Why a career in computer programming sucks programming ?
Why a career in computer programming sucks Finally, the highly anticipated essay on why computer programming sucks. Temporary nature of knowledge capital Let’s being by reviewing what I previously wrote about the four types of human capital. Computer programming is a job that’s heavily dependent on temporary knowledge capital. It’s temporary because the powers that be keep changing the languages and tools that programmers need to do their jobs. In nearly all other professions, knowledge capital increases as you grow older because you keep learning more about your field. But in computer programming, the old knowledge becomes completely obsolete and useless. No one cares if you know how to program in COBOL for example. It’s completely useless knowledge. Even though I haven’t been working in computer programming all that long, I have already seen most of the technologies that I first began working with become relegated to the garbage pile. Visual Basic 3.0-6.0? Useless knowledge. I haven’
As a university graduate, I would expect to be in a position to be in charge. However, most programmers when employed get to be employed as entry level programmers where they have to produce a series of code as instructed. They are not given the flexibility to decide for themselves how should the code be produced. It is also very tedious to produce a code that is specific to the requirements of your seniors.
Many people will say they need to work their way up. However, for them as university graduates to start at entry level is just not worth it. Moreover, many of the graduate entry level programmers I know do not really get promoted even after one or two years doing entry level programming. This is because their companies are so small that it is difficult for them to gain promotion unless one of the seniors resigns or retire.
In contrast, if you have a CCNA or an MCITP certification to back you up, you can at least gain employment as a system administrator in an office. You will then be in charge of running the computers in your company.
Better still, if you are really good, you can be employed as a network analyst or a system analyst, where you get to design networks for other companies. I know of a friend who after graduating from his uni went on to take CCNA and CCNP. He then got to be employed as a network analyst and work as a team to design the computer network of a bus company.
This certainly convince me you can move further if you take certifications after you graduate and get computer jobs other than entry level programming.
