Finishing 4 years of training as a programmer, I understand that I am far from a programmer
The article is primarily aimed at young people who are still thinking about choosing a profession.
In already, it seems to us, back in 2015, I graduated from high school and began to think about who I want to become in this life. (good question, I'm still looking for an answer) I lived in a small town, ordinary schools, a couple of vocational schools and a branch of a simple university. He graduated from music school, played throughout the school life in the theater, but after the 11th grade he jerked to stand on the technical path. I didn’t want to become a programmer, although I did not graduate in class with an emphasis on computer science, I looked at specialties related to design or robotics. He applied where he could, went to a military school, and realized that it wasn’t mine. Remained at the choice of 2 universities, was not, I will go to St. Petersburg.
In St. Petersburg, the choice is huge, but something convinced me to go to study as a pilot - this is prestigious, monetary, status in society. On admission, it was proposed to choose 3 areas, without hesitation, the pilot indicated (2 areas: specialist and bachelor). But the guys in the selection committee still convinced me to choose the third one, he said that on the whole, it makes no difference to me, if there is something with programming, then you can go there (it’s not for nothing that I learned how to remotely learn the basics of an IT specialist at school (also for money) ) August is nearing the end, monitoring the lists every day, I understand that I obviously don’t go to the pilot because of the number of points, I was going to the army, to replant the trees, clean the snow, but suddenly, a call from my parents: “Son, congratulations!” I am amazed to continue. “You entered OASUVD, we don’t know what it is, but on a budget! We are very happy! ” Yes, I think. - “the main thing is the budget!” Scratching my head, I thought about what this mysterious ORASUVD means, but be that as it may, I am going to St. Petersburg, and this is a great reason to rejoice.
The interpretation is: the organization of automated air traffic control systems. There are many letters, as well as meaning. For the record, the first year I did not study in St. Petersburg, we were sent to Vyborg, not from a good life, of course, but overall it was even better than you might expect.
Our group was very small, only 11 people (at the moment there are already 5 of us), and everyone, absolutely everyone did not understand what they were doing here.
The first course was simple, like in any specialty there was nothing unusual, a tracer, mathematics and a couple of humanitarian subjects. Six months have passed, I still don’t understand what OrASUVD means, and even more so what they do. At the end of the first semester, a teacher comes to us from St. Petersburg and reads to us the discipline "Introduction to the profession."
“Well, that's it, finally I will hear the answers to my eternal questions,” I thought, but it's not so simple.
This specialty was very popular and not so far from programming. We were even more surprised by the fact that this is generally the only specialty in Russia that has no analogues.
The essence of the profession is to understand all the processes taking place in the sky, to collect information from all types of locators, and to transmit to the dispatcher’s monitor in digital form. Simply put, we are doing what the dispatcher can do (aviation software). Inspires, right? We were told that even criminal liability is provided if your code suddenly causes a disaster.
Let’s move away from a bunch of little things and subtleties and talk about the topic of programming.
After we successfully completed the first course and came to study further in St. Petersburg, it became a little more interesting, and with each semester everything is clear what they want from us. We finally started coding, learning the basics of C ++. With each semester, our knowledge grew, there were many subjects related to aviation and radio engineering.
By the beginning of the 4th year, I already knew a couple of libraries, learned how to use vector and its relatives. I had a little practice of OOP, inheritance, classes, in general, all that without which programming in C ++ is generally difficult to imagine. There were a lot of subjects related to radio engineering, physics, Linux appeared, which seemed very complicated, but generally interesting.
They didn’t try to make good programmers out of us, they wanted to make people out of us who understand all the processes, probably this is the problem. We had to be hybrids, something between a programmer, an operator and a manager at the same time (for good reason they probably say that two birds with one stone cannot be killed). We knew a lot of different things, but little by little. Every year I became more and more interested in coding, but due to the lack of objects aimed at this, the desire to learn more remained unfulfilled. Yes, maybe I could do it myself, at home, but in my student days you are not enough when you care about things that will not be at the session. That is why, being on the threshold of the 5th year, I understand that all the knowledge I have accumulated over 4 years is a small handful with which no one is waiting for me anywhere. No, I’m not saying that we were poorly taught, that knowledge is not that or not needed. I think the whole point is that the realization that I like programming came to me only at the end of the 4th year. Only now I understand how huge the choice is in the areas of coding, how much can be done if you choose one path out of a thousand and start studying everything related to this topic. Having looked at many vacancies, I come to the conclusion that there is nowhere to go, there is no experience, knowledge is minimal. Hands drop and it seems that all the efforts in school are streaming in front of our eyes. I passed everything by 5, I tried so hard to write programs, and then it turns out that what I do at the university, real programmers click like seeds during breaks. how much can be done if you choose one path out of a thousand and begin to study everything related to this topic. Having looked at many vacancies, I come to the conclusion that there is nowhere to go, there is no experience, knowledge is minimal. Hands drop and it seems that all the efforts in school are streaming in front of our eyes. I passed everything by 5, I tried so hard to write programs, and then it turns out that what I do at the university, real programmers click like seeds during breaks. how much can be done if you choose one path out of a thousand and begin to study everything related to this topic. Having looked at many vacancies, I come to the conclusion that there is nowhere to go, there is no experience, knowledge is minimal. Hands drop and it seems that all the efforts in school are streaming in front of our eyes. I passed everything by 5, I tried so hard to write programs, and then it turns out that what I do at the university, real programmers click like seeds during breaks.
