My folks always tell me "you have to start somewhere/get your foot in the door before you can work your way up." How true is this for computer science?
I've been wondering about this for a while. I got my first job after college about three months ago as a "computer tech", which is essentially making phone appointments, running antivirus, and teaching people how to use their computers. I assumed we'd get into the more difficult things as the job went on, but after talking to several people working in there, turns out this is the job. I'd like to leave and look for a job that requires actual development.
My family is pretty against this, saying that it's important that I get some experience in the computer field and not just quit after three months. The quote is usually "you have to start somewhere". Thing is, I'm pretty sure where I've started has nothing to do with where I'd like to be. Usually when I bring this up, they say people work their way up to where they want to be after starting off doing something they don't like as much. I have no idea how this career path works. Is their logic sound?
For some background information, I am a CIS major with no previous internships, but a few contract development jobs. Most of my focus in school was game and web development but I'd be open to any programming. I applied for several hundred development jobs in the first year I was out of school, hundreds more in the second year, didn't even get an interview despite multiple websites saying my resume was pretty good. Eventually I started applying for IT jobs as well just because I was broke, and I got some interviews but nothing promising. When I took this "comp tech" job I was on my last tank of gas and maybe around $20 in my savings account. This was almost two years after I had graduated.
Just keep your current job while you look for a real job. Problem solved.
Your family is somewhat right, but also wrong (maybe even mostly wrong).
Now that you have a job you're in a much stronger position. Talk to a recruiter (if only to have them look at your resume and tell you what is popular in your area so you can start focusing on those things) and start looking for a new job doing what you want to do.
If you don't have a GitHub account, get one and start working on a project. Showing that you can actually write a program will put you above a lot of other folks. Don't despair and don't quit your current job until you have a new one.
your folks know nothing
if you are not doing any programming in this job now, you won't ever be. you don't work your way up to mechanical engineering by fixing cars.
if that's the career path you want, try finding something that is a blend between sysadmin stuff and development, or doing enough open-source development in your free time that you can build a resume that shows you're a decent programmer
>quitting a paying job
best and worst decision you will ever make
>>51447620
How do you think it will look to companies you'll apply to in the future when they see that you:
-didn't get a job for a year
-quit that job after 3 months with the given reason: They didn't let me develop in a non-development job
That sounds like you are really fucking retarded. I would not consider you for a job.
>>51448162
Would it look better if I stayed here for another few months to a year?
>>51448194
Just don't quit before securing your next job.
Not getting into the field you wanted to is a valid reason to want to switch jobs.
Didn't you figure that out when interviewing with them? Did you just accept it because you couldn't find something else? I feel your pain though, I was applying to jobs, barely getting any responses back. Finally managed to get an internship (even though I graduated already) but in the end, I was doing QA when I wanted to do actual development. The internship is over and I am still looking for a new job.
>>51448267
Technically it was because I couldn't find anything else that paid this much. The company I'm at now pays me $15/hr. I had interviewed with a few web development companies that told me they couldn't pay me more than $9/hr for contract gigs.
In my interview they said I'd be doing some minor scripting (in addition to what I do now) but the guy who interviewed me was later fired for unrelated reasons and everyone else tells me scripting is strictly prohibited.
>>51448386
>$9/hr for contract gigs.
Where do you live?
>>51448433
Northeast US, in an industrial area that's not a suburb of NYC or Boston. I'd like to still be anonymous though.
>>51448386
Ya, I understand. From recruiters I talked to, they could start me off at $13 an hour and this is in a major US city (that is unfortunately really shit in tech).
>>51448386
>>51448531
>stupid tech companies don't appreciate me, $9/h wtf
Well, dafuq did you expect? You probably can't program for shit, otherwise you would have a couple of good projects to show for the 6 or more fucking years you spend on CS. Those companies would not get anything useful from you, only spend time on your education for like half a year, rewrite all the shit you wrote, usual stuff. You get more on your current job because you are doing some actual work(which is completely unrelated to programming and will be no more relevant experience-wise than burgerflipping).
Now you'll need to learn how to code yourself, get some experience and then get some nice job. Or accept the fact that you can't self-learn and go for a slave-wage junior position, $9/h or whatever.
>>51447620
Your folks are boomers and no longer know shit about the world they destroyed.
>>51449985
>boomers
This. Most parents over the age of 45 don't know anything about the job market these days.
Back when they were young you could walk in off the street and get a job, spend a few years at the bottom and work your way up to retiring as the boss.
>>51448162
>That sounds like you are really fucking retarded. I would not consider you for a job.
employee for life spotted
>$15/hour just off ACT score and 'ambition'
