Question 1:
What are your working conditions? (environment, do you work with a team)
Open office with a couple of hundred people. Probably a hundred or so programmers. I do work in a team, but we rarely program together on a single project. Normally help each other out with problems or design.
Question 2:
What was required from your employer so that you could work for them?
A university degree. Mainly Computer Science. They were not really bothered about what mark you got though.
Question 3:
What are your benefits? (healthcare, vacation time, sick-pay, personal days)
Get the usual health options. But not dentistry I don't think. I get 25 days a year for holidays (not counting bank holidays obviously). Fully paid sick pay, but you need a doctors note after something like 5 days, or they can stop wages. It's upto directors if you are ill for a long time. Depends who you are basically. And how tragic you are (a 2 month cold for a newbie is not looked on kindly). I'm not too sure on this subject as I've only been ill for 2 days in 10 years. Personal days? What are they? Have heard such things as Duvet days from the states (2 days a year if you can't be bothered to get up), but our company does nothing like it. One major benefit I like is we have semi-flexitime. Basically as long as you do 7.5 hours a day, and you are in work between the core hours of 10 and 16.30, then you can arrive or leave when you want. Oh, and we get stock options. And it may sound stupid, but we get free car parking and overtime pay. Not everyone does this.
Question 4:
What is your average salary per year?
I'm not telling you that!!!! It's a pretty decent amount though.
Question 5:
What are the educational requirements for your job?
Same as question 2. They really did not care about much else. Oh, apparently they wouldn't have employed me if they thought I was a gimp, I found out later. Since then we have implemented a test for interviewees. Most funny to read some of the answers (I used to mark it for a couple of years)
Question 6:
What type of High School courses would you suggest if I planned on going into the Computer Programming field?
Don't know what exists now. Obviously anything computer related, but I'd also go for maths, english, and anything that helps with speeches, and basically being confident. Always helps.
Question 7:
What advice would you give to people who are looking into going into the programming field?
Hmmm. Don't jump on the bandwagon of the latest flash language to come out. There are some safe ones (MS created language is almost def going to be well used), but you never know. Doesn't hurt to learn a few different languages too, as a backup. And, even though it may be hard for some (me for instance), look into less programming tasks. Such as project management, design, customer ineraction, teamleading, management etc. They tend to pay you more for these things. If you can do the whole package at once, and keep your sanity (like me - just), then people love you. Until you drop the ball just once. But that is a different story
Oh, and training other people is a piece of p*ss. But people think it's difficult, so is well paid. Heh. Strangely not everyone is good at this (and able to do their own job). I used to stare in amazement at my salary after a week of explaining simple rubbish to a cretin (with a computer degree!!!) for the last week. Almost like robbery...
Cheers
I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
