so on. I generally have no arrogance towards developers who do not know matana.
An old man's rhetorical question is spinning in my head: "What about culture?" I believe that this question is generally the main one for a sane engineer, but this is a separate article. Is the creativity in programming so inferior to the craft that only fruits are important and no one even stutters about the roots that feed them? How can the question "Does a programmer need mathematics" come to a person's mind? And how vulgar and devalued is the proud title of the Programmer? Isn't anyone talking about developer culture? Or have we reached the point where no one understands this? Then where do you get this desired ideal code of yours, if not from the culture of thought?
Friends, tell me that I am an old (thirty-three year old) senile. Or confirm that the world is heading for some kind of hell. I propose to expand a heated discussion in the comments. And then, after all, nothing is clear ...
UPD
So, after less than a day of desperate spear-breaking, a certain picture emerged.
These are purely my conclusions.
Let's go through the order.
Dedicated to those who have read the post and are eager to rush into battle, and reading 100+ comments, of course, is not leisure. The following text will clarify a few things.
Purpose of the first post
Almost everyone has misunderstood the purpose of fasting. I have never stated that a programmer without mathematics is incompetent and will not be able to work. I did not blame anyone, did not belittle or vilify anyone for their ignorance of maematics in any way. My task was to find out what the community thinks about the professional culture of a programmer in the form in which I formulated it. A minimum of commentators paid attention to this fact.
From which I draw the following conclusion.
The culture
According to my observations, a very small part of readers are ready to perceive the word "culture" as a meaningful concept that has more meaning for them than going to the theater or not spitting on a neighbor. This does not say anything bad about people, it is just a statement of some filters of perception. If the concept of "culture" (like any other concept) has a developed content in the mind of a person, he analyzes the text in connection with the entire volume of meanings that this concept carries and discusses at the level of these meanings as well. The vast majority of commentators discussed with me at the level of professional suitability and solutions to production problems, the question of which is in the original text GENERALLY did not rise. If you reread the text again, then it all leads to the last paragraph with the question "What about culture?" Further along the paragraph, questions are asked that are the meaning and content of the topic. There is a whole paragraph of questions exclusively about culture, and no one answers about culture.
I conclude that for the most part commentators do not understand at all what they are talking about when the question of the culture of professional activity is raised.
Why?
I have my own version, I'll throw it on for a change. For almost a century we have taught a person that he is a production cadre. That the private is insignificant before the public. That its social role is its content. That culture is a popular print and rules of conduct. What if he has taken place as an employee, then he has reached the heights of human evolution. This matrix lives its own life in society, and so far is not going to go anywhere. Now, in conjunction with market goal-setting in education (I teach not in the name of science, but in the name of employment), fueled by the ideas of individual success and efficiency, any conscientious citizen understands that the main thing is to get confused in his narrow topic and not see anything else. It's best to start coding earlier than walking, and throw out biology and geography altogether, because high-level solutions like Google will solve all problems.
And here we come to another problem.
Education
Education is widely perceived by commentators as refresher courses. If we develop the idea to the limit, we get that school education is not needed at all. You can learn to read and write like that. And then sit back and write the code, because even HL ++ projects, as life shows, can be done without being a professor. The rest is googled.
Let's cross the obtained conclusions to develop our thought.
This attitude towards education is a lack of culture, which will be confirmed by any specialist in education. But since the word culture for the majority of commentators has no meaning other than a compliment, and lack of culture of something other than an insult, this thesis can hardly be understood correctly.
The second educational problem, and it is more obvious, is that commentators generally perceive mathematics as just another field. This at least means that mathematics was taught to him mainly as algebraic counting and formulas that need to be crammed. Not like science. You can teach mathematics as a science in the first grade. It just means focusing on consistent reasoning, not cramming. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that ALL exact knowledge, including applied knowledge, is based on strict formulations of definitions and relationships. Any reasoning is based on a tree if-then-otherwise. It is impossible to write even html without this apparatus. It is embedded in all of us because of our belonging to the society that operates with such a device. Mathematics is a simulator for mastering this apparatus and the key to effective work with abstractions of any level. Considering that all engineering professions, including programming, are built on a mathematical apparatus, it is strange to call it a separate type of activity. This shows a simple misunderstanding of where you have ended up. It may not be important from the point of view of solving a work problem, but it is very important from a cultural point of view.
