[macosxnerd101]

It's that time. You asked and our panel of Dream.in.Code Experts answered! Check out what they had to say. Thank you everyone who asked questions, and thank you to our Experts for taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences!


My answers:

Spoiler

Quote

How often do you use an engineering model apart from trial and error / code patterns to develop your applications? For instance hypothetically, you are developing a web application with a database back-end and know that your web application will be accessed by thousands of clients at the same time (hypothetically the web application becomes live at a certain time). Do you sandbox these things and strength test server load? Apart from the regular safety nets in place for code control and quality, how are these things tested?

I don't know that "engineering model" is the right term to use. With CS being moved to the engineering departments at many universities, software development and CS is really seen as an engineering field. I guess on semantics you could consider it engineering, but software development is different than most engineering fields. If you're building a bridge, you know how it will be used. People will be driving across it. In the software industry, you have an idea of how you want your users to be using your program, but you don't know how they will use it. Beta testing is a great way to handle this. Get the client(s) to thoroughly use your beta. Get the secretary in your office, your boss, the janitor, anyone you know to test it. The more people that use your program, the more likely they will find ways to break it. And you'd rather find these things out early on than in the released "final" version.

Quote

How often do you see mathematics used throughout software engineering that isn't in gaming, but rather for code optimization? When designing algorithms that are applied in real world applications, do you find a firm grasp of Number Theory helps to optimize algorithms, and when openly discussing mathematics are you often greeted with blank faces?

I love math and the heavy theory end of computer science. The most math I've used in the real world was designing a layout manager and using graph theory terminology. Chances are unless you're doing scientific computing, or working on something like a GPS system, you won't be using much math. And even with a GPS system, I'm sure a fair amount of it can be abstracted to databases from graph theory.

Quote

Let's say you're at a interview for a job and the interviewer asks you to make examples of bad and good software and explain. What would you say? (Would interpret it as a trick question, or give the answer?)

By make examples, do you mean write code samples on the spot? I could write both quality and nightmarish code on the spot and explain the differences if asked. I could also explain good and poor coding practices. Be prepared to do both. If you're asking about citing examples of quality and poor software, talk about things from a usability perspective. Why is something not user friendly or inefficient? Does a program crash all the time? If so, how will you the developer be alerted to this to fix it? Talk about how you will write quality code, and how you have the foresight to handle usability issues down the road. It shows you're connected with a non-technical userbase.

Quote

Did you pick up coding style from the people you worked with or some other way?

Almost every project I've worked on has been a learning experience of some sort, whether it be a new skill in an intro to programming class I took a few years back or a large scale project I've worked on recently. I try and look back at what I did well and could have improved upon, and note those for the next time. Then on the next project, I try and improve upon those points. After a certain point, you'll have your code indentation, naming, etc., conventions down. However, you may find certain design choices continue to evolve or shift, if only slightly.

Quote

Again the situation when you're on a interview. If the interviewer asks you what was wrong in your previous job post? (Would you risk of revealing some firm secrets by answering that or would you avoid that question somehow?)

Use tact here. Don't bash anyone. I'd almost be inclined to cite professionalism for keeping things confidential. An HR person could probably better advise you than I could though.

Quote

How much of your current knowledge did you gain at your work post?

My current job gave me some good exposure to the Android platform. I'm by no means an Android expert, but I can now work proficiently with the API. It also gave me more exposure to writing a large codebase and refactoring one. Refactoring can be a large project pain, especially when the code isn't your own. It's better here to refactor as necessary, rather than trying to redo the entire project, as may seem appealing if for no other reason than you're an anal programmer that hates dealing with crappy code.

Quote

Most of you have been in the industry for some time now; some for a longer period than others.

My question is: do you still find yourself motivated to go home after work and learn some technology related things outside of work, or is it more of a 9-5 job now for you and just do it for a paycheck.

I do enjoy going to work. I love doing things that involve problem solving, and my job gives me the opportunity to do that.

Quote

How do you guys make it so that the job remains exciting.

In an ideal world, you can find something you enjoy doing in a good environment. If you like what you do and the environment you're in, then you'll be happy overall.

Quote

pbl, macosxnerd101, jon.kiparsky, Dogstopper, KYA, Programmist, baavgai, cfoley: (Java related): Most of you guys have done a lot of Java projects and participating in many java related discussions, what unique way which you used your self to master Java? I mean when studying Java, what things you gave priorities(or ways you used- which you think were different from others) till now we are proud of you?

I love data structures and algorithms. I'm not exaggerating when I say I get up in the morning excited about trees and graph theory. That was my priority when learning Java. I also enjoy mathematical computations. Discrete Math last year for me was especially fun, b/c I got to write a lot of code for things we did ranging from number theory to combinatorics to graph algorithms.

Quote

pbl, macosxnerd101, jon.kiparsky, Dogstopper, KYA, Programmist, baavgai, cfoley: (Java related): We have a version change after every time, now Java 7 and we are moving to 8... and in every new version we have some changes in API which means some old code wont be supported. What do you advice us, new programmers, to do so to reduce the negative effect of those changes to our code?

The major change Java programmers encountered when the switch from Java 1.4.2 to Java 5 was the incorporation of generics, and having the use of the non-generic tools deprecated. Java isn't moving so fast that you'll have to worry about Java 8 changes screwing up your Java 7 compliant code. The best advice I can give is to write code to adhere to good programming practices and the standards for the version you're using. That being said, if you're writing code for Java 1.2, have a good reason for doing such. IDE's can also help with versioning. Take advantage of your tools when appropriate.

Quote

In your corner of the industry, what differentiates an experienced programmer/hobbies from a professional?

A job. By definition, a professional is one who does this for a job. I've seen plenty of students and hobbyists write awesome code, and there are professionals that write crappy code. Though when we encourage people to be professional in their programming practices, we are encouraging people to be top-notch programmers, not the crappy kind obviously.

Quote

Also, targetted at SixOfEleven, pbl and the rest of you that have been "in the real world" for a fair time, what kind of things should we do alongside university to make it more useful? I currently freelance as a website developer but I also try to have programming projects, but all I can ever think of are things that do not really push boundaries or anything!

At the university level, things that "push the boundaries" are research. And research involves theory at some level. If you're looking to go into a niche area, like virtual reality, do research on computer graphics. Find something that interests you, and meet with the professor doing research on it. Maybe you'll never use high-end computer graphics in your day-to-day job, but it's a great resume builder, at the very least.

Quote

sense your started programing, what has been your favorite project, personal or work related.

I did some research on the Traveling Salesman Problem last year. That was by far my favorite. I really got to explore graph and tree algorithms, and their tradeoffs.

Quote

Are you guys participating/used to participate at open source projects? Why did you do it/are doing it? - sense of achievement, getting better at programming, boredom?

I don't participate in open source projects b/c I don't have the time and sufficient interest. If I had more time to do development outside of class and my job, I'd be doing more graph theory than anything else.

Quote

What is your opinion in regards to the authenticity of the Tiobe index? Is it a reliable source to use to determine which language is the most used/popular?

I think the Tiobe index is a good indicator of what to learn. Temper it with the area(s) you are job hunting in. When I was internship hunting a couple years ago, the jobs were almost exclusively .NET and Java EE. Just b/c Tiobe may rank C++ at a certain level doesn't mean that's the language you will be using in your geographic area.

Quote

Do you find that you are happy with your line of work? If you could change to some other (realistic) line of work, would you?

I find that I enjoy my job. I'm not looking to change anytime soon.

Quote

What would be the most important 10 job interview questions and answers someone would need to know?

I'm probably not the best person to answer this- an HR person is. I would be prepared to discuss your qualifications, display your technical skills, and provide your interviewer with a copy of your portfolio.

Quote

At what age did you seriously get into programming?

I started at age 14 really getting into computer programming. I picked up Java during our algorithms unit in my freshman IT class in high school.

Quote

@macosxnerd101, Dogstopper, Programmist, pbl, and jon.kiparsky:

1. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness the java programming language has compared to other languages?

Java has two things on a lot of other languages- the JVM and market penetration. If you're writing an enterprise grade application, it will most likely be in Java EE. If you're writing a mobile app, it will more likely be in Android, followed closely by Objective-C (for the iPhone). And Android is easier to get started with than Objective-C. The other thing I love about Java are its error messages and documentation. Java has the friendliest error messages and documentation for a lot of languages I've seen.

Quote

2. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness the java programming language has compared to C# specifically? What are the possible weaknesses of the language compared to C#?

I don't work with C# really, so take this with a grain of salt. This goes back to my answer to your first question though- the JVM. C# isn't cross-platform, in terms of libraries. You have .NET for Windows, and Mono for other platforms. This produces limitations in writing code that can run anywhere. Java doesn't have this restriction, unless you're talking about moving to the mobile platform.

[AdamSpeight2008]

Spoiler

Quote

What is the most valuable skill you have picked up for programming professionally and why? Or to phrase it differently, what is the one skill you would encourage novice programmers to pick up if they want to succeed?

Biggest skill? mm I say there are two main interrelated skills

• Debugging
  Learn how to use the debugger. Inserting Message Boxes isn't debugging.
  
  • Setting Breakpoints
    
  • Stepping Through the code
    
  • Are the contents of the variables in scope what you expected.
  
  
• Research
  
  • Has the problem you're try to solve, already been solved?
    The .net framework contains a lot of stuff.
    
  • Documentation (MSDN reference manuals etc)
    
  • Experimentation.
    When I'm doing a project, I often also create little test projects to try stuff out in. If it works transfer the knowledge over to the main project.

---

Quote

You have done a lot of .net projects and being in .net industry for a time now, what specific topics or knowledge from .net advanced learning someone need after finishing his degree(or any) so he can be hired and do well in .net industry?

Quote

What is your advice for .net languages learners(VB & C#) in order to improve their knowledge? Like if you can give us ways which you used to be that much...

Start learning .net via console applications first before moving on to a GUI. As it help to think in terms of what data is being transformed, rather then in terms of controls.

• Objects
  
  • What notation does the object encapsulate?
    
  • What state (data) does it keep?
    
  • What and how is that state accessed externally.
    The internal state of the object shouldn't be manipulable directly from the outside. Only via methods the class provides. This also includes how inheritance should work on your object.
  
  Which is why I prefer to make my object immutable, changing something about an instance creates a new instance (similar to what the string class does). All property are read only.
  
  
  
• Interfaces (not the GUI ones)
  Can the problem be solved abstractly, and then let the class implement them.
  For example .net provides a way to sort collection provided that object it contains has some notation of how to compare two instances of those objects. This abstract notation of comparability is provide by the object implementing the IComparable interface.
  Interfaces are way of implementing multiple inheritance.
  
• Inheritance
  Finding write similar looking code in objects, then maybe you can make the share common ancestor (base). Implementing only the difference between the classes.
  Object in .net can only inherit traits from one base parent object
  
• Events
  Does your object need to inform "the world" about something? Then define an event which you can raise, and subscribers can listen for.
  
• Generic Collections
  Yeah arrays are simple to think about and teach, but it doesn't mean you have to use them for everything. .net provides other collection types that have different features and big-O times. Maybe you need an associative collection like a dictionary.

---

Quote

Most of you have been in the industry for some time now; some for a longer period than others.

My question is: do you still find yourself motivated to go home after work and learn some technology related things outside of work, or is it more of a 9-5 job now for you and just do it for a paycheck.

How do you guys make it so that the job remains exciting.

Who does like home? You can do stuff at home that'll get you strange looks or even fired.
I personally like a clear separation between work-life and home-life. Put a monetary value on your time, some multiple of your (hourly) rate.

---

Quote

sense your started programing, what has been your favorite project, personal or work related.

It has to be developing software to visual information from real hardware. Developing the .net wrapper around C based driver, to get JTAG data from the digital oscilloscope (which the electronics company made). Documentation was hard to find and information that could be found wasn't in language I understood. So we had to re-engineer the data being sent back, wrote a program find the deltas (changes) in data being sent back. Enabling us to figure what represent logic 0 and logic 1 for input and output. That information was transferred over and developed into two new products, that allowed you visualize JTAG information graphically. It's mesmerizing watching the visualization alongsive the "live" screen capture of multiple digital active Oscilloscopes. ABI Electronics

---

Quote

At what age did you seriously get into programming?

