A question about my past but I’m focusing on my present now and I want to close this topic. Thank you!
How old are you linh2? Do you mind my asking?
I don’t have much to give, but I’ll share what I’ve got …
I’m 43 and I had a tough time finding my passion when I went to school. I went to 3 universities and tried 4 or 5 majors before I found computer programming. I was taught on C and C++ which are not typically web languages; and, the more I experienced I came to love web programming. It’s the wave of the future! they say! And I think it is.
You are right not to feel comfortable making things up. Even if you land the job you will still need to be able to do what’s required for it. Plus, I think it’s better to have a clean conscience at the end of the night. You sleep well and will be satisfied when you do a good job (the best you have to give). Satisfied and full and happy. That’s just what I believe.
Now, from everything I’ve seen and heard so far the web development / programming business is full of opportunities and is expected to continue that way. They say there is a lack of available talent to fill the positions. And it pays very well. So there’s a good chance you can get your foot in the door somewhere if you apply yourself and put the effort in to learn it.
Computer programming is not the easiest thing in the world to learn but it is very doable if you want to learn it. It takes a different way of thinking about things and you have to get used to it - but I think it’s very satisfying. Very!
That being said, there are a wide variety of jobs in the computer science industry. There are designers “UI or UX” designer (stands for “User Interface” or “User Experience” designer). They work more in the artsy side of things making mock ups, wireframes, and design images and sometimes document things like user stories or use cases, etc. ( UML is interesting too but I’m not sure how widely adopted it is ). Then there is the software engineering side of things too.
In larger companies software engineering can be more concerned with how code is put together to make the program function properly, do everything it’s supposed to, and be maintainable and expandable ( they call this “extensible” ) for the future life of the program.
There’s even project management which has to do with interacting with people, making sure they have what they need and are on track with what supposed to be happening (“scope”) - among other things. Project management can be more involved with human interaction and relationship but it also has a lot to do with managing resources.
Then there’s some peripheral needs for things like documentation and testing and tech support. Documentation is always seriously seriously needed in most projects. If you’re a good technical writer and can make wiki pages or manuals or tutorials they’ll love you! There’s a need for testers - especially in large enough projects. Testers are people who basically try to break stuff in order to find problems with the program. Testing can be done by using code to test the program’s code or it can be done by running / using the program and doing unusual / unexpected things to it.
There’s technical assistance with some companies (helping people solve their problems using the software). And don’t forget “PEN” testing which is trying to break the network or break into stuff (yes there are PEN testers’ who are good guys and get paid a ton of money to do what they do and report the problems to the companies they work for). PEN testers are like modern day crackers (but some folks call them “hackers” now days).
Of course it’s important to be at peace with relatives and those who are close to you. But at the end of the day you are the one who will have to live with yourself, with the decisions you make, and with the direction you go in life. You should always follow your heart in everything you do and let your conscience guide you. If you do that you stand a real good chance of having a satisfying life and being a blessing to others.
Everything in life comes at a price, but nothing it too hard if it’s something you love. Some of the best advice I’ve gotten in my life is to get experience (and income) by working and to go ahead and explore other things at the same time.
A wise man once said - “don’t despise small beginnings”. There’s nothing wrong with working a regular job, keeping good relationships, and expanding your horizons. When something really hits the spot in your life you’ll know. You’ll love it, want to do it all the time; and, because of that, you’ll do well at it.
Of course, all of this is just my humble opinion, but it’s what i’ve learned. I do hope you will do very well in life and I will be praying for you (yes praying).
Hope this helps
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Translation: “I have no good advice to give you,” and/or “I now realize that the advice I gave you in the first place was bad advice, but instead of admitting it, I’m making stuff up.”
It seems you are learning what I did, like I did, the hard way. That is most of the well intentioned advice you receive from interested parties, is stupid and bad advice. (No need to point out the obvious, but the advice you received from dear FIL is very stupid!) In addition you are treading in dangerous waters mixing in-laws with personal and career matters. You would do well to separate yourself from your in-laws as much as possible, especially when it comes to personal and career decisions. Because when something goes wrong, you are opening yourself up to major criticism and a world of hurt. Not to mention placing your significant other in a position of choosing sides. So give yourself some breathing room and like jfines said, follow your heart.
The question I would ask myself, Is it worth getting into $15,000 - $20,000+ in debt to learn the same things (and in some cases learn less in bootcamp ) I could for for free? Plus is taking the risk you may not make it through because of the insanely fast pace some of these camps go at worth it? Are they worth it for some people? Sure, but from my personal research the vast majority of people either don’t graduate or they don’t end up getting jobs.
The end goal here is to increase your income while doing something you enjoy. Taking a big chunk of debt onboard doesn’t help the money equation. On the other hand working a job and learning in your spare time doing FFC is a win-win from my perspective. Of course you are the one that ultimately has to make these decisions and go for what is right for you. Keep us posted!
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Thank you so much for your advices @jfines! I’m 25 yrs old btw.
I’m in family situation that it would be easier for me to have a job that I can work remotely or freelance in the future. I think doing web development can fulfil it.
I will apply for some jobs for now because I need to step myself out to the world. Whenever I learn something new, I will add to my resume and see if I get any responses.
Thank you again 
Thanks a lot for your advices @JTiberiusH!!!
I agree that I was too naive from the begining. When I came to America, I didn’t know anyone. The only people I could talk to were my husband and his parents. I’m from a third-world country and I was completely lost here. My degree from my country is useless and I don’t like what I studied in college anyway.
I thought my FIL could help me because he is making good money with his DBA job and he said it’s easy but I forgot one thing that 30 years ago everything was different. At his time, it’s very easy to get an IT job because not many people were into it. He still has that thought. I made a mistake that I believed and depended too much on him.
Now I know what I want to do and I will follow it. And you are right about the bootcamps that will leave me in debt. I believe if I put my efforts into my study, I don’t need the bootcamps.
I will try to find some jobs now because I’ve wasted a whole year being lost and didn’t do anything. Do you suggest any job titles that are more beginner levels than jr developer that I can put my feet into the field and learn from there?
Thank you again