Conclusion
Everyone decides for himself what to teach or not to teach. I only insist that there is a concept of culture, and it applies to programming as well. It is very irrational because it assumes that a person cannot afford not to do what can not be done... Yes, you can't do everything, but in this situation there is at least an idea in your head that you need to strive for this. From the point of view of the economy of an enterprise, this is absurd, from the point of view of its development, as a person, it is a necessity.
Only registered users can participate in the survey.
Who is this course for? For those who want to enter the world of programming and do not understand anything at all. In this course, we will not consider a specific programming language, but only general concepts and fundamentals of program development.
Programmer profession
A programmer is a specialist who develops algorithms and programs based on mathematical models. Programmers can be conventionally divided into three categories:
Application programmers are engaged in the development of software necessary for the operation of the organization. For example, this includes 1C programmers.
System programmers develop operating systems, interfaces to distributed databases, work with networks. Specialists in this category are the rarest and most highly paid.
Web programmers deal with networks, but, as a rule, with global ones, such as the Internet. They write web interfaces to databases, create dynamic web pages. In domestic personnel practice, the term software engineer (leading) is often used.
Becoming a skilled programmer is not easy. This profession requires logical thinking, a mathematical mindset, patience, attentiveness and thoughtfulness.
In addition, a programmer cannot succeed without constant, most often independent, improvement of his qualifications and replenishment of professional knowledge, as well as literally daily training in writing code.
Programming jobs are considered predominantly male, but the first programmer is female. This is the daughter of the famous English poet Byron - Ada Lovelace. It was thanks to her that the first methods of computing control appeared, which are still used in modern programming.
Programmer's day
On September 11, 2009, Dmitry Medvedev signed Decree No. 1034, prepared by the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, which established a new official professional holiday in Russia - Programmer's day.
According to this document, Programmer's Day is celebrated in Russia on the 256th day of the year - September 13, and if the year is high - September 12. The number 256 was chosen because it is the number of integers that can be expressed in a single eight-bit byte, and because it is the maximum power of 2, which is less than the number of days in a year.
What is programming?
In the narrow sense of the word, programming is considered as coding - the implementation of one or more interconnected algorithms in some programming language. In a broader sense, programming is the process of creating programs, that is, developing software.
The computer understands only machine language and it is in it that you need to write instructions to make the computer perform the necessary actions. But machine language looks incomprehensible, and it is difficult to work with it - these are rows of bits and bytes, the sequence of which depends on the architecture of the computer.
Bit- a unit of measurement of the amount of information. 1 bit of information is a symbol or signal that can take two values: on or off, yes or no, high or low, charged or uncharged; in binary, it is 1 (one) or 0 (zero).
Byte- a unit of measure for the amount of information equal to 8 bits.
Computer architecture- the conceptual structure of a computer, which determines the conduct of information processing and includes methods for converting information into data and the principles of interaction between hardware and software.
The translator allows you to overcome the difficulties of understanding machine code. - one of the versions of a translator that converts code in a language more understandable for a person into a machine one. A program written in assembly language for one processor cannot just be run on a machine with a different architecture.
And the problem of different architectures is solved by one more translator: A compiler is a program that converts the source code of programs written in a high-level programming language into a program in a machine language "understandable" by a computer. The resulting code, called an executable program, can be installed and run on the target computer without additional transformations.
Pseudocode
Programmers have another variant of the language called pseudocode. It is a natural language similar in structure to a high-level programming language. It is incomprehensible to compilers, assemblers and computers, but it helps the programmer to determine the order of the instructions.
