Go back
On May 9th, I was invited by the UP Association of Computer Science Majors (CURSOR) to give a career talk. The audience was primarily composed of third- and fourth-year level students 500 dollar loans guaranteed approval.
It was a great experience. It was nice being back in UP, and I learned a lot from the students and the other speakers. The questions I got were interesting, so I’ll write about those instead of writing about the talk itself. The answers have been paraphrased from the actual answers I gave.
- Why doesn’t schoolwork (machine problems, projects, etc.) count as experience?
School work, while challenging, doesn’t count as experience for a few reasons. On a basic level, completing schoolwork is the minimum requirement of any student, and everyone works on the same problem – nothing to show future employers how you stand out in the crowd.
More importantly in my opinion, for something to count as experience it has to solve or address a real need or problem. Having code “out there” with actual users (you or someone else) makes a lot of difference. It brings a sense of commitment often lacking when doing projects and assignments.
- Follow up to #1, what if it’s a really cool or useful project? *
Show it to the world! Deploy it, distribute it, put it on GitHub, get it out there. Potential employers/clients/co-founders will be much more interested in it then.
- When I answered the question I forgot to mention that the students should first check that they own all the intellectual property to be released.
- What if I have a really good idea (for an app or start-up)? *
People come up with good ideas all the time. Often, multiple people get the same idea independently of each other. A good (even great) idea is not worth much without execution. Execution makes all the difference between vaporware and something that benefits users.
- This wasn’t the exact question. I can’t remember how it was phrased, sorry.
- How much do poor grades affect hiring decisions?
I’m sure poor grades do have an adverse effect when applying to some companies, but in my case I didn’t see it. I was never asked about my grades in interviews. I think hiring managers know enough about the challenges you guys go through to see beyond your grades.
If you’re worried about grades, there are a lot of things you can do to make up: extra-curricular activities, internships, involvement in open-source, building your network, etc. This deserves a blog post all its own.
In any case, grades become a non-factor after your first (few) jobs.
Background info: it took me 7 years and multiple subject failures to complete a 5-year Bachelor’s degree (BS ECE). To put that in context I think less than half of our freshman class in that program graduated, much less graduated on time.
- Is a candidate’s age a factor in hiring decisions?
Some companies have age limits. These may be explicit or implicit. My position is a company that doesn’t hire people who are “too old” or “too young” is a company I wouldn’t want to work for anyway, even if I met the age requirement.
- What does the Philippines need from its CS graduates?
We need problem-solvers. Pick a problem that matters to you and solve it. It can be big or small, as long as it’s well-defined. Again, for emphasis: pick a problem that matters to you and solve it.
About the Author:
JP graduated with an Engineering degree in University of the Philippines, Diliman микрозаймы онлайн. He started coding professionally four years ago and has been contributing to the success of clients in a wide range of industries since. On his free time, he likes to read, sleep and eat. Connect with JP on his LinkedIn account.