When did the ZX Spectrum 48K come out? ~1984 (so I be ~5/6) Really got hooked when the Acorn A3010 came out, an incredible machine and OS. Come with a version BBC BASIC (with ARM assembler built in) that fitted inside the CPU cache!? So BASIC programs nearly ran as fast as compiled ones. Plus it had a 3 and 1/2 inch floppy drive so I could save my creations.

---

Quote

What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness the .Net programming languages have compared to other languages in general?

The framework libraries and the incompatibility between the programming language. C# VB.net F# IronPython IronRuby. Choose the language best suited to the problem.

This post has been edited by AdamSpeight2008: 12 February 2012 - 12:02 PM

[cfoley]

What is the most valuable skill you have picked up for programming professionally and why? Or to phrase it differently, what is the one skill you would encourage novice programmers to pick up if they want to succeed?

I don’t think there is a single biggest skill but for a novice programmer, the first hurdle is being able to write code. A lot of people seem to think that the exercises they are given in class are enough. They aren’t. You need to practice and experiment a lot to gain enough experience to put together medium sized projects.

How often do you use an engineering model apart from trial and error / code patterns to develop your applications? For instance hypothetically, you are developing a web application with a database back-end and know that your web application will be accessed by thousands of clients at the same time (hypothetically the web application becomes live at a certain time). Do you sandbox these things and strength test server load? Apart from the regular safety nets in place for code control and quality, how are these things tested?

I’ve never encountered the kind of scenario you describe but it sounds like something that is easy to test. If the requirement was given to me at the start of the project, I would set up a system and have thousands of robots using it. Any time a feature is added or something is changed, you can still check to see if the system passes the test.


How often do you see mathematics used throughout software engineering that isn't in gaming, but rather for code optimization? When designing algorithms that are applied in real world applications, do you find a firm grasp of Number Theory helps to optimize algorithms, and when openly discussing mathematics are you often greeted with blank faces?

Often you have the choice between spelling out the logic with a clear and simple piece of code or writing an equation to do the same job slightly faster. The former is infinitely more readable and maintainable while the latter will need comments explaining what the hell you are doing and quite possibly a reference. For most pieces of software most of the time you won’t notice the difference in performance and the simple, clear code is far preferable.

For times when you do need to optimise, I find logic is often more important than maths but perhaps that’s just a reflection on where my skills lie.

Let's say you're at a interview for a job and the interviewer asks you to make examples of bad and good software and explain. What would you say? (Would interpret it as a trick question, or give the answer?)

No, I would not interpret it as a trick question, although I would expect the interviewer to be interested in how I interpret it. What does good software mean to me: easy to use, easy to maintain, makes a lot of money? My answer will tell him a bit about my values. Just tell him what you actually think. If you try and make up an answer to please him it will probably just sound false.

Did you pick up coding style from the people you worked with or some other way?

A good place to look is static code analysis tools. (Java has FindBugs.) I was shocked the first time I ran it on one of my projects. I was doing a lot of subtle things that could potentially cause bugs down the line. Getting out of those habits was a lot more important than the things people often argue about like whether to give braces their own line.

Most of my programming has been done on my own so my style has been picked up from books, internet discussions and personal experience. There is one project I have been working on for the last 5 years and it’s really interesting to see how my code style has changed since the start. Every now and then, I come across a class or method that I’ve obviously not touched since I wrote it.

I used to be quite dogmatic about coding style rules but now I see them more as guidelines. I strive for my code to be clean and concise. If that means I sometimes use a ternary operator, a break or miss out some braces then so be it.

Again the situation when you're on a interview. If the interviewer asks you what was wrong in your previous job post? (Would you risk of revealing some firm secrets by answering that or would you avoid that question somehow?)

No, that would be an incredibly stupid thing to do. All it would show is that you are untrustworthy. If answering an interview question means you would be breaking confidentiality then simply explain that is the case. It will keep you on the right side of the law and will help the interviewer to perceive you as being trustworthy.

How much of your current knowledge did you gain at your work post?

I gained a lot of the more formal skills like testing and version control at my current post. Things like problem solving are always improving but mine were already well practiced.

Most of you have been in the industry for some time now; some for a longer period than others.

My question is: do you still find yourself motivated to go home after work and learn some technology related things outside of work, or is it more of a 9-5 job now for you and just do it for a paycheck.

Yes, coding has always been a hobby for me. I consider myself lucky to get paid for something I would be doing anyway.

How do you guys make it so that the job remains exciting.

My job is constantly engaging and challenging. There are always new experiments to run, algorithms to implement (and sometimes invent) and codes to optimise. I guess if I was coding the same kind of business logic day in, day out it might get boring.

pbl, macosxnerd101, jon.kiparsky, Dogstopper, KYA, Programmist, baavgai, cfoley: (Java related): Most of you guys have done a lot of Java projects and participating in many java related discussions, what unique way which you used your self to master Java? I mean when studying Java, what things you gave priorities(or ways you used- which you think were different from others) till now we are proud of you?

I just practiced. Lots. But I didn’t set out on a mission to learn. I just programmed lots of things for my own entertainment, and when I didn’t know how to do something, I looked it up.

pbl, macosxnerd101, jon.kiparsky, Dogstopper, KYA, Programmist, baavgai, cfoley: (Java related): We have a version change after every time, now Java 7 and we are moving to 8... and in every new version we have some changes in API which means some old code wont be supported. What do you advice us, new programmers, to do so to reduce the negative effect of those changes to our code?

It’s not something to worry about too much in Java. They are big on their backwards compatibility, yet occasionally things do break. Recompiling your code will fix binary incompatibilities and search/replace will sort out problems caused by new reserved words (e.g. enum being introduced in Java 5). Sometimes a library you use will be incompatible with the new version which means you will have to wait for it to be updated.

stayscrisp, SixOfEleven, cfoley and ButchDean: Game and scientific programming are areas that interest me as they tend to require a lot of original thinking and problem solving, keeping you thinking about what you are doing with each iteration. What was it that attracted you to these fields initially, what is it that keeps you there, and what one thing makes you want to throw out your computer? and what would you do untethered to your IDEs and compilers?

I did a degree in Chemistry and had a hobby in programming. I kind of fell into scientific programming naturally at the end of my degree but if I hadn’t, I think I would have applied for R&D jobs in medicinal chemistry. Looking at how the economy has turned out and the huge job cuts in that sector, I’m glad I didn’t! I still find science interesting so scientific programming is ideal for me. If I could no longer program I’m not sure what I would do. My synthetic chemistry knowledge would be considered out of date by now. My best bet would be some non-programming bioinformatics, although I can’t envisage a situation where I would be able enough to do that but unfit for programming. I’d be more likely to go the other way and get a job as a developer with no scientific element.

In your corner of the industry, what differentiates an experienced programmer/hobbies from a professional?

My corner of the industry is bioinformatics which, at its core, involves manipulating high volumes of biological data. It is a research field that draws professionals from biology, chemistry, physics, maths, medicine and occasionally computer science.

Most people in this field don’t program or only write scripts. That’s fine. They are busy working on other important areas. In fact, the standard text (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Introduction-Bioinformatics-Arthur-Lesk/dp/0199208042/) recommends that students aspiring to get into the field become comfortable with a scripting language but don’t learn serious programming.

sense your started programing, what has been your favorite project, personal or work related.

There have been lots of fun projects but my current one is my favourite. It comprises a library for analysing protein topology, a GUI viewer and a few other tools. One reason I like it is that I have been working on it for the last 5-6 years and I can see how my skills have progressed as I browse through the older parts of the code.

Are you guys participating/used to participate at open source projects? Why did you do it/are doing it? - sense of achievement, getting better at programming, boredom?

No. It’s something I have always fancied but never had to do out of necessity and never made time for.

What has been your favorite project during your career? Why was it your favorite? Was it an easy or hard project to do?

See above. I think easy/hard is a false dichotomy. There were certainly challenges and parts that needed some serious thinking and planning, and parts where I had to look up books, blogs and journals. But there was nothing hard in the way that I was ever at risk of not being able to make the features I wanted.

What is your opinion in regards to the authenticity of the Tiobe index? Is it a reliable source to use to determine which language is the most used/popular?

It’s not something I have ever considered. I am interested in computer languages but I follow my interests rather than using Tiobe as a guide.

Do you find that you are happy with your line of work? If you could change to some other (realistic) line of work, would you?

I’m perfectly happy. Unfortunately, it might be coming to an end fairly soon. I’m hoping to secure some funding to continue my research but if this doesn’t happen I’ll be looking for another job. I’d like to do some sort of scientific programming if I can’t stay in bioinformatics.

What would be the most important 10 job interview questions and answers someone would need to know?

I don’t know. My approach to interviews has always been to make sure I have a good background in the area I’m applying for, have some knowledge of the company and be honest if there is something I don’t know. I feel that coming clean about not knowing a detail and saying where I would look it up must come across a lot better than trying to bullshit. Also, talking through my thinking in problem solving gives them a better idea of how I might perform than “Oh, Fizz Buzz! I know this one!”

At what age did you seriously get into programming?

Nine. I wrote my first Hello program (didn’t know I was supposed to greet the whole world) and was instantly hooked. Never looked back.

How much have you learned after your first professional employment?

I’ve never really had professional programming position per se. I’ve done some commissions and have written some software as part of my research. The latter has taught me a lot. It’s difficult to quantify but being surrounded by similarly minded people has helped a lot.

How do you guys use your programming languages for your company?

I write bioinformatics tools to help answer research questions.

[codeprada]

Spoiler

Quote

I'll start us off with a question directed at everyone- what is the most valuable skill you have picked up for programming professionally and why? Or to phrase it differently, what is the one skill you would encourage novice programmers to pick up if they want to succeed?

The most valuable skill I've picked up and recommend is the ability to think logically. This will come in handy when breaking down complex problems into multiple simple ones. Every solution involves some sort of logical thinking in order to determine the steps needed. Whether it's finding the prime factors of a number or determining a way to manage user permissions you must be able to come up with the steps required to make it happen. Those steps however will not always be as straight forward or easy as a, b, c but with time and practice it will become second nature.

---

Quote

Most of you have been in the industry for some time now; some for a longer period than others.

My question is: do you still find yourself motivated to go home after work and learn some technology related things outside of work, or is it more of a 9-5 job now for you and just do it for a paycheck.

How do you guys make it so that the job remains exciting.

For me it depends on my mood. I do read a lot at work in my spare time and there aren't as much distractions so I get more done. If I'm working on a personal project and I must use a new technology or language then learning the new language/technology is the best part for me. You will get a lot more done if you love what you're doing. Sometimes I easily code for over 6 hours just because I don't want to stop until it's working and I love to code.
Even if you have a passion for coding it can become repetitive since we're still humans. I usually switch languages if that's the case. Master at least three languages so you have no problem alternating. Also always challenge yourself to code more complex designs than your last project every single time. No matter how close my projects are the latter is always better than the preceeding. I'm a web developer and I can remember the first project I worked on. The web app's structure wasn't close to professional but back then I really felt like I accomplished a lot. As I designed more and more web applications I use tips I picked up from experience and other coders. Looking forward to finding ways to do things better or reaching closer to 'perfection' is exciting enough for me.

---

Quote

I've seen in your bios that most of you have had a beginning programming class before college. I was wondering two things:

A ) What had sparked your interest

B ) When did you decide to become a professional

• My interest sparked when I realized I could get my computer to do my math homework. It may seem strange but I thought to myself, 'What else could I get the computer to do for me?'.
  
• When I got my first job I didn't think I was capable to work at the professional level but the opportunity arose and I took it. After realizing I could do the work that I love and still make money the choice was obvious. This was actually in 2009 so I'm still relatively new.

---

Quote

At what age did you seriously get into programming?

I think at about 15 - 16.