There are no hard and fast rules for pseudocode. This is a kind of transitional link between a natural language and a high-level programming language. An example of the program "Hello, World!" using pseudocode:
Alg Zdravstvuimir start output ("Hello, world!") Con alg Zdravstvuimir
In our age of rapid progress, the profession of a programmer has become one of the most demanded activities. A programmer is a specialist who, based on special mathematical models, develops algorithms and computer programs of varying complexity. In other words, he creates software.
Traditionally, the job of a programmer is considered male. But who would have thought that it was a woman who would become a pioneer in this area. In 1833, Byron's own daughter, Ada Lovelace, created several elementary programs for the first model of a machine capable of "thinking", the creator of which was the well-known C. Babbage.
Only in the 40s of the 20th century the first electronic computers were born. For them, very detailed programs were written, since this technique did not understand any other language. Special algorithmic programming languages began to be created later, it was then that the profession of a programmer appeared. All programmers these days fall into several categories.
1. Applied programmers. It is they who develop the programs that are necessary for any company, firm or enterprise to work smoothly. This area of activity includes writing programs for audio and video surveillance, fire safety systems: alarms and automatic fire extinguishing. The responsibilities of programmers in this category also often include the development of games, software for accounting, editors, etc.
This group also includes the so-called 1C programmers. They can get a job both in the most ordinary company and in a franchisee. In organizations of this kind, they are engaged in installing a program that is produced by 1C, fixing errors and improvements. They also teach the users of this software. The franchisee's employees are students and novice programmers. And having received sufficient experience and a good store of knowledge, they move to other firms.
1C programmers, in turn, are divided into specialties:
- analyst programmer. He is involved in the preparation of technical specifications and consults users.
- Developer. Such a programmer finalizes the 1C configuration.
- Expert in the implementation of 1C. His job is to install programs and configure them.
2. System programmers. Professionals in this area specialize in working with system software. This includes the development of operating systems and the creation and management of networks. There are not so many people among programmers who specialize in this area. That is why the salaries of such specialists are high. In our country, it is customary to use the term software engineer for people of this profession.
The working day of a programmer in this category is not very eventful. His work is very difficult and painstaking, requires a special mindset. He works on the development of software and services that control the system of peripheral and communication devices and the processor. The work of a programmer of this level also implies ensuring the smooth functioning of the systems created by him.
3. Web programmers. They also work on networks like system programmers. The only difference is that specialists of the third category delve into the global Internet. They create programs for sites, web interfaces and dynamic web pages.
Personal qualities of a programmer
To become a professional programmer, it is not enough just to get a special education. The main thing here is a special way of logical thinking. The work of a programmer is creative. But it also requires perseverance from a specialist, since it is sometimes quite monotonous and routine.
If the programmer has good organizational skills, he can be the project manager, which will allow him to entrust all the boring work to his subordinates.
In any case, regardless of the work being done, the programmer must be attentive, patient and accurate. And in order for his career to go uphill over time, a specialist needs to be persistent and purposeful. You also need to be responsible and make the necessary decisions yourself in difficult situations.
A good memory, a high level of development of intelligence, concentration, technical and mathematical abilities - these are far from all the qualities that one must possess in order to succeed in the profession of a programmer.
Education (What you need to know?)
A programmer is more of a vocation. Therefore, not all true professionals in this field have higher education, as they are self-taught. It is not important which educational institution to graduate from in order to receive a diploma. The main thing in the profession of a programmer is to be able to think in the right direction in order to find solutions for any set tasks and to be an innovator. And of course, anyone who works in this area needs to understand programming languages.
The profession of a programmer implies self-education and the ability to self-study. New technologies appear every day, and in order not to be left on the sidelines in just a year or two, you need to learn as much as possible every day. You have to not only learn new technologies, but also adapt to frequent dramatic changes. For mastering this profession to be easy, knowledge of the English language is necessary.
