+ - how to re-enter the job market as a software engin-> 4
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martypantsROK
martypantsROK writes "It's been over 15 years since my main job was a software engineer. Since then I have held positions as a Sales Engineer, then spent a few years actually doing sales as a sales rep (and found I hated it) and then got into teaching. I am still a teacher but I want to really get back into writing code for a living. In the past couple of years I've done a great deal of Javascript, PHP, Ajax, and Java, including some Android apps.
So here's the question...how likely would I be to actually get a job writing code? Is continual experience in the field a must, or can a job candidate demonstrate enough current relevance and experience (minus an actual job) with a multi-year hiatus from software development jobs? I'll add, if you haven't already done the math, that I'm over 50 years old."
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So here's the question...how likely would I be to actually get a job writing code? Is continual experience in the field a must, or can a job candidate demonstrate enough current relevance and experience (minus an actual job) with a multi-year hiatus from software development jobs? I'll add, if you haven't already done the math, that I'm over 50 years old."
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Start your consulting company (Score:2)
When I'm looking at hiring someone, if they they've taken 15 years off to go do other things, that is a major negative. But you can do things to massively reduce the problem. First, start your own software development / consulting company: martypantsROK Consulting or some such.
Pick a technology that or technology set that you want to go after -- don't try the shotgun approach. Pick ones that you are interested in learning: php, Java, C++, Ruby on Rails -- it doesn't matter. It only matters that (a) yo
I did it (Score:2)
I did this a few years ago. I was a systems administration manager. I have a Computer Science degree but had no recent experience as a software developer.
The way I pitched myself was this:
I'm a broadly skilled generalist whose expertise crosses the traditional boundaries between software development, network engineering and systems administration. I follow where the problem leads until I've solved it.
Every skill you've described screams "highly desirable" to me. There's a strong market out there for folks w
Re: (Score:2)
I'm talking about single-customer projects a contractor takes on where the customer is a representative of a government agency, something like that. I would look at the SAICs and Northrup Grummans of the world.
Or IBM Global Services, or EDS (as acquired by HP). But there are also much smaller contract development houses out there too. It depends on what part of "sales" he hated though, if it was the "selling" part then, that won't be a problem. But if it was more like "pre-sales technical engineer" (HP's term for engineers that the salesforce call on to actually understand the customers' needs and come up with workable plans to solve them) then all of those kinds of liason type jobs are going to suck just as
I agree (Score:2)
Start your own company.
It is your best chance, however, do not do it in the US.
Move off shore, start there.
-Hak