“ITMO, SUAI, Polytech ... I really could have gone there, I would have had enough points, and even if I didn’t want to go to, I’m probably better than here!” I thought, biting my elbow. But the choice has been made, time has taken its toll and I can only pull myself together and do everything in my power.
Already this summer I will have to go through internship in a very reputable company, and get down to business directly related to my specialty. It’s very scary, because I can not justify not only my hopes, but also the hopes of the leader. However, if you do something in this life, then you need to do it wisely and efficiently. Although I haven’t created anything super complicated or ordinary yet, I’ve just started, I just started to get what I need to do, and I still have to learn the whole taste of programming. Perhaps I started in the wrong place, and in the wrong field, and in general, I am not doing what I dreamed about. But I already started with something and understood for sure that I want to connect life with programming, though I have not yet chosen the very path I’ll take, it will probably be a database, or industrial programming, maybe I’ll write mobile applications , and maybe software for systems installed on airplanes. One thing I know for sure, it's time to start, and as soon as possible to understand that of all the software abundance I would like to taste.
Young reader, if you still don’t know what you want to become, don’t worry, most adults don’t know that either. The main thing is to try. It is through trial and error that you can finally understand what you want. If you want to become a programmer, then starting is always more important than knowing exactly what area to be. All languages are alike, and programming is no exception.
PS I would know that I would swim, I would take swimming trunks. I would very much like to start to understand all this earlier, but due to disinterest, the routine of training and not understanding what will happen next, I missed the time. But I truly believe that it is never too late.
Foreword
In already, it seems to us, back in 2015, I graduated from high school and began to think about who I want to become in this life. (good question, I'm still looking for an answer) I lived in a small town, ordinary schools, a couple of vocational schools and a branch of a simple university. He graduated from music school, played throughout the school life in the theater, but after the 11th grade he jerked to stand on the technical path. I didn’t want to become a programmer, although I did not graduate in class with an emphasis on computer science, I looked at specialties related to design or robotics. He applied where he could, went to a military school, and realized that it wasn’t mine. Remained at the choice of 2 universities, was not, I will go to St. Petersburg.
In St. Petersburg, the choice is huge, but something convinced me to go to study as a pilot - this is prestigious, monetary, status in society. On admission, it was proposed to choose 3 areas, without hesitation, the pilot indicated (2 areas: specialist and bachelor). But the guys in the selection committee still convinced me to choose the third one, he said that on the whole, it makes no difference to me, if there is something with programming, then you can go there (it’s not for nothing that I learned how to remotely learn the basics of an IT specialist at school (also for money) ) August is nearing the end, monitoring the lists every day, I understand that I obviously don’t go to the pilot because of the number of points, I was going to the army, to replant the trees, clean the snow, but suddenly, a call from my parents: “Son, congratulations!” I am amazed to continue. “You entered OASUVD, we don’t know what it is, but on a budget! We are very happy! ” Yes, I think. - “the main thing is the budget!” Scratching my head, I thought about what this mysterious ORASUVD means, but be that as it may, I am going to St. Petersburg, and this is a great reason to rejoice.
Start of study
The interpretation is: the organization of automated air traffic control systems. There are many letters, as well as meaning. For the record, the first year I did not study in St. Petersburg, we were sent to Vyborg, not from a good life, of course, but overall it was even better than you might expect.
Our group was very small, only 11 people (at the moment there are already 5 of us), and everyone, absolutely everyone did not understand what they were doing here.
The first course was simple, like in any specialty there was nothing unusual, a tracer, mathematics and a couple of humanitarian subjects. Six months have passed, I still don’t understand what OrASUVD means, and even more so what they do. At the end of the first semester, a teacher comes to us from St. Petersburg and reads to us the discipline "Introduction to the profession."
“Well, that's it, finally I will hear the answers to my eternal questions,” I thought, but it's not so simple.
