Tech's 10 Worst Entry-Level Jobs 312
Nicholas Carlson writes "These employers (Amazon, Google, Yahoo, etc), and the others hiring for tech's 10 worst entry-level jobs will look good on a resume someday, but for now the only good these jobs promise the world is the pleasant feeling you and I can share knowing we're not the ones stuck in them." The story is really obnoxiously laid out, requiring many many clicks to read very little actual content. Perhaps Valleywag could afford to hire another of tech's worst jobs: the web designer.
Don't make me laugh. (Score:5, Informative)
First, the apps were a nightmare. Kludgy vb, massive sourcecode duplication...If the guy needed new functionality he'd make an edit to his solitary library (more than a meg of code including huge chunks of hardcoded html) save it under a slightly different name, and include it in the application. Effectively the same code linked in a dozen times, but each piece very slightly different.
Second, all the data was child abuse, spousal abuse, etc. Imagine working with that data for weeks on end, wallowing in that hell, and you really had to dig in the data because there were tons of inconsistencies.
Third, the "server room" was a closet with one tiny window, and a floor air conditioner/dehumidifier that had to be emptied by hand. The only tech job I've ever had where toting a 5 gallon bucket of scummy water out of a server room was a daily job. The real icing was the location; the server closet was right off the "visitation room"...The only way into the rest of the building was to walk through a room where child abusers got to visit their abused kids. Yee haw! I could go on about the work environment, but you get the point.
Fourth, the pay. Yea. I could have made more waiting tables. No benefits, and I was a subcontractor, and the contractor was so crooked he kept trying to pay me under the table, basically so he could pocket the chunk of my check that was supposed to go to the government.
That is a shit job. Doing sales customer service for fucking Google does not compare.
Well, this is slashdot (Score:5, Informative)
Is this any better? :) (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Is this any better? :) (Score:5, Informative)
Where are all the dead end jobs that pay less, and demand more work? People don't really consider this stuff hard do they?
Not even close (Score:5, Informative)
Don't bother clicking (Score:3, Informative)
* Online sales and operations account manager, Google
* Support engineer, Washington-Seattle, Amazon.com
* Content Acquisition Intern, IODA
* Customer support specialist, Fox Interactive, MySpace division
* Database administrator (temporary), Google, contracted through WorkforceLogic
* Support professional, product: Windows, Microsoft
* Executive admin to Mashable CEO Pete Cashmore
* Analyst, user operations, Facebook
* Operations finance, analyst intern, Yahoo
* Part-time guide, Mahalo
Re:Computer Operations in Ohio (Score:4, Informative)
I personally had two job offers right out of college, and I didn't exactly graduate with honors. Since then, I've had zero trouble finding a decent job, and consulting work on the side.
So, not to brag, but it sounds to me like your job prospects are simply what you make of them.
Re:Computer Operations in Ohio (Score:4, Informative)
This is a no-brainer around here (literally.) First, there are no tech companies in Ohio, so tech jobs are quite scarce.
What in the world and what part of Ohio are you talking about? I'm a software engineer in Columbus, OH and I'm posting this on my lunch break. There are plenty of tech jobs out there, you just have to know where to look. A few right off the top of my head:
Admittedly a lot of these aren't what you classify as "tech companies," but they still hire developers like crazy. I think the market is what you make of it, and a lot of getting a job is simply not giving up on the hunt.
As for a B.S. being B.S... I call BS. Most places around here won't give you the time of day unless you have a B.S. Certifications don't mean a thing (unless you have experience to back them up), and an Associate's means the hiring manager will at least glance at it for a fleeting few seconds before deciding to toss it back in the pile.
Re:Chiming in (Score:5, Informative)
I bet Sky get quite a few "oops, its OK now" too when they ask people to turn a wire around.).
Re:The article sucks? (Score:4, Informative)
Have you had mod points recently? I've been getting 10 at a time the last couple of times, rather than 5.
But as always, I only ever seem to get mod points when /. is full of articles that don't really interest me, and the points end up expiring. Almost guarenteed, once the points expire some juicy stories will come along!
Re:Chiming in (Score:3, Informative)
At that point they're wasting their own time by not trying my basic suggestions. They could either wait 5 minutes for a first responder to show up to reboot their computer, or they could have their computer rebooted and running before the responder would get there in the first place.
And yes, it is a condescending thing. My favorite experience: On the phone with my own program adviser and professor (they didn't know who I was), troubleshooting their wireless connection. Several times during the call he reminded me what "retards" we were at the help desk. After a few more minutes he said "he got it working", and slammed the phone.
Later that day I had to go to his class (hilariously, Wireless Technologies), where he boasted to the whole class how much he liked being a jerk when he called the help desk, and how stupid the tech on the phone was (me). I casually asked him what fixed it, and he said something to the effect of "all I had to do was hit FN+F2 to turn it on, and the retard didn't even know about it!"
I reminded him that I told him to try that at least three times on the call. It took a minute for the realization to set in...to this day I still have never seen a face more red than his was. He was not the only professor I had that very openly complained about how dumb the people at the help desk was during class.