---

Quote

What would be the most important 10 job interview questions and answers someone would need to know?

Sorry if these are more gears towards web developers

PHP

• What does PHP stand for?
  PHP Hypertext Preprocessor
  
  
• Which of these tasks can't PHP perform? (Capability)
  
  • Identify a device's browser
    
  • Display a pop up box
    
  • Retrieve data from an external server
    
  • Create a dynamic web page
    
  • Read a user's hard drive
  
  Answer:
  
  • Display a pop up box. (This is done using Javascript)
    
  • Read a user's hard drive
  
  
  
  
• What use do cookies serve when dealing with sessions? (Random)
  They store the session ID.
  
  
• Describe SQL injections and XSS attacks and state how you could prevent them. (Security)
  SQL injections occur when arbitrary code is introduced to a query causing it to produce results that were not originally intended. To fully prevent this you should use Prepared Statements which separate the user input from the actual query.
  XSS attacks occur when a user injects code into a web page for malicious purposes. To prevent this you must convert characters to their html entities before sending them to the browser.
  
  
• A user reports that they're seeing a blank page when trying to update their account settings. What should you do? (Error Handling)
  Check for errors. Setting your own error handler will help you isolate the source of the problem.

---

Quote

In your corner of the industry, what differentiates an experienced programmer/hobbies from a professional?

Basically once you work for money you're considered a professional. I'd say an experienced programmer is someone that is able to find or have found solutions to problems without much aid from others.

---

Quote

How much have you learned after your first professional employment?

I learned PHP, Javascript and SQL at a advance level, C# and now working on Ruby. Apart from languages I learned how to handle clients a lot better. There's also learning to configure Apache and so forth.

This post has been edited by codeprada: 21 February 2012 - 05:12 PM

[tlhIn`toq]

Answers without some context about the person answering can seem ...odd
I work from home full time, not in a office cubical, not in a Google-esque free run campus.
I did not go to university: At all. I grew up with ham radios and Commodore computers.
I make software to use/control devices such as barcode scanners, sensors, cameras and so on: Not business models, web integration, cell phone apps.
User desktop applications: Point of sale systems, security systems, Amusement park ride integration

I see this thread is a mile long, so I'm putting my answers in the spoiler.

Spoiler

Question said:

What is the most valuable skill you have picked up for programming professionally and why? Or to phrase it differently, what is the one skill you would encourage novice programmers to pick up if they want to succeed?

Organization and time management. If your code isn't organized you're fraked. If you can't be self managing, you're doubly fraked.

Question said:

How often do you see mathematics used throughout software engineering that isn't in gaming, but rather for code optimization? When designing algorithms that are applied in real world applications, do you find a firm grasp of Number Theory helps to optimize algorithms, and when openly discussing mathematics are you often greeted with blank faces?

Algorithms aren't just math... They are processes for getting something done. The algorithm for taking my weight is always the same: Morning, post-bathroom, pre-breakfast, naked. Don't get so tunnel-visioned on one definition or word. Most of the math I deal with is regarding images... If the average image is 18 megapixels... shotting at a rate of one every 15 seconds... how many an hour... how much network traffic does that create... Now double that for sending to the server then back out to the sales station... If the image is 18megs, and you have 5 copies in memory while you manipulate it... So basic high-school math tends to cover it.

Question said:

Let's say you're at a interview for a job and the interviewer asks you to make examples of bad and good software and explain. What would you say? (Would interpret it as a trick question, or give the answer?)

Aren't there already about 10 threads on DIC for this question? I would rattle off a dozen examples of good and bad software, and explain why I thought that. Its pretty straight-forward question.

Question said:

Did you pick up coding style from the people you worked with or some other way?

I'm completely self-taught. So my style comes from reading lots of books, tearing apart lots of sample code and community projects, combined with common sense and lots of mistakes. I feel we learn more from our mistakes. When you go back to a program after 6 months and it makes no sense you should learn from that and realize: I should comment my code better... I should use meaningful names instead of x, y, z...

Question said:

Again the situation when you're on a interview. If the interviewer asks you what was wrong in your previous job post? (Would you risk of revealing some firm secrets by answering that or would you avoid that question somehow?)

I beleive you never bad mouth your past employer. I even say "I won't bad mouth them. If I ever leave here, I won't bad mouth you. But I can tell you what I am looking for." I don't try to con my way through interviews. I show them the same person they are getting. I speak honestly and plainly. If they hire that person we all win. If I present someone other than myself the worst thing that can happen is they hire me because then I have to be that other person for my career.

Question said:

do you still find yourself motivated to go home after work and learn some technology related things outside of work

Yes.

Question said:

How do you guys make it so that the job remains exciting.

This comes up a lot here, doesn't it? I don't have to work at it. I don't have to trick myself into staying motivated. If you have to find clever ways to stay interested in something, then don't do it: Its not for you. If you are looking at software engineering becuase it is clean, indoor professional work there are dozens of jobs that fit that description. If you are looking at coding because you LOVE coding and would do it for free if there was a way to eat and keep a roof over your head, then stay.

Question said:

AdamSpeight2008, Curtis Rutland, tlhIn`toq, modi123_1, CodingSup3rnatur@l-360, baavgai: (NET related): You have done a lot of .net projects and being in .net industry for a time now, what specific topics or knowledge from .net advanced learning someone need after finishing his degree(or any) so he can be hired and do well in .net industry?

What is the .NET industry? That's like saying "plastics": Do you develop new kinds of plastics or do you make plastic cups? I don't see coding as an industry; its a skill used in other industries. You don't get hired in the .NET industry. You get hired at a company that does something to make a profit. So what kind of company do you want to work with and around? I can get a job writing software for photography, or geology... working in an office or on an oil rig. Everyone in every industry using a computer nowadays. So pick an area you like and make that your special area of interest. If you love weather and programming then merge them. Maybe you love 3d puzzles, so make the next greatest cargo pallet loading optimizer application. If your passion is fuel efficiency then go to work at UPS or SAAB in their intelligent routing software projects.

Question said:

AdamSpeight2008, Curtis Rutland, tlhIn`toq, modi123_1, CodingSup3rnatur@l-360, baavgai: What is your advice for .net languages learners(VB & C#) in order to improve their knowledge?

Aren't there like 20 threads for this one already? How do you improve your knowledge? Hmmm... Read more! Code more... Find projects to do that are outsite of comfort zone so you have to learn something new just to complete it.

Question said:

In your corner of the industry, what differentiates an experienced programmer/hobbies from a professional?

Programmers get paid enough to earn a living at it. I know that sounds smart ass, but its the truth. Hobbiests don't care how long it takes to complete a project. Often they take a long time because it is there hobby, like growing flowers for fun versus finding the fastest way to grow flowers to sell. Professional coding is targeted to make money for your employer. Do it right, do it fast, don't muck around, get to market. If you make the employer money you are worth your salary. If you aren't worth your salary because it takes you 20 hours to do 4 hours work you won't be earning a salary.

Question said:

What is your opinion in regards to the authenticity of the Tiobe index? Is it a reliable source to use to determine which language is the most used/popular?

I've never heard of it. So I guess I'm out of the loop. My idea of a reliable source is the help wanted ads (Monster.com, newspaper, whatever). Look at the jobs available and the pay offered. If you see 6 jobs for VB6 and 6,000 jobs for C# you should be able to compute your own index pretty easily. If you can't, you should be doing a job with your name on your shirt asking "Do you want to biggie size that for just 35 cents more?"

Question said:

SixOfEleven, stayscrisp: I'm a CS graduate who is a programmer analyst at a local community college and I make games on the side. My goal is to get into the game industry but I find it very difficult to find any "Entry-level" programming jobs. It seems as if every programming job description I come across require 5-10 years experience with 1-3 AAA titles shipped.
Is there any trick to making myself more marketable to an employer, beside including my meager (at least in my eyes) personal projects in my CV/Resume?
Should I look for an open-source game/engine to contribute to?
Do employers care about those projects that are not "professional" (i.e. personal projects)

Not aimed at me, but I have a story for it. A dear friend's son is an amazing 3d artist. He tried for years to get on at any game studio. In the mean time he did jobs waiting for a career. Like all those actors that work at the Cheesecake factory. When he did get on, it was for a 6 month probationary period. Then a second 6 months. It takes a lot of proving yourself to get on full time, sometimes. The compitition is fierce and there are thousands of kids who all think it is cool to make games competing for 20 jobs. Make sure you have a plan 'B' to put food on the table while you keep trying for that dream job.

Question said:

Do you find that you are happy with your line of work? If you could change to some other (realistic) line of work, would you?

If you don't find coding to be a realistic job then why are you here?

Question said:

What would be the most important 10 job interview questions and answers someone would need to know?

Software interviewing books. Go for it.

Question said:

At what age did you seriously get into programming?

I sold my first piece of software at age 15. It was for car sales people to track their customers, remind them of upcoming birthdays, kids names, likes and dislikes... all that stuff that a Mercedes salesman needs to give the customer personal warm fuzzies.

Question said:

How much have you learned after your first professional employment?

Lots. That was 25 years ago.

Question said:

@Curtis Rutland, modi123_1, tlhIn`toq, baavgai, and CodingSup3rnatur@l-360:

1. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness the .Net programming languages have compared to other languages in general?

2. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness C# has compared to other languages in general?

3. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness C# has compared to java specifically?

I don't code for a living in other languages, so I don't really have a frame of reference with other languages. But being able to read/write C# gives me a good ability to at least read some others. I couldn't write some of the codes I comment on, but problems are often more about logic than syntax.

Question said:

How do you guys use your programming languages for your company?

Uhhhh... Dude... I like write programs they can uhhh, sell to their customers and stuff... Ya know.
Tip: Don't show up to interviews so stoned that you are asking questions like this.

This post has been edited by tlhIn`toq: 12 February 2012 - 07:51 AM

[Raynes]

Quote

What is the most valuable skill you have picked up for programming professionally and why? Or to phrase it differently, what is the one skill you would encourage novice programmers to pick up if they want to succeed?

The ability to take criticism from people who are more experienced than you.

When I first started working at my company, everything I did was generally looked over by someone else, and a lot of the time it would result in some slight changes being made to my code. This can really hurt your feelings, but you mostly should just shut up and realize that you're being taught a better way of doing things. If someone changes your code and you *know* that it is for the better, then you've learned something new. Otherwise, you can just explain why your way is better.

I know you said one skill, but how about one more: the ability to learn new things quickly. When I joined my company, pretty much everything I've had to do since has been completely new and alien to me. I wouldn't be there if I wasn't willing to learn new things. Keep in mind that these things may not always interest you significantly. Just learning something new should be enough to keep you motivated.

Quote

How often do you see mathematics used throughout software engineering that isn't in gaming, but rather for code optimization? When designing algorithms that are applied in real world applications, do you find a firm grasp of Number Theory helps to optimize algorithms, and when openly discussing mathematics are you often greeted with blank faces?

We all use mathematics in our code, we usually just don't realize it. Furthermore, you don't have to have a formal education in mathematics to do so.

Quote

Let's say you're at a interview for a job and the interviewer asks you to make examples of bad and good software and explain. What would you say? (Would interpret it as a trick question, or give the answer?)

That isn't that hard and it certainly isn't a trick question. Bad software is the culmination of a number of things: bad developers, bad organization, bad companies, etc. What are some examples of bad software? Can't say I have a list handy. Examples of good software? I can't really list that either, because I use a lot of good software.

Quote

Did you pick up coding style from the people you worked with or some other way?

Languages you use typically have a set of generally accepted styling guides. I tend to not stay far from what the majority uses and I wont use terrible formatting just because I'm working on a project with someone who does. If they refuse to accept my well-formatted contributions, I'll simply not work on their project.

Quote

Again the situation when you're on a interview. If the interviewer asks you what was wrong in your previous job post? (Would you risk of revealing some firm secrets by answering that or would you avoid that question somehow?)

This makes the wild assumption that I've left my previous job because there was something 'wrong' with it. No, I certainly would not dog my previous company, but if there was some obvious reason that I left I'd certainly point it out as long as it wasn't personal.

