HELP! Take full time QA job or stay in school for computer science?

[yaustar]

Anyway, I don't really understand Yau's comment about how you shouldn't be dressed up more than the interviewer. I have already been told from an employee there that they will most likely be in jeans and flip-flops, so I'm sorry Yau, but I don't believe that it is appropriate for me to wear the same attire. I personally believe wearing business casual (khakis, shirt and tie) will convey professionalism but not arrogance or audacity. I don't know why the presence of a tie is such a big topic of discussion in this industry. Is it really that big of a deal? Are you really going to judge someone and not hire them because they wanted to look professional for a job they obviously care greatly about? Anyway, the employee that I know that works at this developer said he wore a shirt and tie, and that coming across as professional doesn't hurt, so I'm probably going to stick with his advice. Thanks for all of your advice and any other ideas will be appriciated.

This is just coming from previous experience:

A group of interviewees from my University who were wearing ties where told (not asked) to take them off when they arrived to one particular company.

A friend of mine got a job wearing standard jeans and trainers to the interview.

I got through with shirt, trousers and shoes.

A colleague got a job wearing a full suit.

Take it as you will.

Are you really going to judge someone and not hire them because they wanted to look professional for a job they obviously care greatly about?

Honestly, maybe, maybe not. Don't forget the interview is also used to judge whether you fit in the team or not. Wearing something vastly different may sway the interviewer's decision.

Also wearing a tie and/or a suit will make you stand out like a sore thumb in a developer's building so you will get some stares/glances of 'Who the heck is visiting today?' or 'Who is that?'

[HJJ5899]

Originally Posted by AcuraSpeed

Wow, my life has certainly thrown me some twists and turns. I am graduating from college with a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts in 2 weeks, and after unsuccessful job searches, I decided to stay in school and get a second degree in computer science. However, a wrench has been thrown into my plan. A job prospect that I have given up on has arisen. It is a full-time (not temp) QA tester job at an extremely prestigious developer. They also have a contract (temp) job open. I have went through a phone interview, and have a face-to-face interview next week.

I am already signed up to take two summer CS classes at my university (after graduation for my 1st degree), and I will get out of class at 12:30pm and be able to start work at 1:00pm. They will let me do this for the contract position, which is a 4-6 month contract with possibility of extension or permanent hire. However, I cannot do this with the full-time position, which is permanent, pays better, and has benefits. Now I am only pursuing the computer science degree because I think my best shot to really get into the industry is as a programmer (at least at first). I am interested in programming and would enjoy it, however, what I really want to do is design or production, neither of which require me to stay in school for CS, but also are much harder and unlikely to get into. Should I abandon the computer science degree and take the full time job (if I get it), and hope to move on to better things from there? Or would it be smarter to take the part-time contract job and continue my CS studies, with the possibility of losing my job in the industry after 4-6 months? I should also mention that while I would like to follow my dreams of design or production, I am almost geared towards programming because job security and good pay is vital for me. On the other hand, are the chances fairly good that I could move into another field (like production) from the full-time permanent QA job? Please, please help me, I need to decide by next week.

Yes, it is difficult , hard to say .

[Anners]

Anyone in the industry will tell you that getting their foot in the door is the hardest part. Here you are with the foot in the door and my advice for you, if they offer you the job, is to walk right in.

By taking a full-time job, you'll get networking opportunities and get contacts within the company. Work hard and making sure people notice your skills while you're testing.

Also, a full-time opportunity will allow you to gain the financial means to take a night class into programming. You mentioned that you "would" enjoy programming so I assume you never really tried it. (As an aside, programming is not for everyone although a good foundation -- JAVA, C, C++, C# -- is great if you want to be a designer in order to understand the technical as well as the creative side of things.) It's best to earn money and try a couple night classes. Your first university is not the only place where you can take programming courses. Other ways to test out programming/scripting is to learn via modding game engines.

From what I garner from the people I've talked to in the industry, there's no straightforward sure-cut way into the industry, but there are some smart ways into getting your start. Your foot is in the door, walk right in, earn as much as you can, network like mad, invest in a programming course to make sure that's EXACTLY what you want to do.

If you know that being a programmer is what you really want to do, I still encourage you to be a QA for a good length of time (a term, a year?). This way you can network and get in touch with HR and programmers to make yourself known. After you've established yourself, tell them that you are going back to University for your CS degree and remind them that you would wish to come back for future employment consideration. Keep in touch with them during your CS studies.