How do I change careers?

I was an electrical engineer. 10 years ago we made the decision that
I would quit and stay home to raise kids.

Now it's time to go back to work and I have no idea what to do.
If I want to go into software development, should I go back to school
for Comp Sci, or teach myself and try to get something entry-level?

I'm 40 and at a total loss as to what to do next.
What do I need to qualify for a job like this to get started:
http://tinyurl.com/57rtjt

re: How do I change careers?

On Jun 12, 4:29*pm, Mitch@_._ wrote:is that link safe for the office?

I think this is spam

re: How do I change careers?

<Mitch@_._wrote in message news:1k1354p8ms6ctjtet84miq0birs84ruar1@4ax.com...
I understand the demand for people who can do analog electronics now exceeds the supply -- you should look around for opportunities to stay in your present career. There are lots of self-taught programmers and not a lot of self-taught circuit designers.

re: How do I change careers?

On Jun 12, 5:51 pm, "Ignacio Machin ( .NET/ C# MVP )"
<ignacio.mac...@gmail.comwrote:It depends on the kind of office you work in. One of my exboss sent me
a link to a nasty site/ called the lemon party.
It was disgusting...
I am willing to bet a dollar that it is spam.

re: How do I change careers?

On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:12:47 -0700, parez <psawant@gmail.comwrote:
It's just a job listing. If it'd been a complete stranger posting,
sure...I think "spam" (or worse) is a pretty good guess. But Mitch's
posted before. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who'd post spam, and
his question seems serious to me.

Of course, I have no idea about the answer to his question. My personal
feeling is that a job interview ought to rely on performance rather than
credentials. I've seen too many people with the right credentials but the
wrong performance. But many, if not most, hiring authorities don't see it
that way.

I'd guess that for a lot of jobs, without some specific credentials --
either certification, or some specific degree or other training -- just
getting that first interview is unlikely.

Of course, the flip side to that is that the most enjoyable jobs are
probably at companies that recognize that performance matters more than
credentials and who are willing to interview a broader selection of
people, so that they can filter on performance instead. A person who
believes that may be better off just making sure they've got the ability
to perform and not worry about the specific path to getting that skill (or
rather, focus on the path that works best for them, rather than worrying
about which path might be most acceptable in the industry).

Anyway, who knows if that's helpful to the OP. But it's my two cents. :)

Pete

re: How do I change careers?

On Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:55:29 -0400, "MC"
<for.address.look@www.ai.uga.edu.slash.mcwrote:
Actually, I never did any design work. Right out of school I got a
crappy project engineering job that required no technical skills.

Then I got a job programming robotic manufacturing systems, which I
loved. It was a proprietary assembler language. Very small
instruction set, so it required creative ways to get things done.

Anyway, if I can get some kind of entry-level job that has mobility, I
wouldn't have a problem with that, because I know that I learn and
grow quickly, and I wouldn't be entry-level for long.

But after 10 years, I'm definitely not qualified to interview for most
of the engineering jobs I see posted.

If I have to start over, at least I know from experience that I really
enjoy writing code.

re: How do I change careers?

"Ignacio Machin ( .NET/ C# MVP )" <ignacio.machin@gmail.comwrote in
message
news:1ba66e93-41e9-4570-9328-06032231ffe6@f36g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...
On Jun 12, 4:29 pm, Mitch@_._ wrote:is that link safe for the office?

I think this is spam

******************************
What I particularly liked about the link was this description of people that
work at the place:

"Hubbard's team is made up of friendly, smart, high-bandwidth, and driven
individuals."

What exactly is a "high-bandwidth" individual? Does this mean that they
frequently "think outside the box"? Or does it mean that they have lots of
"core competencies"? Or does it mean they need lots of hand-holding and
meds?

AHS

re: How do I change careers?

On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:15:36 -0700, Arved Sandstrom
<asandstrom@accesswave.cawrote:
I agree that the term is ambiguous. But in the communities in which I've
heard it used, it describes a person who has a high capacity for rapid
acquisition of information. I.e. a "fast learner", or especially one who
can quickly integrate new information and synthesize conclusions from that
information.

So, I don't think it means any of the things you suggested. :)

Pete

re: How do I change careers?

On Jun 13, 1:20 pm, "Peter Duniho" <NpOeStPe...@nnowslpianmk.com>
wrote:I think i am a "high-bandwidth" individual. I have comcast with
powerboost. ;)
Sorry couldnt help it.

re: How do I change careers?

I eat lots of fiber.

re: How do I change careers?

"Peter Duniho" <NpOeStPeAdM@nnowslpianmk.comwrote in message
news:op.uco6gdyv8jd0ej@petes-computer.local...I figured it for something like that, although my actual guess was "someone
who knows a lot of stuff and can apply it readily". Pretty close to yours
except for the acquisition bit. Me, I like the term "fast learner". :-)

I have little patience with buzzwords, which makes me unpopular in certain
parts...as an example, if someone describes their app as "robust", I ask,
"Oh, d'you mean properly designed?"

AHS

re: How do I change careers?

Various of my esteemed colleagues write:

Well said! The other thing I don't like is people who speak and write in TLAs (three-letter acronyms), especially newly-coined ones. Making up a new abbreviation for everything, and then tossing letters around ad nauseam, is no substitute for speaking plain English.

re: How do I change careers?

On Jun 15, 11:23 am, "MC" <for.address.l...@www.ai.uga.edu.slash.mc>
wrote:LOL

re: How do I change careers?

parez wrote:Man, that made me laugh :D

--
Lasse Vågsæther Karlsen
mailto:lasse@vkarlsen.no
http://presentationmode.blogspot.com/
PGP KeyID: 0xBCDEA2E3

re: How do I change careers?

On Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:00:13 -0700, Arved Sandstrom
<asandstrom@accesswave.cawrote:
Well, I have little patience with buzzwords that add nothing to the
conversation. But a lot of jargon turns out to be concise ways to express
commonly used concepts. They can be unfamiliar to "outsiders", but within
the community in which they are known, they can make for more efficient
communication.

Personally, I think that the use of "bandwidth" here falls into that
category. YMMV.

I do tend to object to the use of some arbitrary term to describe
something we've already got a perfectly good word for. But appropriating
existing words to describe a related concept in a new way is how language
evolves. Every person has their own threshold for what's "reasonable",
but IMHO it doesn't make sense to reject jargon just because it's jargon.

Pete