| > How did I get into programming? I was doing a chemistry degree, and suddenly being able to code was a requirement. There were no classes, no recommended material. Just 'welcome to this 6-week lab. Python experience is required'. Surprisingly while I got OK at programming that wasn't a great experience, so I stayed away for a while. When I graduated my focus was actuary, then data science (because that was starting to take off at the time). I had a fair amount of interest but I wasn't fairly committed. I worked as a mathematical modeller for a while, that was when I started coding again. About a year later I took an internship at a call center I'd worked at during university summer breaks. They wanted me to analyze insurance claims data to predict fraud. It failed massively but they still kept me around, but the work moved towards software engineering. I enjoyed it enough to stick around. > What is your experience with university? The English system sucks. My degree is Chem, I wanted to add more maths and some CS. This was impossible on both counts with the universities module system. Chem takes up so much time while theoretically you can take modules from other schools, it doesn't work in practice. It sounds like you're in UK - if you want flexibility, go to Scotland for your degree. (Kinda OT but I'd rather take maths than CS.) Most UK science degrees expect but don't teach programming. I have data points supporting this from almost all the top 50 universities. The assumption is students are bright enough to work it out on their own time. This actually holds up to an extent, but the standard and style of scientists programming is a long way from industry. The degree is absolutely worth it. Spending 3-4 years focusing on studying to an expert level will give you transferable skills you won't get anywhere else. This difference is eminently observable to me now, not just from my experiences but from observing colleagues. > How did you get first paid work Internship at an organisation I had friends high up in. I kinda lucked into this one. > What do you do now and what do you love/hate about your job? Lead engineer at an early startup, but leaving for a senior engineer role at a late startup. I love the problem solving aspect, and being surrounded by really interesting bright people. I don't like the way errors compound. Programming is really hard, producing excellent code takes time, effort, and often knowledge. It's easy to make mistakes. Many mistakes don't cause observable bugs, but harm the long term maintainability of the product. Over time, these build up, meaning large projects can become maintenance nightmares. I've become a bit of a specialist in un-fucking these, but I really hate doing it. |