Left Programming

[Rahul Roy]

I am a Sun certified Java Programmer ,IBM Certified XML Specilaits and Sun Certified Web Component Developer . I have a undergrade in Civil Engineering .I worked two years as Java Developer but got laid off year and a half ago, after trying one whole year for work and getting nothing ,I decided to go back to civil enginering .I am now doing my masters in civil engineering . I am in Canada .
Just wondering if any one else there who left programming and went back to something else .
Regards
Rahul

[Matt Cao]

Hi,
Why's not? As least you have something to fall back on. The question is do you comfortable in Civil Engineering? If you do, press forward with both knowledge and brainstorm how could they merge for your own benefit such as embedded GPS into Java or embedded AI into Java.
Cheers,
MCao

[aaron chang]

hi,
i'm from civil engineering too. bsc.in computer is my 2nd degree. but it does nothing to lead me to a computer job. i don't know if it will in the future. i'm thinking to go back civil engineering.
it's a hard time to make a decision. oh, my Java! (in place of "Oh, my godness!")

[Arjun Shastry]

Don't know about Canada , but in many countries civil engineering guys are always exploited.My friend did MS in civil from US university,He is earning something about 48to 50K in California,and that in Govt organization,this is considered to be below average.If you get disign type job then I think its worth.As Iraq war is over,many vultures including construction companies are eager to'rebuild' the country.Future prospects of Civil Engineering profession seem to be bright.

[Derek Grey]

hi Rahul,
Good for you. At this present moment it is tough for us to say if your's is a good move for the future but as for now it is definetely a great move in my opinion. I don't think that option holds any good for me. I have a BSEE and MSCS. In terms of falling back I think I am last but one to only one category (BS and MS in CS).
I have been hearing a lot about offshoring programming jobs and so I asked one of my friends who works for GE in India. He says that jobs in India are now plenty (and have enormously increased in the past 6 months) and the job posting to resume receiving ratio is going down sharply due to excess jobs.
As far as I know most of the Indian software companies rely on US/Europe projects which clearly indicates that these jobs are coming from here and Europe.
This definetely means that most of those jobs are not going to come back to US/Canada. I sometimes wonder if this would create some kind of imbalance in the economies of the future. I guess their defense would be...Why would any company want to pay more $$$ when they know of a more economical way to get their work done. Which ofcourse is a reasonable defense (Hey!! that's what is giving quotes all about in other businesses all these years right???) Unfortunately I fall into the downhill side of this strategy.
Today on Craigslist I found a software engineer position which requires 6+ years of Java,C++ experience and guess what...its a part-time job. Don't ask me for a link guys (it's too depressing to look at that posting again.)...search the software development section and you'll find it on the first page itself.
Today marks the end of the 8th month of my job search after I completed my MS in CS and almost the end of the 14th month since I started hunting for jobs. Makes me wonder if normal days are ever going to get back for software developers...let alone good days (Boom times will only be found in History books).

[John Dale]

I've heard that we have a wave of civil engineers from an earlier hiring boom reaching retirement, and that qualified civil engineers are hard to find. In my experience a few decades back, jobs with the state governments may not pay as well as private jobs, but do offer retirement benefits that most of us don't get. I also found working for the state to be more rewarding that most private jobs in that I felt I was part of building something of lasting value to lots of people. I would thing that would be even more true for civil engineers than for computer workers.

[Matt Cao]

Hello,
The reason for Civil Engineer always being exploited because the applied technologies stop evolving after World War II. If it does evolving, only came in a triggle comparison to IT & EE. It is very steady profession, therefore, user only perceive as same level as Accountant because it is also a very steady profession too. Both are necesssity professions but not too necessary. Hope you all get my point.
Since you all have at least more than one hair color on your head by now, I could comfortable tell you guy this figure way how to embbed Java with other technologies as I suggested earlier. The old term was system integration. The market is missing this breed. I posted this before, but some young ladd, confused my meanning as sys admin. I forgive him because the ladd just strictly IT.
If you could integrate Java with other technologies and embbed into electronic goods. Companies will look for you. PDA and Cellular Phone are just tips of the ice berg.
Some of you may point out that you are already being done that. Could I asked were you worked for Defense Department or Intelligent Community? If you were ex, then you certainly not need looking for job because your financial porfolios already vested. I am not employed by neither of them, I just take my hints from watching CNN.
Cheers,
MCao

[Mark Herschberg]

Originally posted by Capablanca Kepler:
Don't know about Canada , but in many countries civil engineering guys are always exploited.My friend did MS in civil from US university,He is earning something about 48to 50K in California,and that in Govt organization,this is considered to be below average.

That doesn't sound much below average. Keep in mind that in the US government jobs tend not to be the best paying in terms of strict salary.

Originally posted by Matt Cao:
The reason for Civil Engineer always being exploited because the applied technologies stop evolving after World War II. If it does evolving, only came in a triggle comparison to IT & EE. It is very steady profession, therefore, user only perceive as same level as Accountant because it is also a very steady profession too. Both are necesssity professions but not too necessary. Hope you all get my point.

If I were a civil engineer, I'd be insulted by those remarks. Civil Engineering has continued to progress (here in Boston the Big Dig is a good example of some applications of cutting edge civil engineering technology).
Now I assume by "triggle" you meant "trickle." Undoubtedly, the body of knowledge does not progress as much as EE/CS does, but that is more a comment about EE/CS, rather then civil engineering. Civ E is, compared to EE/CS, is a rather mature field. Consequently adavnces do not come as quickly. However, this in no way descresses it necessity. Every time you drive over a paved road, when you go to sleep knowing that you have a working sewage system in your town, etc you do so because of civil engineers.

--Mark

[Rahul Roy]

Thats right , salaries of civil engineers are not comparable with CS guys , but civil engineering is comparatively a stable field , not a lot of lay offs.When I look around most of my freinds who are in software development are either laid of or are very much insecure about their jobs . My civil engineer freinds on the other hand are all employed (almost) .
I think I am now in a condition where I want a stable job with lesser money then an unstable job with a lot of money .
Regards
Rahul
[ April 14, 2003: Message edited by: Rahul Roy ]