Career paths in software development.

Necuno

Necuno

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Curious what is my options apart from just code monkey.
 
You can be a technical lead, an architect, a business analyst, project manager, head of department, chief technical officer, chief executive, your own boss, the possibilities are basically endless.

Oh and, code monkey != software developer.
 
efitol said:
You can be a technical lead, an architect, a business analyst, project manager, head of department, chief technical officer, chief executiveOh and, code monkey != software developer.
Click to expand...

all dream positions yes, with high salaries
the problem is getting out of the "code monkey" position into one of these? what do you need? BSc Hons INF? MBA? do a BCom Compt on top of your BSc?
I dont know, all i know is im stuck in a "code monkey" position and the above positions available are scarce
 
Was kinda wondering the same recently... Purely doing software development for development's sake really does get tiring, not to mention repetitive. I guess Business Analysis is the next best option, seeing as you'll be involved in much more projects from a high-level perspective. I honestly believe that ex-developers with good analysis skills make the best Business Analysts. I've seen "pure-bred" BAs with not a shred of development background trying to propose solutions which I knew wouldn't work. And guess what? They didn't.

A proper Architect for big, corporate environments should have extensive experience in a wide range of development platforms and technologies and, unfortunately, most of us are stuck with a chosen platform for the biggest part of our development careers.
 
FarligOpptreden said:
Was kinda wondering the same recently... Purely doing software development for development's sake really does get tiring, not to mention repetitive. I guess Business Analysis is the next best option, seeing as you'll be involved in much more projects from a high-level perspective. I honestly believe that ex-developers with good analysis skills make the best Business Analysts. I've seen "pure-bred" BAs with not a shred of development background trying to propose solutions which I knew wouldn't work. And guess what? They didn't.
Click to expand...
BA's do not need to know coding, SA's do.

Just a short extract so you know the difference:
A system analyst is able to program or utility search and view the code. You can go to identify changes to make. You can integrate new data in order to benefit from an existing program for the company. The systems analyst can collect data and transforms them into usable code for a new project or program. Let them know what the problems in the code itself. You can re-write the code to alleviate the problem. In general, systems analysts can consult with other members interested in the technical jargon of foreign companies. The players are grateful for the work done.

The business analyst is more complex. He or she must understand not only how to speak but to speak as the actors. The business analyst is more than one person. He or she acts as liaison between management and IT. A business analyst is able to examine all aspects of society and to discover the causes of system outages. He or she may not be able to write code for the problem. The business analyst, at least get the concept of what should make the code.
Click to expand...
http://plazecamp.com/2009/10/business-analyst-system-analyst.html

For the record, I'm a Systems Analyst (did C++ and Java for 3 years before I got tired of coding 24/7)
 
There are also lots of other directions you can go except for the obvious coder->team lead->Manager->etc or coder->analyst->Manager->etc like:

Document management expert (designing and implementing fileplans and retention policies all around archiving legal requirements)

Business process Management (Converting paper based manual tasks into electronic processes)

Security expert (Designing, testing systems to ensure best security)

There are others but these came to mind...
 
all great possibilities mentioned, but how would you set yourself apart from the other developers who are all vying for a non-coding job, based on previous experience?
it does not make sense to automatically take the best coder out of his job, nor would he necessarily make the best Analyst.

So if you are in a company of 50 Developers, all with Bachelors degrees , how do you differentiate yourself from the rest of the applicants for the position? I dont think there is a easy route or "you've got to show some analytical skills and then you'll definitely get the position" answer which actually is correct.

A LOT of coders want to move into Systems Analysis btw, doesn't matter what the purists say. there will always be rock solid coders who want to dev till they die,
but there are a LOT of coders who applied for a recent Systems Analysis job I was aware of, in fact 80% of the applicants were coders from what I heard- who they chose I dont know and why they chose a specific person I dont know either. All I know is that I was rejected , and I've got a Hons INF as well so there is some strong competition when applying for Systems Analysis positions
 
jxharding said:
all great possibilities mentioned, but how would you set yourself apart from the other developers who are all vying for a non-coding job, based on previous experience?
it does not make sense to automatically take the best coder out of his job, nor would he necessarily make the best Analyst.

So if you are in a company of 50 Developers, all with Bachelors degrees , how do you differentiate yourself from the rest of the applicants for the position? I dont think there is a easy route or "you've got to show some analytical skills and then you'll definitely get the position" answer which actually is correct.

A LOT of coders want to move into Systems Analysis btw, doesn't matter what the purists say. there will always be rock solid coders who want to dev till they die,
but there are a LOT of coders who applied for a recent Systems Analysis job I was aware of, in fact 80% of the applicants were coders from what I heard- who they chose I dont know and why they chose a specific person I dont know either. All I know is that I was rejected , and I've got a Hons INF as well so there is some strong competition when applying for Systems Analysis positions
Click to expand...

maybe you could get some feedback? if done properly they would have noted comments/reasons on the interview papers or at least that is how it works here. Communication forms a big part with these types of positions as well, you will need to be able to put your idea/point/design across clearly and with everybody being on the same page as you. Dealing with challenges and changes is another important factor and you need to know the technology stack you are working on, which means that you can show that you are staying on top of changing technologies. That doesn't exclude the things you mentioned :)
 
Thanks for the replies. Code monkey was used in relation to frustration, for the one who couldn't reach the conclusion.
 
Pr⊕phet said:
Thanks for the replies. Code monkey was used in relation to frustration, for the one who couldn't reach the conclusion.
Click to expand...

man i reached the conclusion and i know EXACTLY what you're talking about. (why i put the term into quotations marks , i cant think of now - i can wholeheartedly agree)
Im not saying I want to stop coding now, Im just thinking ahead and asking myself if I want to code at 50? At 50, do I really want to learn a new framework?
Sure there will be coders who say "HELL YES CODE TO DEATH", but I dont know...

I agree, these above positions exists - Ive seen positions advertised, but its gonna be a lot of special skills , perhaps some extra qualifications and perhaps even a bit of luck to get into those.
for the rest of us (like me) it seems im gonna be developing for a LONG time.
 
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