Quote

How much of your current knowledge did you gain at your work post?

Significant amounts. I don't really know what to list in particular.

Quote

Most of you have been in the industry for some time now; some for a longer period than others.

My question is: do you still find yourself motivated to go home after work and learn some technology related things outside of work, or is it more of a 9-5 job now for you and just do it for a paycheck.

I wouldn't code at all if I didn't love it. I do tons of work in my spare time, but to be fair, I only work part time. Working full time, my only limitation will be time and my ability to stay awake when I get home. But I'm still young, so there is plenty of time to get sick of development. If that happens (and I highly doubt it ever will), I don't think I'd keep working as a developer. It would be an extreme disservice to my coworkers to give them half-assed Anthony.

Quote

How do you guys make it so that the job remains exciting.

I don't -- my boss does. So far, every project I've been given to do has taught me something new.

Quote

In your corner of the industry, what differentiates an experienced programmer/hobbies from a professional?

I don't know. The ability to get the job done?

Quote

sense your started programing, what has been your favorite project, personal or work related.

Wow, that's difficult. There are three that I'm very fond of and would have trouble choosing between: clojail, lazybot, and RefHeap. I actually spoke at the 2011 Clojure Conj conference about clojail and it is used in a lot of important Clojure projects, so I'm leaning towards it. RefHeap is one of my newest projects, and I'm fond of it because it is the first non-trivial website that I've done the majority of development on, and I have a lot of ideas to make it great.

Quote

Are you guys participating/used to participate at open source projects? Why did you do it/are doing it? - sense of achievement, getting better at programming, boredom?

Absolutely. Even at work, the majority of our backend projects are open source and we rely on open source software. I support it because I need to, and because how can I not? Open source is how you build a community and make a language useful. I'm not sure how this is a question -- there are people who *don't* work in open source? This is news to me.

Quote

What is your opinion in regards to the authenticity of the Tiobe index? Is it a reliable source to use to determine which language is the most used/popular?

Fun stats, useless to take seriously. Is it a reliable source? Does it matter? Please stop caring which language is the most 'popular' and use the best tools for the job. Languages get popular because people use them. If you keep only using the languages that are popular right now, you're blocking programming from evolving. Give the less popular languages a chance -- make them popular by using them.

Quote

Do you find that you are happy with your line of work? If you could change to some other (realistic) line of work, would you?

To be honest, I don't care what I have to do at work. The most important thing about my job is that I work with amazing people who are my friends before they are my coworkers.

But my line of work (genealogy) is plenty interesting enough to keep me motivated.

Quote

At what age did you seriously get into programming?

I started playing around with programming when I was like 12. I was probably around 14 when I got really serious about it.

Quote

How do you guys use your programming languages for your company?

We use Clojure for the backend stuff. All of the underlying projects are open source, and we keep the open source parts of Geni in a Github organization called 'flatland': https://github.com/flatland

[SixOfEleven]

Quote

what is the most valuable skill you have picked up for programming professionally and why? Or to phrase it differently, what is the one skill you would encourage novice programmers to pick up if they want to succeed?

Communication skills. You will be parts of meetings and having to document solutions. Being able to communicate properly will be very helpful in the future.

Quote

How often do you see mathematics used throughout software engineering that isn't in gaming, but rather for code optimization? When designing algorithms that are applied in real world applications, do you find a firm grasp of Number Theory helps to optimize algorithms, and when openly discussing mathematics are you often greeted with blank faces?

Mathematics is important in programming and when I was in school a lot of math was required to get your degree. You will find math in a lot of areas other than game programming. It will become important when you’re trying to optimize new algorithms for sure.

[quote] Let's say you're at a interview for a job and the interviewer asks you to make examples of bad and good software and explain. What would you say? (Would interpret it as a trick question, or give the answer?)[quote]

The interviewer is rarely trying to trick you. Answer all questions to the best of your ability. If you have an interview that goes badly practice the questions that gave you problems at home. Your resume got you the interview so the interviewer clearly thought you had the skills necessary for the position. Doing a good interview is probably the hardest part of getting a job.

Quote

Did you pick up coding style from the people you worked with or some other way?

My teachers in school influenced my coding style for sure, especially my grade 11 computer science teacher. That is still probably the biggest influence in my general style.

Quote

Again the situation when you're on a interview. If the interviewer asks you what was wrong in your previous job post? (Would you risk of revealing some firm secrets by answering that or would you avoid that question somehow?)

Again, interviewing for a job is probably the hardest part of getting the job. The interviewer is rarely trying to trick you and may often be as nervous as you are, unless there is a human resources department. Practice interviews and answer questions to the best of your ability.

Quote

Most of you have been in the industry for some time now; some for a longer period than others.

My question is: do you still find yourself motivated to go home after work and learn some technology related things outside of work, or is it more of a 9-5 job now for you and just do it for a paycheck.

How do you guys make it so that the job remains exciting.

I don’t program for a company at the moment and have been out of programming for quite a while. All the work I do is on personal projects. I keep the job exciting by working on projects that interest me. I would still find time to code outside of work though because I like problem solving, that is what programming is mostly in the end.

Quote

I've seen in your bios that most of you have had a beginning programming class before college. I was wondering two things:

A ) What had sparked your interest

B ) When did you decide to become a professional

My brother brought home a computer from school and I fell in love with the thing. I’d never heard of or seen anything like it before. I started to play around with it and I was hooked from that moment on. I decided I want to get into programming seriously when I was in high school. I did a few freelance projects when I was in high school.

Quote

I am a student and I would like to know from you what ways you used when you were students to thicken your programming skills. How were you involved in real-life development like get an inter-ship or participating in some works done by real software dev companies? Also if you have been in any online works which you think was useful, and you would like to advice us, newbies,(may be a site with real online dev) which we can benefit when participating.

As I said in my previous answer I did some freelance project when I was in school. Working on freelance projects is one way to help you break into working for a company. Having a profile of work you’ve done can be helpful. I’ve known people who give away thumb drives with sample projects they’ve done.

[quote] Game and scientific programming are areas that interest me as they tend to require a lot of original thinking and problem solving, keeping you thinking about what you are doing with each iteration. What was it that attracted you to these fields initially, what is it that keeps you there, and what one thing makes you want to throw out your computer? and what would you do untethered to your IDEs and compilers?[quote]

Though there is a difference between playing games and making games it was playing games when I was a teen that got me interested in making games. I already had skills as a programmer and thought: Hey, I can do this. What keeps me there is the challenge and I like problem solving. I also like seeing the fruits of my labors on the computer screen. What makes me want to throw out my computer? Nothing really ever makes me want to do that but there are times where I want to give it a swift kick when things aren’t working the way I think they should but are working the way I told the computer to do them.

Quote

Also, targetted at SixOfEleven, pbl and the rest of you that have been "in the real world" for a fair time, what kind of things should we do alongside university to make it more useful? I currently freelance as a website developer but I also try to have programming projects, but all I can ever think of are things that do not really push boundaries or anything!

Doesn’t matter if your project is pushing boundaries because very often “in the real world” what you are doing has been done before. Keep building a portfolio but try and have that portfolio in areas that you are interested in getting into. If you don’t want to get into web development then don’t freelance as a web developer. If you want to get into desktop development then develop desktop applications. Freelancing is always a good thing.

Quote

sense your started programing, what has been your favorite project, personal or work related.

My favorite project was a game that I wrote for BBSes years ago. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed working on it. Game projects have been a favorite since I started programming back in the Jurassic period.

Quote

Are you guys participating/used to participate at open source projects? Why did you do it/are doing it? - sense of achievement, getting better at programming, boredom?

I work on open source projects/tutorials to try and help those who are up and coming learn to program. It is usually because I want to give back to the community.

Quote

What has been your favorite project during your career? Why was it your favorite? Was it an easy or hard project to do?

Just answered that but my favorite project was a game that I wrote for BBSes. It was a favorite because I enjoyed watching people play it on my BBS. It was cool to see it in use. It was something that I hadn’t tried before so it was challenging.

Quote

I'm a CS graduate who is a programmer analyst at a local community college and I make games on the side. My goal is to get into the game industry but I find it very difficult to find any "Entry-level" programming jobs. It seems as if every programming job description I come across require 5-10 years experience with 1-3 AAA titles shipped.

• Is there any trick to making myself more marketable to an employer, beside including my meager (at least in my eyes) personal projects in my CV/Resume?
  
• Should I look for an open-source game/engine to contribute to?
  
• Do employers care about those projects that are not "professional" (i.e. personal projects)?

I don’t work in the industry so I can’t really say. I do know from people I’ve talked to that companies do look for demos when they are hiring. The usually like to look at the source and if your code produces any warnings at all you can forget about the job.

Quote

Do you find that you are happy with your line of work? If you could change to some other (realistic) line of work, would you?

I’m moving from software to hardware. I’m currently looking for work in IT support rather than software development.

[modi123_1]

Quote

What is the most valuable skill you have picked up for programming professionally and why? Or to phrase it differently, what is the one skill you would encourage novice programmers to pick up if they want to succeed?

How to debug your own code. Being able to take some random piece of code, slap a break point, and step through it to follow the chain of logic and processing until you discover the error.. or taking it from the error point and back tracing through the stack to suss out the problem. Benefits: A ) it gets you over the hubris that any code you write is right, B ) it allows you to be a more self reliant developer, C ) you gain a better grasp of writing more clear and manageable code when you are subconsciously thinking of how it would look to trace an error through.

Quote

How often do you use an engineering model apart from trial and error / code patterns to develop your applications? For instance hypothetically, you are developing a web application with a database back-end and know that your web application will be accessed by thousands of clients at the same time (hypothetically the web application becomes live at a certain time). Do you sandbox these things and strength test server load? Apart from the regular safety nets in place for code control and quality, how are these things tested?

Sandbox, there's apps for load testing, etc. The higher ups like fancy reports and pseudo expensive programs in chrome filled labs to show that a website is ready and stress tested.

Quote

How often do you see mathematics used throughout software engineering that isn't in gaming, but rather for code optimization?

I rarely see it for code optimization. Other places, say in the construction industry, I saw it used frequently.

Quote

When designing algorithms that are applied in real world applications, do you find a firm grasp of Number Theory helps to optimize algorithms

No, not really.

Quote

, and when openly discussing mathematics are you often greeted with blank faces?

Mostly, but it is not like I have time to lounge around philosophize on the possibilities of one optimization strategy over another to find the best one. Usually it's a quick and dirty shake down and what ever 'optimization' programs the higher ups were sold on.

Quote

Let's say you're at a interview for a job and the interviewer asks you to make examples of bad and good software and explain. What would you say? (Would interpret it as a trick question, or give the answer?)

Is this my own software, or software in general? I would find something with a bad user interface - something clunky and not intuitive. That or something that tries to mask complex things with simple buttons. Conversely something that worked, was intuitive, and gave me great control would be examples of 'good'.

Quote

Did you pick up coding style from the people you worked with or some other way?

It's a mash of things I've picked up from other companies, techniques I am currently forced to use, and personal habits. It's always good to attempt to keep the style the same through out though.

Quote

Again the situation when you're on a interview. If the interviewer asks you what was wrong in your previous job post? (Would you risk of revealing some firm secrets by answering that or would you avoid that question somehow?)

I would advise against revealing a "firm's secrets", and I would also avoid dishing on people like gossip hour. There are ways of putting situations in a less than harsh light without being catty or perceived as mean spirited. This is where picking up some 'managerial' speak is helpful. Was your previous boss an overbearing, verbally abusive, clod? Then he was more of a "micromanager without a firm grasp on the project that relied on substantial negative feedback". There are always tactful ways of putting things that get the point across without the bitterness.

Quote

How much of your current knowledge did you gain at your work post?

Quite a bit. School work is great for getting heady concepts under your belt, but the work place usually operates in a more cut down, time critical, high pressure situation. You find out quickly that some skills from school are useful (having a large sample space of how to tackle a problem) while others (having near endless time to pontificate the most optimal solution) are not.

