I would advise to bolster your banking value:
Add machine learning and data mining to your skills. Play around with MQL4, and show them your chart. Get hired as a quant and earn tons of money.
Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
11–20 of 46 posts
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#12I wrote these for high school students, but I think they'll be useful to you too:
http://www.collegeanswerz.com/i-graduated-high-school-now-wh...
http://www.collegeanswerz.com/the-process-of-exploring-your-...
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#13Six months working in industry is worth approximately 10 years playing on middle school hobby projects from the perspective of calculating your worth to a potential employer. I wouldn't worry too much even if you're not #1 in your CS classes.
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#14http://hackreactor.com
I'm a founder -- AMA!
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#15Software development jobs tend not to care what you majored in if you can demonstrate competency and experience. Your average CS senior is a VERY junior programmer. Also "math / engineering" is usually good enough to bypass the HR "must have degree" wall at companies where that pertains - at least to the point that you have the same chance anyone does to pitch them on interviewing you. Things you can do that beat "sw…
As pathetic as it sounds, I don't really know what my goal is. I guess I want to find an internship this summer that is enjoyable and offers solid exit opportunities for full-time recruiting. I know this is a lot to ask for, but I want to highlight the fact that I work very hard -- I'm not some kid that thinks he's smart and deserves a perfect job.
The biggest problem is I know absolutely nothing about the recruiting process, job requirements, internship duties, etc. for programming roles. Since the start of 2013, I've worked a bit on my coding and published very small projects on GitHub, but I haven't done much else in terms of seeking an internship.
I'm most worried about switching my focus entirely from banking to programming and missing out on a banking internship. If I don't do investment banking this summer, I basically have no chance at a full-time investment banking position. And although I've made it sound like I absolutely hate banking already, there is a chance I could enjoy the internship and the full-time position.
I'm pretty sure I would like a programming role more, but again, I don't know where to start for recruiting. And I'm afraid that working for a small tech firm this summer may not help much when I look for a full-time job after college.
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#16Don't worry if you haven't been programming as long as the other students, if you invest enough time you'll likely by pass the other students who have been being programming since middle school. A lot of these people are likely amateurs, and I'm willing to bet they've only done a bit of Basic programming here and there. I'm sure there are exceptions to that, but that's just my experience. I switched into my degree from an arts degree with no programming experience, and a year later I'm one of the better students in my classes.
Best of luck with making your decision
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#17For a young college grad who doesn't know what to do with themselves, banking and consulting are great options if you can get them.
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#18get http://teamtreehouse.com few months of learning and you'll be able to make more money than a lot of 40 - 50 year old regional presidents at most companies.
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#19Consider dropbox.com/bizops :) get in touch if interested...
Re: Ask HN: How to safely switch to programming?
#20Just start to write code. Alot.