This specialty was very popular and not so far from programming. We were even more surprised by the fact that this is generally the only specialty in Russia that has no analogues.
The essence of the profession is to understand all the processes taking place in the sky, to collect information from all types of locators, and to transmit to the dispatcher’s monitor in digital form. Simply put, we are doing what the dispatcher can do (aviation software). Inspires, right? We were told that even criminal liability is provided if your code suddenly causes a disaster.
Let’s move away from a bunch of little things and subtleties and talk about the topic of programming.
Grain after grain
After we successfully completed the first course and came to study further in St. Petersburg, it became a little more interesting, and with each semester everything is clear what they want from us. We finally started coding, learning the basics of C ++. With each semester, our knowledge grew, there were many subjects related to aviation and radio engineering.
By the beginning of the 4th year, I already knew a couple of libraries, learned how to use vector and its relatives. I had a little practice of OOP, inheritance, classes, in general, all that without which programming in C ++ is generally difficult to imagine. There were a lot of subjects related to radio engineering, physics, Linux appeared, which seemed very complicated, but generally interesting.
They didn’t try to make good programmers out of us, they wanted to make people out of us who understand all the processes, probably this is the problem. We had to be hybrids, something between a programmer, an operator and a manager at the same time (for good reason they probably say that two birds with one stone cannot be killed). We knew a lot of different things, but little by little. Every year I became more and more interested in coding, but due to the lack of objects aimed at this, the desire to learn more remained unfulfilled. Yes, maybe I could do it myself, at home, but in my student days you are not enough when you care about things that will not be at the session. That is why, being on the threshold of the 5th year, I understand that all the knowledge I have accumulated over 4 years is a small handful with which no one is waiting for me anywhere. No, I’m not saying that we were poorly taught, that knowledge is not that or not needed. I think the whole point is that the realization that I like programming came to me only at the end of the 4th year. Only now I understand how huge the choice is in the areas of coding, how much can be done if you choose one path out of a thousand and start studying everything related to this topic. Having looked at many vacancies, I come to the conclusion that there is nowhere to go, there is no experience, knowledge is minimal. Hands drop and it seems that all the efforts in school are streaming in front of our eyes. I passed everything by 5, I tried so hard to write programs, and then it turns out that what I do at the university, real programmers click like seeds during breaks. how much can be done if you choose one path out of a thousand and begin to study everything related to this topic. Having looked at many vacancies, I come to the conclusion that there is nowhere to go, there is no experience, knowledge is minimal. Hands drop and it seems that all the efforts in school are streaming in front of our eyes. I passed everything by 5, I tried so hard to write programs, and then it turns out that what I do at the university, real programmers click like seeds during breaks. how much can be done if you choose one path out of a thousand and begin to study everything related to this topic. Having looked at many vacancies, I come to the conclusion that there is nowhere to go, there is no experience, knowledge is minimal. Hands drop and it seems that all the efforts in school are streaming in front of our eyes. I passed everything by 5, I tried so hard to write programs, and then it turns out that what I do at the university, real programmers click like seeds during breaks.
“ITMO, SUAI, Polytech ... I really could have gone there, I would have had enough points, and even if I didn’t want to go to, I’m probably better than here!” I thought, biting my elbow. But the choice has been made, time has taken its toll and I can only pull myself together and do everything in my power.
Conclusions and a small parting word for those who have not yet begun their journey
Already this summer I will have to go through internship in a very reputable company, and get down to business directly related to my specialty. It’s very scary, because I can not justify not only my hopes, but also the hopes of the leader. However, if you do something in this life, then you need to do it wisely and efficiently. Although I haven’t created anything super complicated or ordinary yet, I’ve just started, I just started to get what I need to do, and I still have to learn the whole taste of programming. Perhaps I started in the wrong place, and in the wrong field, and in general, I am not doing what I dreamed about. But I already started with something and understood for sure that I want to connect life with programming, though I have not yet chosen the very path I’ll take, it will probably be a database, or industrial programming, maybe I’ll write mobile applications , and maybe software for systems installed on airplanes. One thing I know for sure, it's time to start, and as soon as possible to understand that of all the software abundance I would like to taste.
Young reader, if you still don’t know what you want to become, don’t worry, most adults don’t know that either. The main thing is to try. It is through trial and error that you can finally understand what you want. If you want to become a programmer, then starting is always more important than knowing exactly what area to be. All languages are alike, and programming is no exception.
PS I would know that I would swim, I would take swimming trunks. I would very much like to start to understand all this earlier, but due to disinterest, the routine of training and not understanding what will happen next, I missed the time. But I truly believe that it is never too late.