Place of work and career
Programmers can apply their professional knowledge in companies, enterprises and organizations of various nature, in computing centers, in banking systems, in research institutes, as well as in schools, technical schools, colleges and universities. Not a single web studio and IT company can do without specialists in programming.
Perhaps more and more companies have recently wanted to automate their business. And this requires qualified programmers. Just setting up your business this way will not be enough. Continuous work is required to ensure the correct functioning and smooth operation of the software in any company. That is why the demand for professional programmers continues to grow, and with it the wages of successful specialists in this field. Diligent programmers will always be able to earn their bread not only with butter, but also with red caviar.
Welcome to the 21st century, where information comes to the fore, where automation reaches unprecedented heights, where the word "programmer" sounds ... strange.
Who are programmers, what do they do, why do programmers have such high salaries?
There is really no simple answer to this.
The programmer sits at the computer
When I was in school, I thought that these are people who are sitting at computers. Perhaps this is the reason for the name of the profession in the Soviet version: "Computer operator".
In principle, not bad - the driver controls the car, and the "computer operator" controls the computer. But there is still a discrepancy: the driver is still talking about "taking someone / something", he is not called "vehicle operator".
So maybe "computer operator" is not the best name for this profession ... unless, of course, he just sits at this very computer.
The programmer writes programs
The next step in understanding this profession is "a programmer writes programs." Better now. If you have ever installed a program / application on a computer or, for example, a phone, you may have meant that someone made this program ...
Again, at school, in the lessons of computer science and computer literacy, I had to write primitive programs. They knew how to draw strange lines, calculate equations. Even an Arkanoid had a chance to write. However, this was all from the teacher's tips. It was simple, primitive and boring.
At the university, in the first year, programming also began. Programming any algorithms. These are such prepared recipes: how and what to do to make the computer solve problems more efficiently and work faster. All this is based on mathematics and requires logical thinking, knowledge of mathematics ... Scientific articles are written using algorithms, scientific degrees are obtained.
It's boring. In fact, the result of your program doesn’t tell you anything special, you cannot show it to your mom (she won’t understand), you don’t show up in front of your friends. And these programs do not cause more internal response than any graph of a function from school mathematics.
The programmer automates
Automates problem solving, and at the same time problems.
After the first semester, more applied programming began. We started not just "counting function graphs", but writing programs that solve some problems. And this is many times more interesting! Not for everyone - at this stage you can just say: will a person become a good programmer or not - is there a thrill from solving problems using software or not?
So from the second semester to the first permanent job, I thought that the programmer's task was to automate some process. So I started working: we need to automate sales - we write a website-store, we need to automatically notify people - we write an SMS / mail distribution system.
All this reduces the burden on people and increases the efficiency of the business.
You tell me the main thing - what needs to be automated?
The programmer solves problems
A loud statement, but if it is rude (and honestly, it is almost always rude) - then it is. Often the work did not have a clear description of the process that needs to be automated. Often it was just a list of wishes that needed to be done and a headache to get rid of the customer.
And here, in order to do your job well, you must first understand the problem, come up with a solution and still solve the problem.
For example, a client complains that letters from his mailing list do not reach clients. He does not say what to do, but simply states the problem. Here, like doctors, there are symptoms, you have to look for the cause. To solve the problem.
So who are the programmers?
I wanted to continue "The programmer makes agreements with people" and describe various situations when it is necessary to look for compromise solutions, but this is somewhat beyond the scope of an ordinary programmer. So let's focus on "problem solver".
However, it took me 8 years to come to the conclusion "the programmer solves problems" from "sitting at the computer". I don’t think that many people these days spend so much on improving their qualifications in the field of computer technology. Perhaps that is why there is no understanding: what kind of animal such a "programmer" is.
Why are they getting a lot? The answer is obvious - the market: there are many buyers, but few programmers. Why are there few of them? Because you have to not just sit at the computer, but solve problems. What has to do with automating these decisions. Those who just sit at the computer receive little. Those who write programs are more. But it is the people who are the problem solvers that are valuable. They are valuable in any industry and get a good salary.
