> >How many FCer's have computer training (formal or informal) &/or
> >employment? What were your personal experiences? How did you come to
> >where you are now? Any advice for me? What's the market like?
> >What do you think it'll be like in 3 years (estimated time
> >for me, w/ a BA in English & little math, to get a BS in CIS
> >by studying part-time)?
>
>
>
> well, for what it's worth.....I'm currently working as a programmer for an
> internet content company; writing custom database/http integration code on
> Macs. Pretty fun, actually........I've worked as a programmer off and on
> for about 10 years, but don't have any formal CS experience (BA in Pol.
> Phil., partial MA in Urban Planning).
> - bill
I agree with most of this. Employers today are looking for specific
skills, especially in the IS field. Find out what specific things
people are looking for and take courses in those areas. Some companies
want a CS degree specifically, but many would be satisfied (perhaps
impressed?) with an English major who could do the things they want done.
I disagree with bill's comments about Novell and dbase, though. There
is still a lot of demand for Novell administrators as far as I can tell,
as well as catch-phrase things such as Sybase, HTML, C++ (often specifically
Visual C++ or Borland), MFC (Microsoft C foundation classes), Unix, Win95,
Win NT, and so on. You don't learn most of these things in a university.
Look in the newspapers for an indication of what companies are looking
for (today, that is; tomorrow it may be different).
On another note, I am just finishing Neuromancer for the third time, and
I am always amazed at the "realism" of the technology. We are FutureCulture,
so I would like to inform any who don't know yet about the following
technologies that will affect our culture quite soon:
1. CDs. They will have about 4 or 5 Gigabytes of info in a few years, as
the two big CD consortia have agreed on a standard. A few years later
this capacity will double. This (either the 4 or the 8 ??) is supposedly
enough for a full-length movie, with great sound and four language tracks.
2. Cable. Our cable monopoly here in Ontario has been doing tests with
cable internet connections in real peoples' homes. The speed is much,
much faster (up to 100x? or more?) than a 28800 bps modem.
3. Electronic Banking. Most banks are getting ready for this. Access,
transfer money, pay bills, all using your computer and modem. I expect
more service charges, though.
These are the three biggest ones I can think of. Can anyone else add any
significant technologies that could dramatically affect our culture(s)?
Mike New