Quote

Most of you have been in the industry for some time now; some for a longer period than others.

My question is: do you still find yourself motivated to go home after work and learn some technology related things outside of work, or is it more of a 9-5 job now for you and just do it for a paycheck.

Some days yes, some days no. I tend to be more project planning when I go home so I can minimize my coding time. That and I also tend to find hobbies that are a bit different that programming. I have people on my team that are just the 9-5'ers.. so when I talk about cracking a Kinect apart they smile and wander off. So it goes... not everyone is going to be a hundred percent jazzed at coding all the time. I also find that if I don't take a break from writing code (say outside of work) I feel burned out more. If you want to maintain a good burn on your passion you need to know when to recharge.

Quote

How do you guys make it so that the job remains exciting.

The job tends to take care of that with the crazy variations of projects I have. If that fails then I wander off and meeting with my users face to face... see how they are using system X of mine (because invariably they are using way different than I had envisioned). Getting the perspective of those on the other end of process is always amazing and insightful. That helps provide an experience for the next time or for future upgrades.

Quote

AdamSpeight2008, Curtis Rutland, tlhIn`toq, modi123_1, CodingSup3rnatur@l-360, baavgai: (NET related): You have done a lot of .net projects and being in .net industry for a time now, what specific topics or knowledge from .net advanced learning someone need after finishing his degree(or any) so he can be hired and do well in .net industry?

Database interactions. If you can't efficiently operate a CRUD (create, read, update, delete) application then you are sunk. Check the forums - how many questions are there "how do I connect to database X and read data from it?" - tons. The work place is mostly collecting, storing, and manipulating data and information. If you cannot make an app that does that then what good are you?

Quote

AdamSpeight2008, Curtis Rutland, tlhIn`toq, modi123_1, CodingSup3rnatur@l-360, baavgai: What is your advice for .net languages learners(VB & C#) in order to improve their knowledge? Like if you can give us ways which you used to be that much...

Get used to going to MSDN docs for help first. If you don't understand a function, a method, or a data type - go there first and read all about it. Understand what it requires as a parameter, what it returns, and so forth. Traversing around the MSDN docs is invaluable and cements what you know to what you should know. No more flailing around in the dark - find the light!

Quote

In your corner of the industry, what differentiates an experienced programmer/hobbies from a professional?

Efficient with a of design, documentation, quick problem solving, self sufficiency, and the ability to program for a larger group, and not sloppy/cut corners for self consumption.-

Quote

Also, targetted at SixOfEleven, pbl and the rest of you that have been "in the real world" for a fair time, what kind of things should we do alongside university to make it more useful? I currently freelance as a website developer but I also try to have programming projects, but all I can ever think of are things that do not really push boundaries or anything!

Volunteer work - donate your time and skills to local causes, bands, scenes, and such. Figure out how long things take for your to do, how to approach the same idea with three or five mockups.. etc.

Quote

sense your started programing, what has been your favorite project, personal or work related.

The new robot/hardware interaction I am starting! Well that and my rock'n geocities I opened up in 1997.

Quote

Are you guys participating/used to participate at open source projects? Why did you do it/are doing it? - sense of achievement, getting better at programming, boredom?

No, I haven't come across an open source project that really tripped my trigger and motivated me into joining. Everything I see just looks like what I am doing at work for less pay. Hahaha..

Quote

What has been your favorite project during your career? Why was it your favorite? Was it an easy or hard project to do?

There hasn't been a "favorite" per say. There are interesting, complex, and horribly ran ones that provided much insight after the pain, but those are my "favorite lessons learned" not favorite like "*squee* I just got a pony!" favorite.

Quote

What is your opinion in regards to the authenticity of the Tiobe index? Is it a reliable source to use to determine which language is the most used/popular?

Honestly, I have never heard of 'Tiobe index' so I just don't regard it period. I tend to believe a two minute job search for one's area to be a good indicator of what is hot and what is not.

Quote

Do you find that you are happy with your line of work? If you could change to some other (realistic) line of work, would you?

Yes I am generally happy with my work. I do what I love, get paid an okay amount, and create things all day long. I sometimes think I wouldn't have minded my original college plan - or even revised college plan 'd' - but both of those still had me working to some degree as a programmer..

Quote

What would be the most important 10 job interview questions and answers someone would need to know?

That's hard to nail down. It all depends on the company, your skill set, the requirements of the job, etc. A few things have stuck out for me. If you are applying for a .NET position (as a senior developer) be able to answer "which version of the framework do you mostly use?" and "which version of visual studios do you use?". Be prepared to 'whiteboard' code out in front of people. If given a programming test - don't cheat by attempting to mimic the console output by typing it directly into the console screen (versus fixing the app as it was explained). Be familiar with the general BS interview questions (your biggest strength, weakness, times you overcame adversity, etc).

Quote

At what age did you seriously get into programming?

In theory I started when my mom pickedup Doom1 for me, from Pace, and I had to figure out how to get the damn thing to run on her 486 Packard Bell work machine. Thankfully she had a half read 'dos 6.0/6.2' book on her shelf that I was able to hack through and get a boot disk made so the memory files and what not were right. Then expanded to some basic batch programming, a boyscout merit badge, more time at the local public library, a loaded visual c++ editor.. and then it spiraled out of control. So I am looking at 1993? Though I was a hell of a hypercard on her Mac Classic so perhaps more like 1991 or so.

Quote

How much have you learned after your first professional employment?

Boat loads. Reference above for the differences I have previously mentioned. There's a philosophical difference that drives importance in one area and in the other it is less so.

Quote

@Curtis Rutland, modi123_1, tlhIn`toq, baavgai, and CodingSup3rnatur@l-360:
1. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness the .Net programming languages have compared to other languages in general?

Strength - the framework itself. It makes it easy to do the same sort of app in various environments and not have to completely punt what you already use.
Weakness - the stigma attached by being a "microsoft language".

Quote

2. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness C# has compared to other languages in general?

Strength - the ability to rapidly create fully working apps with similar syntax as other languages... also XNA and the .NET Microframework.
Weakness- I would have to know what 'other languages' you mean.

Quote

3. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness C# has compared to java specifically?

Strength: making desktop apps faster.
Weakness: platform independence.

Quote

How do you guys use your programming languages for your company?

I use it in a ton of places... back office applications that rip a part emails in an inbox to be reformatted, distributed, and stored for later use...shuffling data from one archaic system to the new system for consumption.. huge ol' databases... web pages, web applications, small video games, estimating software, testing tools, employee "tracker" applications, facilitating the purchasing work flow, and so on.

[baavgai]

What is the most valuable skill you have picked up for programming professionally and why? Or to phrase it differently, what is the one skill you would encourage novice programmers to pick up if they want to succeed?

I don't know if skill is the right word. Perhaps trait. I'd say perseverance.

Programming is hard. It's fine when all the elements you're working on are humming along the way you expect, but at some point you will hit a roadblock. Your roadblock can be simple, taking only a moment to resolve. Sometimes problem resolution is measured in hours, days, weeks...

What you will learn programming, what you must learn to effectively program, is a very high tolerance for frustration. When you hit the wall, you can't just throw up your hands and leave. You can't blame the wall, the computer, the OS, the language, the guy next to you, solar flares, or anything else. You created the wall, you have to get rid of it. The only way to do this is to keep trying. You will eventually get through it. You must. Period. No other option need be entertained.

Perseverance. As a programmer you will acquire and nurture this quality or you will fail.


What subjects did you study prior to undertaking an undergraduate in CS/SE (did you undertake a degree)?
Did any other study such as mathematics, linguistics, physics etc apart from the aspiration of working with computers as an external motivation become a determining factor for selecting this profession?
What keeps you intrinsically motivated to perform at your best without falling into a slump?
Finally, what hobbies do you have?

I got my Bachelor's Degree in English Literature. I got a Computer Science minor. I was three creds away from the Philosophy minor. Probably six from the Journalism minor. Liberal Arts, man. It's a blast.

As to other study... That would be another required quality of the programmer; self learning. When I was in school, there was no web. We learned mostly on Pascal, a little Assembly, maybe some C and Lisp. The world of computers today is drastically different from when I went to school. It's different than it was ten years ago. Five years ago. Some of the stuff I've learned over the years has come from company training, but most is from simple curiosity and exploration. You need to be able to learn on your own from resources available; sometimes there's no other choice.

Programming is hard, but it's also fun. It can be a rush, actually. More absorbing than the best solitaire game. As a profession, it's a good balance of work and play. If you don't actually enjoy programming, I really couldn't recommend it as a career path.

Yes, programming can get dull. Particularly if you've been staring at the same thing for way too long. I tend to do other development problems when I'm bored with the main job. DIC is, frankly, one of my diversions; the problems tend to be small and self contained.

Hobbies? Computers doesn't count? Spare time is never a problem. I watch too much TV, movies, cartoons. I read, well, anything. I cook; anything. I study medieval history. I do leather work. I once sold leather gear, chainmail, and various other props to renfairs and larps. I once taught a class on how to butcher large animals.

If I don't know it, and it catches my interest, I'll learn it. I took three semesters of welding for amusement. I have a motorcycle class coming up. It's kind of part of being a geek. Never loose your curiosity.


Let's say you're at a interview for a job and the interviewer asks you to make examples of bad and good software and explain.
Something with gotos? Software is good when it runs and the users are happy. However, the best looking most user friendly software can have a hideous, unmanageable code base. Conversely, the worst software a user has ever had the misfortune of seeing can have the most elegantly written code behind it.

From a programmer's perspective, the best software has code that is easily maintained, debugged, extended. It's the software where a minor change involves one line and not having to even worry about how that change might impact the millions of other lines. From a user's perspective, it has to do what they need and never crash. Software, of course, can be both, but it's a different context.


Did you pick up coding style from the people you worked with or some other way?
Style is organic and personal. It starts with what you're introduced to and then evolves as you use a language. It's like writing style. I don't know that most programmers spend a lot of type analyzing it, they just use what they believe is "right."


If the interviewer asks you what was wrong in your previous job post?
Trick question. You never dis an employer in an interview. Ever. It makes you sound like a petty bastard and gets the interviewer wondering what you might say about their company if they hired you. You find a politic why to cite irreconcilable differences. Any prior employment issues were simply things that didn't work out; blame no one.


How much of your current knowledge did you gain at your work post?
Probably 95%. Anything you learn today has a good chance of not existing tomorrow. Keeping current means working and learning at the same time. No one can teach you most of what you need, that's why experience is so valued.


How do you guys make it so that the job remains exciting.
If it's the same thing forever, you'll be bored to tears no matter what your job. Computers change constantly. Today's tech will be old news sooner than you expect. There's always something new to play with. If I'm working a long project I'll often amuse myself with doing smaller projects than can be done quickly. Often, as programmer, you fight many fires at once. Sometimes its harder to just be left alone to finish one job.


what unique way which you used your self to master Java? I mean when studying Java, what things you gave priorities(or ways you used- which you think were different from others) till now we are proud of you?
I think this question could be applied to any language. I've often written things, like Java servlet frameworks, that I thought were brilliant at the time. I believed I'd reuse this code over and over. Only to came back to it years later, feel it's too complex and messy, and rewrite the thing.

I actually had something pop up yesterday. A desktop Java app I'd written over ten years ago is still being used in the field. However, the installer has issues with Windows 7. The bytecode itself is fine, we just needed a different delivery mechanism than the web start it had.

What I'm proud of is when stuff I wrote so long ago I forgot about it is still being used by people to do real work. And I haven't needed to patch it since the first few weeks of release.


What do you advice us, new programmers, to do so to reduce the negative effect of those changes to our code?
Object Oriented principals, particularly for Java. You write code with as little public and as little tight coupling as you can get away with. If you need to leverage a particular set of third party tools or exotic API calls, wrap them in your own code. If you can limit your calls to outside code, you limit your rewrites when that outside code changes on you.

OO seems like a waste of time to new programmers; just extra work. It is extra work, now. The idea is to avoid extra work later. You don't really understand this until you have experience dealing with it.


