• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

for those that learned how to program...

S

skim milk

Diamond Member
I have never programmed in my life.. and the degree that I wish to pursue has only a little bit of programming skills involved which I should have NO problems with

however, I was browsing through internships to apply for and they seem intimidating since I have zero skill in programming since I recently changed my major

should I be looking at other internships? I don't know what is a good fit for me

Here are some keywords that people with this degree go into: Business Systems Analyst, Applications Systems Analyst, Risk Management Analyst, Information Security Analyst and Project Coordinator

Some companies: Amgen, Boeing, Deliotte Consulting, Direct TV, Honeywell, IBM, Kurt Salomon Associates, Nestle, Porsche, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Southern California Edison, Toyota, Wells Fargo, etc

Please advise.. looking for some direction.


 
What is your major? If the internships mention programming along with other things you could probably be ok. If they go on and on about programming and software design I'd hold off on them.
 
Originally posted by: Jumpem
What is your major? If the internships mention programming along with other things you could probably be ok. If they go on and on about programming and software design I'd hold off on them.
Click to expand...

It's business administration with a senior concentration in Information systems
Which involves all the core business courses, but to complete the senior concentration I would be taking courses like Business systems intelligence data mining and warehousing, BIS, business systems analysis and design, database systems, spreadsheet/database applications, etc.

Any ideas which internships I should try to narrow down on?
 
I'm not too sure on the business side of things. My internships were mainly software design and implementation with some maintenance and customer service.

Have you taken any programming courses yet? I'd try talking to someone in your business college's student office, or the school's career office. PErhaps they could make good suggestions. Thyat said it can't hurt to apply if you feel you can do the job reasonably well. YOu don't have to be perfect or proficient in everything. It is a learning experience as well after all.
 
Originally posted by: Jumpem
I'm not too sure on the business side of things. My internships were mainly software design and implementation with some maintenance and customer service.

Have you taken any programming courses yet? I'd try talking to someone in your business college's student office, or the school's career office. PErhaps they could make good suggestions. Thyat said it can't hurt to apply if you feel you can do the job reasonably well. YOu don't have to be perfect or proficient in everything. It is a learning experience as well after all.
Click to expand...

I recently switched my major so I'm kind of back at square one... just finished all the pre-req business courses and haven't even touched the core yet. I don't think I'll be learning any programming until my senior year

I want to apply for some internships that is "somewhat" related to my major... but since the degree is not a traditional business concentration like finance, marketing, etc. and I don't know any programming, I'm clueless on what type of internships to focus on
 
When I was 4 years old my dad taught me some Basic.

When I was in High School I took an actual real Basic Course as well as an AP Comp Sci Class (it was Turbo Pascal at the time ... got me 7 credit hours) ...

Then I went to college for 2 years, but dropped out ... (took only 2 programming courses, a Fortran and a C class)

since then, I've taken a SQL course (which was really just a waste of time, but my place of work "required" it for everyone)...

I've picked up a few other scripting/programming languages over the years on my own time or at work (PHP, PERL, bash & korn shell scripting, HTML, and ESP batch programming) ....

That being said ... I am currently in a batch admin position, so I really only need to be efficient with writing/reading ksh and SQL currently. Though it would be impossible if I didn't know how to read and understand C & ESP Batch programming). I am also responsible for working with the department webpage from time to time ... so HTML and PHP are good to know.
 
Originally posted by: fritolays
I recently switched my major so I'm kind of back at square one... just finished all the pre-req business courses and haven't even touched the core yet. I don't think I'll be learning any programming until my senior year

I want to apply for some internships that is "somewhat" related to my major... but since the degree is not a traditional business concentration like finance, marketing, etc. and I don't know any programming, I'm clueless on what type of internships to focus on
Click to expand...

I can't really help with that. You should go speak with someone at your school's career office about interning. Perhaps you could take some of the intro programming courses over the summer or in the fall.
 
It really depends on your aptitude with programing...

A really poor analogy would be: Do you have problems understanding manuals for home entertainment devices? Do you get easily confused with instructions for builind furniture?

Like I stated though, these are not the same things. But if those two things boggle you, then you will most likely not handle programing well...

Hmmm... I can not think of anything else that might give you any idea of what it is like...

I have had the good fortune to having programing aptitude. I can pick it up fairly easy. But then again, I can't learn a speaking language to save my a$$.

Each person is different.

Sorry I couldn't help more.
 
For me it started in college, but not as part of class. I was at WSU as a Physics major, and a friend introduced me to a game called Tribes, and a mod called Shifter. I enjoyed this "Shifter" in this "Tribes", but I felt some things in it could be changed for the better. So, I started rewriting Shifter. I'm still doing it to this day, for a bunch of other games and for Tribes as well.
 
I did 'logo' in grade school. Then I had programming in high school. It was pascal and C++. In college, it was Java and C. At work, it's Java and lots of things that I had to pick up and learn.

Programming is not too hard if you keep at it. The typical bad thing that happens is the computer will beep or give you an error message and then you try to fix the problem and go on.

Depending on what type of programming the job requires of you, it might not be too bad. If it's diving through code and fixing problems, then it's harder. Webpages or similar isn't too bad. If it's just changing a few things in already coded programs, then it's not too hard to pick up and learn.

Find out what the job requires of you before completely giving up. Also see if they provide training.
 
i look at programming in a similar light as algebra. You just have different elements and instances. Some elements are constant, some are variable. If its constant, call it for what it is, if its a variable, name it X or something. You usually have to declare your variables before you use them.

With web based programming, its good to know some database stuff too. A class in sql and a few days fussing around with MS SQL should give you a great start and at least a visual understanding of how it all happens and works together (front/back).

I thought Coldfusion was extremely easy to pick up after not programming for about 10 years. I use CF+MS SQL for alot of programming stuff. When deadlines aren't so stiff to make "applications" I may take the time to learn php/mysql. I think CF is easier to look at than PHP or ASP therfore easier to develop in. It works at par with ASP/PHP imho. You can get CF server for free from Macromedia, its only for two IP's though. That should be fine to learn on. CF/PHP/ASP all use many elements such as IF/THEN statements.

For instance. Or something like this.

<CFIF IsDefined(form.user_name)>

Code for what you want to happen goes here, which could be more if/then statements, etc.

</CFIF>

the cfif part is what it is. If the form variable user_name is defined, meaning, has it been declared or used up to this point, then do whats inside the brackets. If not, skip whats in the brackets.

The best and most important thing is to pick a language and platform and stick with it until you understand the concept and what can be done.

i too was lucky enough to have programming experiences at a young age. When I was 5, my school put me in an experimental studies program since I tested so high on state scores. They let us mess with computers. One of the things I did when I was about 8 was program a massive lego stoplight system with about 16 intersections. Each intersection had stoplights, and the paths had triggers for traffic. I had to program priority routes, and give the priority of each intersection. It got pretty complicated especially since I was only about 8.

Sorry if my post is hazy, its late, I need to go to bed.
 
Started for me in the early to mid 80's with pascal and basic, and was all either taught to me by my father or self-taught until college. In the late 80's (middle school), and early 90's (high school), they didn't offer any computer related courses at my highschool with exception to CAD, so I had to do everything at home. On a good note though I already knew plenty before going into college so C/C++, VB, assembly, java were all a breeze. If I were you, I wouldn't worry so much about the internships, after all you are there to both work and learn. You don't have to be a expert in the field to perform your job, and I am sure they are not expecting miracles from you. If it was me, I would turn to your college intership advisor or someone in your IS department as they would be best able to give you good suggestions on what you should do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top