Class 9 - Career Paths, Life-long Learning, LinkedIn and Networking

Question 1

Business Mindset

Answer 1

-Our skills and our trade belong to us
- Think of yourself as a business

Question 2

What is the “old way of getting a job”

Answer 2

1. Send out a bunch of resumes
2. Get interview
3. Interview

Question 3

What is the more reliable way to get a job?

Answer 3

1. Find contact at company
2. Build rapport with contact
3. Get personal referral for job
4. Interview

Question 4

What are some different ways to build a network?

Answer 4

• Follow other developer’s blogs
• Join local user groups and meetups (e.g. DevEdmonton, Edmonton Unlimited)
• Use LinkedIn

Question 5

What are the different employment options for software engineers?

Answer 5

• Employee
• Independent consultant
• Entrepreneur

Question 6

What are the benefits of being an employee (in the context of software engineering)?

Answer 6

• Stability
• Easier to pursue
• Paid vacation
• Possible medical insurance assistance

Question 7

What are the drawbacks of being an employee (in the context of software engineering)?

Answer 7

• Lack of freedom
• Income capped

Question 8

What are the benefits of being an independent consultant (in the context of software engineering)?

Answer 8

• More freedom (you set your own hours)
• Constantly have new projects to work on
• Potential to make more money

Question 9

What are the drawbacks of being an independent consultant (in the context of software engineering)?

Answer 9

• Have to find your own work
• Overhead of running a business
• Trading one boss for many bosses

Question 10

What are the benefits of being an entrepreneur (in the context of software engineering)?

Answer 10

• Complete freedom
• Huge earning potential
• Work on what you want
• No boss

Question 11

What are the drawbacks of being an entrepreneur (in the context of software engineering)?

Answer 11

• Very risky
• Completely on your own
• Requires many other skills (e.g. marketing)
• Might end up working very long days

Question 12

What are the two types of startup companies?

Answer 12

• Startups that are created with the intent of getting investments from outside investors (these companies can grow quickly)
• Bootstrapped startup (completely funded by its founders)

Question 13

What are the pros of working for a small company (in the context of software engineering)?

Answer 13

• Flexible roles
• Higher impact work
• High potential for rewards

Question 14

What are the cons of working for a small company (in the context of software engineering)?

Answer 14

• Might not get to just sit down and code
• Can’t hide under the radar
• Low stability

Question 15

What are the pros of working for a medium-sized company (in the context of software engineering)?

Answer 15

• Stability
• Less crazy hours

Question 16

What are the cons of working for a medium-sized company (in the context of software engineering)?

Answer 16

• Slow pace for change
• Might not get to work on cutting-edge technology

Question 17

What are the pros of working for a large company (in the context of software engineering)?

Answer 17

• Established processes and procedures
• Training opportunities
• Large impactful projects

Question 18

What are the cons of working for a large company (in the context of software engineering)?

Answer 18

• Lots of “red tape” (i.e. regulations and rules)
• Likely work in small area of codebase
• Difficult to get noticed

Question 19

True or False: Very few companies still value people who can write COBOL code since the language is obsolete

Answer 19

False. There are 220,000,000,000 (220 Billion) lines of COBOL code still in use

Question 20

What are some investment rules that will help you get good returns on your investments?

Answer 20

1. Invest regularly – as a habit
2. Diversification is the key to long-term success
3. Balance between conservative and high-risk
4. Buy low and sell high
5. Review your portfolio periodically

Question 21

According to StackOverflow Insights 2022, what are the most wanted programming languages (name the top 3)?

Answer 21

Rust, Python, TypeScript

Question 22

According to StackOverflow Insights 2022, what are the most wanted databases (name the top 3)?

Answer 22

PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis

Question 23

According to StackOverflow Insights 2022, what are the most wanted cloud platforms (name the top 3)?

Answer 23

AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure

Question 24

According to StackOverflow Insights 2022, what are the most wanted web frameworks (name the top 3)?

Answer 24

React.js, Node.js, Vue.js

Question 25

According to StackOverflow Insights 2022, what are the most wanted other libraries (name the top 3)?

Answer 25

TensorFlow, Flutter, React Native

Question 26

What are some useful non-technical qualifications?

Answer 26

• MBA
• Project Management Professional (PMP certification)
• University of Alberta - Continuing & Professional Education
• Toastmasters

Question 27

What are some strategies to strengthen your LinkedIn presence?

Answer 27

• Grow your network
• Make use of endorsements
• Write and request recommendations
• Comment on posts
• Follow influencers
• Post updates