You have done a lot of .net projects and being in .net industry for a time now, what specific topics or knowledge from ".net advanced learning" someone need after finishing his degree(or any) so he can be hired and do well in .net industry?
Always know the basics and know them cold. The more rarefied stuff comes later. You might find a place that loves LINQ and uses it for everything, another place might think it's the Devil. Same with any other "advanced learning."

You can try to be familiar with everything, but there's a lot. Unless you use it every day, it will just be a footnote in your memory. Don't get too hung up on it, you'll get up to speed when you need to. Have a strong foundation and you can build anything you need on top of that.


What is your advice for .net languages learners(VB & C#) in order to improve their knowledge? Like if you can give us ways which you used to be that much...
This is really another any language question. Simple answer, write code. Write lots. If you're unfamiliar with a technology, write something in it. For .NET, fire up Visual Studio and run through the projects it offers. If you aren't familiar, poke around. You get better through active curiosity. Don't get stressed about it, just play.


what differentiates an experienced programmer/hobbies from a professional?
Money. Professionals get paid. That's really about it.

I want to hire hobby programmers. Someone who programs out of real interest rather than someone who just needs a job. You have education, experience, and passion. If you can show me passion and some amount of ability, the other two will flow. If you have experience, you can at least fake it. If you just have education, I have no way of knowing how much sunk in.


What is your opinion in regards to the authenticity of the Tiobe index?
There a lie, a damn lie, and then there's statistics. The Tiobe index, salary surveys, popularity surveys in general, are an accurate representation of the result set being modeled. Meaning that such things are probably meaningful for someone. Unfortunately, you really can't know if they are meaningful to you. The best you can do is take all such information as a reflection of someone's reality and try to figure out if that reality is reasonably close to yours.


Do you find that you are happy with your line of work?
I would prefer to telecommute... Yes, happy. You either like your job or you mark your work hours like a prisoner scratches time on the wall, waiting to be let out. Part of being happy is being good at what you do. There is an innate satisfaction in that. To be good at what you do, you have to like it. So, kind of full circle. If you don't like programming now, do not choose it as a career.


If you could change to some other (realistic) line of work, would you?
Other options... A teacher of some sort, probably doesn't matter what. I entertained the idea of a writer, but it's honestly too much work. I did get paid for a few articles once, so I guess I could claim profession writer. Come to think of it, I've also gotten paid for teaching. I can cook and have worked kitchens before, but that's also too much work.

Programming gives me a good balance of problem solving and sitting on my ass in a climate controlled office. It's hard to beat.


At what age did you seriously get into programming?
The first time I typed in 10 PRINT "HELLO!!! "; : GOTO 10 on some computer in the mall. Maybe 13? I mean, as serious as you can be at 13. But I kept it in mind and it kind of stuck.

[Dormilich]

(using spoiler tags to make the thread less long, thx to tlhIn`toq for the idea)

Spoiler

Quote

What is the most valuable skill you have picked up for programming professionally* and why? Or to phrase it differently, what is the one skill you would encourage novice programmers to pick up if they want to succeed?

Debugging, and esp. for me it is the ability, to think like a parser (since JS, HTML and PHP are parsed languages). Once you throw off any assumptions you could make and only translate what actually is on the screen before you, error messages become easily understandable and therefore I can find fixes faster. Of course that requires to know the base syntax of the language nearly by heart (which isn’t that much) and a link to the manual at hand (to look up syntax you don’t know (e.g. the syntax of a function you seldom use).

In short:

• read the manual (before you start)
  
• use Google (or your preferred search engine), in 99% of the cases you’re not the first one having that particular problem
  
• do not assume anything ever

Quote

since your started programing, what has been your favorite project, personal or work related.

As hobbyist, I have only personal favourite projects. Most of the times it’s either a helper application (like a moon calendar) or something to try out new stuff (node.js).

Quote

Are you guys participating/used to participate at open source projects? Why did you do it/are doing it? - sense of achievement, getting better at programming, boredom?

I wish I had the time for doing that, but currently there are other hobbies occupying the necessary time slots (called RL).

Quote

At what age did you seriously get into programming?

about the time I finished my diploma, which meant nearly unlimited computer and internet access.

Quote

How do you guys use your programming languages for your company?

helper application for either calculation complicated stuff (e.g. viscosity index) or storage registry/management applications.




* - does not apply

This post has been edited by Dormilich: 12 February 2012 - 08:24 AM

[Programmist]

Quote

2. Most of you guys have done a lot of Java projects and participating in many java related discussions, what unique way which you used your self to master Java? I mean when studying Java, what things you gave priorities(or ways you used- which you think were different from others) till now we are proud of you?

I'm not entirely sure I understand this question, but I think you are asking what techniques I used in learning Java. How you learn a language depends heavily on whether it's your first language or not. For a true beginner, learning a language is much more than understandably syntax, but understanding programming and computing concepts. In this case your learning will be slower than someone who already knows other languages. But in either case the most important thing is to practice. I equate it to learning an instrument, or learning math. You can "get" the concepts and even reproduce some simple examples, but you really don't get a deep understanding until you've built a lot of working software. One thing I did was make a list of software I wanted to build. Some members of that list were pretty lofty goals (a CMS) while others were more simple (GUI blackjack game). I started building many of the things on my list before I even knew how. For instance, I built the blackjack game before I knew that much about Java 2D or Swing, but I learned them as I needed them. I also learned that I hated Swing and thus avoided (most) jobs in the future that had that as a requirement. JavaFX fixes a lot of what I hated. If Java is your first language, get a book that teaches programming concepts while teaching Java. Otherwise the Java tutorials and API are all you need. You can also find blog posts on just about anything you'd ever want to know. But let me reiterate: practice. Build something. Build several things. If you find yourself going back and re-factoring old projects when you learn something new, that's a good sign.

Quote

3. We have a version change after every time, now Java 7 and we are moving to 8... and in every new version we have some changes in API which means some old code wont be supported. What do you advice us, new programmers, to do so to reduce the negative effect of those changes to our code?

So far Java versions have not introduced many breaking changes. The fact that each Java version is mostly backwards compatible is one of its strengths and weaknesses. It's obviously a strength because old code is more likely to work on a new version of the JRE. The weakness, as I see it, is that it ties Java down from innovation. Some will argue that this is not a weakness, and that's fine because it's all a matter of perspective. Anyway, to your question. There are a few things I would advise in the case of version updates.

1. Stay on top of what's new in each Java version by downloading the latest milestone in the early access snapshots. You can usually get them many months before release, so you'll have a chance to try them out. Once the snapshots reach a "feature-complete" stage, try running your software on it. Did it compile? Did it crash? Was it a Java bug or a change that caused the crash? Either way, you'll have time to figure out and potentially fix problems before that Java version hits gold and your users update.

2. In some cases it's likely that you won't need to upgrade right away. Unless there is some whiz-bag feature in a newer version of Java that you just have to use in version "2.0" of your software, there is no reason to update. You can always keep an old Java version installed.

Quote

4. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness the java programming language has compared to other languages?

As I mentioned in another question I think that fact that Java strives for backwards compatibility is both a strength and a weakness. Its strength lies in the likelihood that upgrading to a new version of Java will not break your software from a previous version, which is a feature very much loved by enterprises. For instance, when Java 1.5 was released, new code written with 1.5 parameterized types (generics) still ran on a 1.4.2 JVM because 1.5 was designed to remove parameterized types at run-time (type erasure). So a 1.4.2 java.util.List looks the same as a java.util.List<String> at run-time. On the flip side, type erasure made life painful for programmers using the Reflection API because they couldn't do anything the depended on knowing the generic type. This is one of the reasons strict adherence to backward compatibility was a weakness for Java. Without the need for backwards compatibility the implementation of Generics could gave been much more more useful. Java could have evolved, taking on new and useful features, but instead languished under the heavy yolk of backwards compatibility.

Quote

5. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness the java programming language has compared to C# specifically? What are the possible weaknesses of the language compared to C#?

I hate to keep repeating myself, but the fact that Java has been driven by a committee and has to adhere to backwards compatibility while C# was driven by a singular company and vision and breaks compatibility between major versions has to be their biggest differences. For businesses, the backwards compatibly of Java is great, but for developers the new, interesting, and often time-saving features and syntax sugar of C# are a great advantage. The tools are an area of big difference as well. VS.NET is an excellent IDE, but the "pro" version is expensive while Eclipse, Netbeans, and STS are free and very good IDEs and IntelliJ is modestly priced and excellent. Another big difference is platform. C# is tied to Windows and IIS for the most part while Java can run on just about any. The Mono project does allow you to run C# and .NET on non-Windows platforms, but it usually lags behind the latest release of the official version of C#.NET. If this were the whole story the two would be beck-in-neck, but "Java" means much more than just a language. It also encompasses the JVM. And there are several very good JVM languages that replace or enhance the Java language. I find this a huge plus in the Java column. Also, there are and have been many fantastic open-source libraries and frameworks for Java. From what I've heard from my .NET colleagues, many of those have started to port to .NET (Hibernate, etc), but things like .NET ORM and MVC frameworks lagged behind the Java world. I make my money in the Java world, but I think C# is a great language. I usually have a copy of VS.NET installed a. alongside IntelliJ IDEA.

[Dogstopper]

Quote

What is the most valuable skill you have picked up for programming professionally and why? Or to phrase it differently, what is the one skill you would encourage novice programmers to pick up if they want to succeed?

I have only coded professionally for 2 years, and of that, it's mostly scientific computing with little or no software development. With that in mind, my most valuable skill is being able to break down a problem into the smallest parts, and then understand how those pieces fit into the whole. This allows for the proper code separation into methods, classes, and packages (in OOP) or functions (in functional and structured).
One more important thing to realize is that the end user is ALWAYS stupid. Treat your code this way too, whether you are developing an API for use in other applications or developing directly for the end user. Always make sure your code is either robust enough to handle any issues that are encountered in a safe, controlled way.

There is a combination answer for the second question. The two most important things for a novice to learn is that experimentation is key. NEVER be afraid of trying something that may help you. To go along with that, you need to learn how to debug and interpret error messages, so that when you experiment, you know what goes wrong. Learn this, and you're one step closer to being a great programmer.

Quote

How often do you use an engineering model apart from trial and error / code patterns to develop your applications? For instance hypothetically, you are developing a web application with a database back-end and know that your web application will be accessed by thousands of clients at the same time (hypothetically the web application becomes live at a certain time). Do you sandbox these things and strength test server load? Apart from the regular safety nets in place for code control and quality, how are these things tested?

How often do you see mathematics used throughout software engineering that isn't in gaming, but rather for code optimization? When designing algorithms that are applied in real world applications, do you find a firm grasp of Number Theory helps to optimize algorithms, and when openly discussing mathematics are you often greeted with blank faces?

I'm not a software engineer, nor am I a "developer". I am a computational scientist (and I will do such when I finish my CS degree). I have very little experience in your first question, so I cannot answer that. However, your second question I can answer. I use mathematics all the time, as typically, what my work entails is modeling a scientific process, and this involves a lot of math and optimization to make the calculations run faster and more accurately.

Quote

Let's say you're at a interview for a job and the interviewer asks you to make examples of bad and good software and explain. What would you say? (Would interpret it as a trick question, or give the answer?)

It’s an interview for a job, so I would definitely follow through with the request. An example of bad software would be (in the OOP world at least) something where all the code is thrown into one class or method or even a few badly designed one. Generally, if a method is larger than on screen height, then that method COULD be split up more modularly. The single exception to this might be a function to do XML parsing from a DOM, but even that can be modularized.

Quote

Did you pick up coding style from the people you worked with or some other way?

I work primarily for myself, so I guess I could say yes. Since I am a student, most of my style has come from experts and mentors here at </dream.in.code> that have taught me better ways to do things.

Quote

Again the situation when you're on a interview. If the interviewer asks you what was wrong in your previous job post? (Would you risk of revealing some firm secrets by answering that or would you avoid that question somehow?)

