Hello-Some advice please.

Hello everyone,

Let me say first I appreciate the help I have received since I became a member. The advice and posts have made the learning curve a little less painful. I am writing because I would like some advice from those of you who work in the industry,probaly most of you. I am 30 years old currently I am working in the flooring industry. I install vinyl, carpet, hardwood floors, etc. I had to pass up on going to school because of various reasons, mostly wasn't ready to take it serious and I am of the belief if you can't or won't give 100% don't bother. Any way I have always been fascinated with the computer and recently started learning the basics(html,javascript,php etc.) I am going to start school in a week I am taking C,assembly, and Calculus(maybe, dont want to overload myself). I hope I am not kidding myself thinking I can just change careers at 30 and succeed. I am just tired of beating my body with physical labor. The money is great but I am definitely paying for it in the long run. My question is what kind of salaries can a graduate expect? Now I realize it depends on geography. I live in Sacramento,Ca. GO KINGS!!! Am I taking the right classes to start? All my GE is already out of the way. Whats the job market like right now? Is it getting better?Whats the outlook for the next 3 yrs. Thanks for reading my post and any advice is appreciated.
Joey

Its never to late to start something new, that is what keeps us going. I want to congradulate you for wanting to venture into a difficult area. Programming is no easy task and If your facinated by it then more power too ya, its something that is tough to do just because you want $$. Without college it is tough to get a decent computer job. Although, I have a friend who never went to college and works for Intel as a linux driver tester. He makes around $20/hour but the guy nextdoor to him makes $25 because he has two years of college under him. You are right, it all depends on location. At this time california is the place to make the largest amount of $$ starting out of college. Philidaliphia, Florida, Vegas and Texas are all other great places to search for a job. Depending on what you want to do is also a huge factor. If you want to program PhP you probably won't make an amazing amount. If you are a C++ programmer for a respected company then you could be making up to $50k starting. Most average programming jobs pay around $30k-$35k starting with much room for promotion. Once your at the company just make sure to prove yourself and make them need you. Only then will you start seeing major $$. The future holds promising...after all, while tendancy to innovate remains, so will computers. Computers are the leading tool to invention. Regards.
-andy

Well, I would have to say there is no reason to think that you can not change careers at 30. I did it at 27. I have always been into computers and have been programming on the side for quite a while, but was not able to get that little piece of paper that I wanted. I finally got atleast the first step (an AAS) and got hired into a job programming for a tier 1 automotive supplier.
You are right in the fact that pay depends on location, but it also depends on experience and drive. In the past year I have raised my pay over $10,000 and I am in line to get another raise by June. But what I make is nothing compared to the quy that I work for who make almost double what I do and has no degree what-so-ever. The point in that is that education in this field is good, but experience is better.
When you go hunting for a job keep in mind one thing: be prepared to show that you can solve a problem with a language.

Just my 2 cents.

Well.... I think you're nuts for picking C++ and Assembly as your firsts.. but hell.. make it through that and you can probably learn most anything!

I don't have a degree. I'm working on an AA at a shotty little Comm College right now. Back several years ago, while working Customer Service phones for a direct mail company under Bertlesmann's wing, I saw a posting for an "Online Help Assistant" get posted. The original idea was to take a couple of MS Word created HTML pages, pack them into a .chm file and send them out over the net.

Now, it's a full-fledged intranet system with perl/database driven content, fully capable search features (though they're waiting to be fully implemented), and over 2500 pages of data.

Do I think you'll be able to get a job? Yep. Will it be a glamorous one... well, that depends. Probably not when you get there - but if you're working with the right people, and you're one of the right people, it can balloon!

More power to you chief. Don't expect to come out and be able to drive a Viper GTS, but keep pounding away at what you like and someday you will.

Thank you all for you responses. I am not really venturing into computers for the money. Currently I make more than I could with a degree according to your responses. For me it just the opportunity to actually use my brain. You could not believe what breathe of fresh air it has been to actually take up developing. I was telling my wife it's amazing how I have gone so long without using my intellect, it's like exercising for the first time in years. I love the challenge of finding solutions for myself. I would be lying if I said I didn't want to make good money, but it is definitely the desire to develop more than the money.

Thanks again for the good feedback.
Joey

The most important things are curiosity and desire, which you seem to have both of in spades.

A little hubris goes a long way too. . .Don't ever think that something isn't possible in the programming world- you just aren't using the right tools, or haven't thought of the solution yet.

Have fun! Take it slow, read A LOT and keep with it.