"Web Design and Development Possibilities"
by Bill Day

Q: I am currently moving towards a career in computer science and I 
need advice in taking those first steps. I certainly plan on 
getting a B.S. in comp.sci., but first I need advice on finding an 
entry-level job in a similar computer-related field. 

I've had poor luck despite all my efforts, and am wondering if 
there are avenues of opportunity that I am not seeing. As someone 
with good HTML and JavaScript skills, new to Java, Perl, and C++, 
where should I be looking, and for what types of positions? 

I know internships are something to consider, however, I'd prefer 
to find a job in which I can start learning and gain valuable 
experience, and also save money to support myself when I start 
school full-time. 

A: Internships are not a bad idea, and some of them do pay a decent 
wage. (Please refer to last week's column, "Considering an 
Internship," via my archive at www.billday.com/Work/index.html#Careers 
for some concrete suggestions and internship possibilities.) You won't 
get rich from an internship, but you may come away rich in useful 
skills and experience. 

Based on your description of your skills, I have to explicitly ask: 
Do you want to program, or would a Web design position be 
interesting to you? If you want to write software code as a 
programmer, then I would strongly encourage you to start learning 
the languages you identified (especially Java and C/C++), since 
these are necessary skills for working software programmers and 
engineers. Again, an internship or temporary job, such as a summer 
scholarship might be a good way to start learning one or more of 
these languages and at least make some moolah while doing it. 

If you are more interested in Web design and site construction, or 
if you would be interested in trying that out while you build 
skills to become a full-fledged software engineer, I would still 
urge you to start learning Perl as soon as possible. To a lesser 
extent, knowing something about how Java Applets and Servlets work 
would also be valuable (code-level knowledge, preferably -- like 
the ability to write or understand simple Applet or Servlet code 
and deploy them in a "live" Web application based environment). 
Because Apache is the dominant Web server in commercial usage 
today, I would encourage you to become as familiar as possible with 
its operation, using Perl CGI scripts and Java Servlets/Java Server 
Pages within it, etc. 

If you want to use Web design to step into development, the above 
should be a good starting strategy. Web workers make very good pay, 
in general, and this should meet your financial needs as you 
continue your schooling. 

If you find that Web design is interesting to you as a long-term 
career, you might also consider learning about Web site production 
tools like Macromedia's Flash-related products. Real Network's 
streaming media tools, and server tools like Allaire Cold Fusion 
and Vignette Story Server might also be wise things to pursue. 
These tools, and experience using them, is probably best gained on 
the job, so I would suggest that you pursue opportunities to flex 
your Web design muscles. Look through your area's online 
classifieds and through the Web sites I have reviewed in previous 
columns (links from my Careers site at the URL above). You might 
also consider attending some local Web development clubs in your 
area (check nearby universities or other professional clubs such as 
local ACM or IEEE Computer Society chapters to find out what might 
be available). 

I hope this information helps.  If you have further questions, 
please let me know.  Good luck with your search.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:            
Bill Day has been playing the Silicon Valley career game for several 
years. His tenacity finally paid off when he landed his current 
position as a Technology Evangelist for Sun Microsystems. Bill 
archives job search information in the Computing Careers section of 
his Web site at: 
http://www.billday.com/Work/index.html#Careers