It really depends. At the moment, again, I’m a student, so I move around a lot (and am about to enter college). I have not had a “bad” job yet, and so my answer would likely be about moving away from the job. However, some of the work I do is confidential company/governmental work, so I would not be able to go into great gory detail about that.

[code]
How much of your current knowledge did you gain at your work post?
[/quote]
Most of my rudimentary knowledge of programming I have learned on my own. At the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, I have mostly increased my knowledge of physics, scientific computer modeling, and optimization (for supercomputers). I also have learned some great values about debugging and code protection using tools such as GIT and SVN.

Quote

Most of you have been in the industry for some time now; some for a longer period than others.

My question is: do you still find yourself motivated to go home after work and learn some technology related things outside of work, or is it more of a 9-5 job now for you and just do it for a paycheck.

How do you guys make it so that the job remains exciting.

I’m an intern, and thus, I am expected to learn. It makes this simpler to answer. However, some of the work that I have done is much more than can be expected from an intern, and the reason for that is that I don’t just do the work set in front of me. I try to push whatever code I’m given and make it do great things.
As an example, lots of my work involves data mining, and thus, I use a lot of Excel, VBA, and Python (depending on the task). Frankly, data mining itself is not that fun, so instead of simply producing the data, I create a set of codes that makes life easier for everyone by running a calculation, mining the data, and putting it into an easy format automatically, which saves time and money. The challenge of optimization and bundling tools up for both *NIX and windows users is also challenging.
So in essence, if it isn’t fun, I make improvements. Sure, there are some down days, but for the most part, I make my job fun.

Quote

pbl, macosxnerd101, jon.kiparsky, Dogstopper, KYA, Programmist, baavgai, cfoley: (Java related): Most of you guys have done a lot of Java projects and participating in many java related discussions, what unique way which you used your self to master Java? I mean when studying Java, what things you gave priorities(or ways you used- which you think were different from others) till now we are proud of you?

I have not “mastered” Java. There are loads of things that I still need reference guides to do. Yes, I am probably an expert, as I have been labeled, but there are so many libraries out there that I have not ever used yet. I think the key to my learning was learning to debug my code and learning how to read the docs. Using those two factors, I am capable of doing just about anything I want with the language. I have a lot of experience with 3rd party Java APIs, and knowing how to use them also has brought me up well. Finally, knowing how to ask the right questions in the correct fashion is how I’ve been able to get help when I need it.

Quote

pbl, macosxnerd101, jon.kiparsky, Dogstopper, KYA, Programmist, baavgai, cfoley: (Java related): We have a version change after every time, now Java 7 and we are moving to 8... and in every new version we have some changes in API which means some old code wont be supported. What do you advice us, new programmers, to do so to reduce the negative effect of those changes to our code?

My advice is to just be aware of these changes as they occur and be sure to always use modern programming practices. Chances are that if you’re using Java 6, it will be far better 10 years down the road than if you chose to use Java 1.1. Even though both will be considered “old”, the former is less old and most likely to be supported.
Also remember that it is an expectation that things will change. Expect to make updates to old code that you wrote 5 or 10 years ago. That’s why you want to use as modern practices as you can now, and to use good programming practices.
[quote]
In your corner of the industry, what differentiates an experienced programmer/hobbies from a professional?[/quote
Well, I don’t work at a programming firm. I work at a facility where complicated, high performance scientific computing applications are made. Frequently, the “experienced” ones are those who use the worst coding practices and ancient languages like FORTRAN and COBOL. It’s us youngsters who use things like Perl, Python, and maybe Java.

Quote

Since your started programing, what has been your favorite project, personal or work related.

By a long shot, my Android application that I wrote to handle nuclear materials calculations is my favorite. It was my summer work, and it has brought my loads of opportunities to give talks, write papers, and the like. Though the application already exists, I took a supercomputing application (that takes 5+ minutes on occasion) and placed it onto an Android phone that calculates results in less than 5 seconds. The accuracy is almost the same. It’s my favorite project because of the data and calculational optimizations that I developed for this project.

Quote

What has been your favorite project during your career? Why was it your favorite? Was it an easy or hard project to do?

This is the same as the above. And yes, it was difficult to design the models and do the calculus required to achieve accurate results.

Quote

Are you guys participating/used to participate at open source projects? Why did you do it/are doing it? - sense of achievement, getting better at programming, boredom?

Not really. I would though, if I was given more time. At the moment, I am busy with school, proprietary work, and robotics. I do believe in open-source of course, but when you work for the government, you have to follow their restrictions.

Quote

Do you find that you are happy with your line of work? If you could change to some other (realistic) line of work, would you?

No, I would not. I love what I do, and couldn’t even think about switching.

Quote

What would be the most important 10 job interview questions and answers someone would need to know?

I really wish I could answer this, but unfortunately, I have not ever needed to interview for a job, so at the present time, I am unsure of the “Best” questions. If I was able to guess, I would say that knowing what your favorite project is and why is important. Also make sure that you know the importance of debugging and backing up your code.

Quote

At what age did you seriously get into programming?

Seriously got into programming? 14. I’m still only 17 and have had one heck of a time programming thus far. My first professional job was at age 16.

Quote

How much have you learned after your first professional employment?

A lifetime. As I said above, at age 17, there is still so much to do and see, so every chance I get, I try to learn.

Quote

What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness the java programming language has compared to other languages?

The Java Virtual Machine is a truly fantastic piece of software. It allows for bytecode compiled anywhere to be run anywhere. As for Java itself; I do use it frequently, but by no means do I think that it is a better language. Unlike some languages, it is extremely verbose, and you have to know your English well to use some of the libraries it has. It also hides pointers, which while good for beginners, does not allow for the true power that other languages have. Python comes to mind in that it is a simple language that is great for beginners but does not restrict the things that one can do with it. However, it does have fantastic error handling and makes it easier for beginners. And yes, you CAN do anything that other languages can do, but it may take some work to make it happen.

Quote

What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness the java programming language has compared to C# specifically? What are the possible weaknesses of the language compared to C#?

Again, the only real strength of the Java language is the machine on which it is run. It is not restricted to Windows systems (or Mono w/ restricted functionality). However, in almost every way, I have to say that I think C# is a superior language. It is newer than Java and has done what Java did wrong right. Java is too verbose, and the fact that it is not TRULY object oriented really bothers me. (Fundamental data types are not inherently objects). The only reason that I use Java instead of C# is because I am either doing mobile programming or programming for a wide array of UNIX systems.

Quote

How do you guys use your programming languages for your company?

My company is my own, so yes, we use whatever language we want. At ORNL, I tend to use Python, which is my favorite language anyway.

[KYA]

Quote

What is the most valuable skill you have picked up for programming professionally and why? Or to phrase it differently, what is the one skill you would encourage novice programmers to pick up if they want to succeed?

Google-Fu. I'm serious. The ability to go and research a problem is an invaluable skill. If you're the new guy on the team, it's expected that you will have a lot of questions; HOWEVER, those questions should be insightful and relevant to the team's work/products, not why a function is named this or what is hexadecimal. Until someone is up to speed, not only are they not productive, but they prohibit other people from being productive while they get them caught up.

A close second is the ability to test stuff. Let's say you want to know what happens to a Java thread when its parent locks up and you attempt to kill its grandparent. Well, you could sit there and speculate all day OR you could write a quick test to verify behavior. Don't run over to the senior guy on the team and ask what should happen, because the first question out of their mouth is "Well, did you try it out?" followed immediately by "What was the result?". Be prepared to answer that line of inquiry.

Quote

pbl, macosxnerd101, jon.kiparsky, Dogstopper, KYA, Programmist, baavgai, cfoley: (Java related): Most of you guys have done a lot of Java projects and participating in many java related discussions, what unique way which you used your self to master Java? I mean when studying Java, what things you gave priorities(or ways you used- which you think were different from others) till now we are proud of you?

Start writing something. As soon as you hit a wall, research the problem and devise a solution to it. Since you wrote it yourself, there is a slim chance you'll forget it and will be able to harness this knowledge in the future. The best part of this approach is that it applies equally across the board for any programming language or problem solving endeavor.

Quote

pbl, macosxnerd101, jon.kiparsky, Dogstopper, KYA, Programmist, baavgai, cfoley: (Java related): We have a version change after every time, now Java 7 and we are moving to 8... and in every new version we have some changes in API which means some old code wont be supported. What do you advice us, new programmers, to do so to reduce the negative effect of those changes to our code?

Low coupling. I try to write code so that if underlying data structure is changed, interfaces add/remove methods, or any other possible examples one might run across when the standard is updated, the most work myself or a coworker has to do is find/replace and a quick recompile. A perfect example of this is a recent issue I had in a C++ product [not Java, but extremely relevant]. The data structure I was originally using was a std::set. After an intense brainstorming session that redefined our problem, it was decided that a std::deque would better suit the modeling for the data we were keeping state on. The code was written in such a manner that all I had to was replace the word set with deque in my typedef and move set.find() to std::find(). Plug and play is the way to go; less stuff breaks that way.

[Curtis Rutland]

Quote

(NET related): You have done a lot of .net projects and being in .net industry for a time now, what specific topics or knowledge from .net advanced learning someone need after finishing his degree(or any) so he can be hired and do well in .net industry?

One trend I'm seeing is a greater push for Service Oriented Architecture. From a .NET perspective, that means WCF. WCF is one of the most amazing (and complicated) tools MS has given us. It's incredible in what it's capable of, but you can't just slap it together and expect it to work. Seriously, go buy a book on WCF right now. You'll think of three things you wish you would have done with WCF, and you'll think of a dozen more you can do. And it's in demand right now, and it should stay that way for a while.

Quote

What is your advice for .net languages learners(VB & C#) in order to improve their knowledge? Like if you can give us ways which you used to be that much...

Books and forums. Really, I've learned more by attempting to answer other people's questions than I ever did in a formal class. One big difference between experts and non-experts is that while neither may know the answer to a particular question, the expert knows how to find it, quickly and efficiently. So, train that skill. Even if you don't actually post answers, go through questions and see if you can figure it out. Create a "Demo" project in VS so you can screw around with questions and challenges. It really does help. And a few books don't hurt either.

Quote

1. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness the .Net programming languages have compared to other languages in general?

2. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness C# has compared to other languages in general?

3. What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness C# has compared to java specifically?

1) Hmm. Well, one of the things that'll always be a strength and a weakness is the lack of portability of the framework. It's a strength, because it means the team can focus on making it work great on one single platform, instead of working just OK on several. But it's also clearly a weakness. Choosing .NET development is, for the most part, locking yourself into a Windows stack. Yes, there's Mono, but I would argue that it's not mature enough to simply replace .NET, and if you're developing on *nix, there are better platforms available than Mono. So, you can't easily port your code from Windows to another OS, and you're fairly locked into a development platform as well.

2) C#'s strength is that the people making and updating it aren't afraid of the future. There's not a whole lot that C# has actually been innovative with, but they've been wildly successful because they're not afraid to borrow what works from other languages, and sometimes even improve on it. Generics, lambdas, things like that. Weaknesses...I haven't worked long enough with any other language professionally to really give a useful opinion here, except perhaps RPG III, which nobody cares to hear about here.

3) I'd have to repeat my answer from 2, except with a firmer focus on the fact that C#'s not afraid of the future. I'm not sure how much of this had to do with Oracle, but Java's almost painfully behind in terms of modern paradigms. Lots of people like this because it means that their knowledge is "current" longer, and some people love stability. I can understand that, but I'd rather have new tools and techniques available to me so I can always learn new things. Weakness, of course, is portability again. Java may be a pain to write in, but at least I know it'll work on most any platform.

Quote

Most of you have been in the industry for some time now; some for a longer period than others.

My question is: do you still find yourself motivated to go home after work and learn some technology related things outside of work, or is it more of a 9-5 job now for you and just do it for a paycheck.

How do you guys make it so that the job remains exciting.

Well, luckily I still get to do new things at work. I don't know everything, and I never will. I just hope that I can always keep doing something new. So I really don't feel compelled to go home and research new stuff, because I get to work with new stuff at work itself.

[CodingSup3rnatur@l-360]

Spoiler

Quote

what is the most valuable skill you have picked up for programming professionally and why? Or to phrase it differently, what is the one skill you would encourage novice programmers to pick up if they want to succeed?

Talking specifically about the professional realm, I haven't being in it for long, but so far I would say that working with other developers and end users. Being flexible in your style is important if you are going to succeed working with other developers. Being able to swallow your pride, and accept what those more experienced than you say is the right way to do something is very important in succeeding, as is being able to react to sudden changes in requirements or massive additions that end users make to the requirements after they have been agreed. You have to work with other people effectively.

Quote

How often do you see mathematics used throughout software engineering that isn't in gaming, but rather for code optimization? When designing algorithms that are applied in real world applications, do you find a firm grasp of Number Theory helps to optimize algorithms, and when openly discussing mathematics are you often greeted with blank faces?

I have never really seen mathematics used for code optimization in our company. I find that if optimization is needed in any of our code, it is usually enough to apply some common sense. There's no real need to get into the mathematics of optimization in our software.

Quote

Let's say you're at a interview for a job and the interviewer asks you to make examples of bad and good software and explain. What would you say? (Would interpret it as a trick question, or give the answer?)

I would definitely try and answer, as it is a valid question. I would make the point that, above everything else, the software has to satisfy the end user. That is what good software must ultimately do. I may then talk from the developer's about how good software must be easy to maintain and extend (I have gained a whole new appreciation of this requirement since I started working professionally), and link that to the benefits that those qualities would bring to the business, and the end users. I would aim to demonstrate how these qualities could specifically help the company I am aiming to be employed at, if possible.

I would compliment the explanations with specific software examples.

Quote

Did you pick up coding style from the people you worked with or some other way?

I've developed my coding style largely independently over time by reading books, and reading online resources. I haven't been particularly influenced by any one person at work or otherwise (although I do adapt my style at work to ensure that the code is remains consistent). One thing I will say though is that since I started work, I have gained a new appreciation for the importance good code readability and clarity, and as such I do now place an extra focus on those things in the code I write.

Quote

Again the situation when you're on a interview. If the interviewer asks you what was wrong in your previous job post? (Would you risk of revealing some firm secrets by answering that or would you avoid that question somehow?)

I would try and answer the question honestly, but with respect for my previous employer. I wouldn't reveal any firm secrets, or bad mouth my previous employee. That would be just unprofessional. If in doubt, I would just say that I prefer not to answer that question, as I don't feel comfortable talking about my previous company in that context.

Questions like this are definitely tricky, and require some careful thought before answering. You just have to answer them honestly, and professionally.

Quote

How much of your current knowledge did you gain at your work post?

I have gained some technical knowledge at work (for example, working with RFID technology, some basic stuff about server virtualization, and other general bits and pieces) but the majority of my technical programming knowledge I have learned myself in my own time. What I have learned from work (and am still learning) is the skills relating to real world experience. Things like how to successfully work with other developers, how to correctly interpret what end users want (and how to actually extract from them what the problem they are encountering actually is), how to build systems that actually work in the real world etc.

Quote

do you still find yourself motivated to go home after work and learn some technology related things outside of work, or is it more of a 9-5 job now for you and just do it for a paycheck.

I am always motivated to learn new things. I probably spend an unhealthy amount of my free time learning new technologies, if I'm honest

Quote

How do you guys make it so that the job remains exciting.

There's always some bug that somebody wants fixing, some improvement/addition somebody wants making, some project that constantly ticking over etc. It is quite an exciting time for our company, as we are gradually migrating the systems over to .NET, we are in the middle of virtualizing our servers, writing a new system to produce detail breakdown reports for our customers, and are really starting to move towards a much better system, that will bring huge benefits to everyone in the organization. I am very excited to see how it all unfolds. I definitely joined at the right time!

Quote

What had sparked your interest

A school project involving building a software product in Adobe Flash. Off my own back, I started investigating the language behind Flash content (ActionScript 3.0), and from then I was totally hooked on programming.

Quote

When did you decide to become a professional

A few weeks after first starting to learn ActionScript 3.0 for the above mentioned school project, and building a simple web based portfolio (using Adobe Dreamweaver CS5) of work for another school project, I knew I wanted to do something to do with computers. Initially, web development was my focus. However, after a few months of looking into web development, I ultimately decided that the passion for it wasn't really there, and that my real passion lied in more general programming, and software development. In a very short period of time, I went from having absolutely no idea what I wanted to do when I left school, to knowing exactly what I wanted to do, and being in the position of not being able to imagine myself being happy doing anything else.

Quote

I am a student and I would like to know from you what ways you used when you were students to thicken your programming skills. How were you involved in real-life development like get an inter-ship or participating in some works done by real software dev companies? Also if you have been in any online works which you think was useful, and you would like to advice us, newbies,(may be a site with real online dev) which we can benefit when participating.

I am currently a student, but I am working 4 days a week in a software development/IT support role, and my company is paying for my degree (they also give me Mondays off as a study day). That is what I would strongly advise. Enroll on a good course, learn all the theory, but get a solid job alongside the course, of which relates to your course. That way, you get the theory, and the academic recognition, but also have genuine real world experience of which so many students seem to desperately lack when they finish university. Plus, you don't get saddled with all the student debt.

Quote

You have done a lot of .net projects and being in .net industry for a time now, what specific topics or knowledge from .net advanced learning someone need after finishing his degree(or any) so he can be hired and do well in .net industry?

All of the .NET developers in this thread have completed more professional .NET projects than I have currently. However, I would say that you have to know the fundamental stuff inside out. That is the most important stuff, day to day. You can pick up stuff like LINQ, TPL etc once you have a grasp on the basics. I don't think you pick one magic advanced topic that if you know you will automatically be hired though. The advanced topics are required in certain circumstances; the fundamentals are always required.

Quote

What is your advice for .net languages learners(VB & C#) in order to improve their knowledge? Like if you can give us ways which you used to be that much...

Read a lot of books and articles on different .NET subjects, and always be actively learning something new, and writing something new. Also, looking into OOP design patterns helped me when trying to grasp the more difficult concepts in C#. Hang around DIC looking at different questions that are posted, try to answer questions yourself, and ask questions also. If you come across anything you don't understand, look it up immediately, and make it your mission to gain an understanding of it.

Quote

In your corner of the industry, what differentiates an experienced programmer/hobbies from a professional?

I would say the answer to that has to be money. The hobbyists don't get paid, and don't have to meet quality requirements and deadlines, where as professionals do.

Quote

sense your started programing, what has been your favorite project, personal or work related

So far, I would say a project at work where I had to rewrite the system we used to communicate with a German system that controls the machinery. I say this because it was one of my first major projects for the company, and it involved rewriting a system that was critical to the day to day operation of our major plant, communicating with the German company to agree on how things were going to be done, dealing with the pressure of having the whole plant wait for you (and glaring at you through the production office window ) to find and fix a bug when something didn't work correctly and had brought the plant to a halt, and ultimately, ending up with a system that is much better than the old system in every respect.

It wasn't the most difficult project I have ever undertaken, but it seemed to have a bit of everything, and was quite enlightening as a first major professional project.

Quote

Are you guys participating/used to participate at open source projects? Why did you do it/are doing it? - sense of achievement, getting better at programming, boredom?

I keep meaning to have a look for some open source projects to contribute to, be I haven't really got around to it yet. I would like to do just for the fun of it.

Quote

What has been your favorite project during your career? Why was it your favorite? Was it an easy or hard project to do?

See two questions up.

Quote

What is your opinion in regards to the authenticity of the Tiobe index? Is it a reliable source to use to determine which language is the most used/popular?

I've never even heard of it. Just glancing over it quickly, I suppose it's a good resource for getting a feeling for what languages are generally popular, and knowing that could be useful to get an rough idea regarding industry trends. Looking at it though, it doesn't really tell me anything overly useful that I can apply to my career, other than a very general impression. I would look for job vacancies in my area if I wanted to compile a list that is useful to me.

Quote

Do you find that you are happy with your line of work? If you could change to some other (realistic) line of work, would you?

I find I am getting happier all the time. When I first started, I had to place quite a lot of focus on I.T. support type work in our most automated plant, keeping things ticking over day to day, with some development work when something wasn't going horribly wrong somewhere. Also, about 70% of that work was in the Progress 4GL language, with some .NET work thrown in here and there. It was okay as a start, and I was extremely grateful to be employed in such a position, but it wasn't what I ultimately wanted to be doing.

However, now I have proven myself to be capable, the company has started to move me further away from the support type work, I have my own office, and I have been assigned more major .NET projects that overhauls the current systems completely. That is where I really want to be. My transition into complete contentment with my work will be complete once we scrap the Windows 2000 PCs we have lingering in production, and move to .NET 4.0

Quote

What would be the most important 10 job interview questions and answers someone would need to know?

That depends highly on the nature of the position. In general though, if I was the interviewer, I would ask questions that look for enthusiasm, and a genuine love of developing software, in addition to technical ability and aptitude for programming, along with experience.

Quote

At what age did you seriously get into programming?

I got into programming at the age of 17. It was at the start of the second year of an ICT A-level. We had to build a software product for an external client using Adobe Flash. We got taught the basics of using Flash, but didn't get taught ActionScript or any programming. I became intrigued by this language that we were told we didn't have to know, and started teachin myself it. I think my first real program consisted of a big blue ball that bounced up and down the screen. From then on, I was completely hooked.

Quote

How much have you learned after your first professional employment?

I have learned a lot about how things in the real world work. Theory is all well and good, and is important, but there is absolutely no substitute for real world experience. The real world isn't full of perfect software, nor perfect people, and is fast paced and very demanding. Only when you can build successful systems in the real world can you honestly call yourself a software developer.

Quote

What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness the .Net programming languages have compared to other languages in general?

One of the key strengths is speed (and ease) of development, I think .NET makes it extremely easy to get very complex system/applications up and running very quickly and effectively. It is such a great, complete framework that allows you to do most things with the minimal of fuss.

The greatest weakness sort of depends on what language/framework we're comparing it to, in addition to your perspective. Platform independence (or lack of) may be a weakness, depending on the situation.

Quote

What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness C# has compared to other languages in general?

I like the way C# tends to put its own improved slant on features from other languages (properties as a more intuitive, shorthand for accessors methods, being one example). I just feel it is very polished, elegant, and easy to use. It very much has its own personality, and with awesome features like the new async/await keywords being introduced all the time, it makes the lives of developers easier, and makes them more productive by allowing them to focus on the problem at hand. I think such features (and the fact that Microsoft is always actively looking to add such awesome features) are a key strength of C#, and set it apart from many other languages. It adds little bits of sugar here and there, and it is a pleasure to use currently, and will only get better with time.

Weaknesses depend on your perspective, and the scenario. From my perspective, I cannot think of any glaring/meaningful weaknesses off the top of my head.

Quote

What do you think is the greatest strength and weakness C# has compared to Java specifically?

C# is a lot like Java with the benefit of hindsight, with numerous (enhanced) features that (for me) set it apart from Java (properties, delegates, asynchronous programming language support (coming soon), keyword for event based programming, reference parameters, overloaded operators, iterator blocks, treatment of primitive values as objects etc). I find that C# is nearly always less of a chore, and less clunky to write than Java, usually as a result of these features.

I guess a key weakness is the dependence of .NET on the Windows platform, but, again, that is only a weakness if you need to write cross platform software.

Quote

How do you guys use your programming languages for your company?

We build internal systems that enhance the day to day operation of the company, help make people's lives easier, and help them to become more efficient. There is also the occasional system that our customers can interface with to pull information from our system.

The system as it is currently is a million miles away from being perfect, and so much of our time at the moment revolves around improving, modifying and re-writing that core system in .NET, piece by piece. In addition, we often get requests for some piece of utility software that would make a 'department's lives so much easier.'

This post has been edited by CodingSup3rnatur@l-360: 14 February 2012 - 01:29 AM