Can programmers survive...

I'm a computer science major and I'm currently working as a vb programmer(just began to use vb about a month ago). I heard from my co-employees that programmers won't make as much money as what other people expect them to make. I heard usually programmers get around 15 to 20 dollars an hour... I'm starting to get worried cuz like many of you, I wanted to be a programmer not just to make programs, although it's pretty fun running your programs after you make them, but to make some DOLLARS. How much DOES a decent programmer make an hour or a year...? sorry folks about 15 20 a month... hahaha

[Edited by xstopx81 on 08-03-2000 at 07:34 PM]

20 US dollars a month? ***?

Here in the UK, a junior software engineer with a little basic experience (not necessarily a degree) will start on about 10 - 14 thousand pounds sterling a year. Or roughly £1000 a month.

The best salaries I see in job adverts are offered for C++/Java programmers, and a standard programmer in that area can earn around 35k per year, more for lead programmers. If you're a consultant or a subcontractor you can make 50k a year.

There is plenty of money in the IT industry at the moment, I can assure you. It's not a bad salary for a job where you sit and type and drink coffee all day ;)

I totally agree with Harry, strangley enough. I, myself have justed as a junior programmer after only having an A-Level in Computing (no-where near a degree) and i am on 12k a year with a payrise in oct and again in apr. i've only been using computer for about 4 years. I mean, I started lerning about computers four years about (I didn't even know what RAM was then) $15 - $20 a month are you sure you don't mean $1500 - $2000 a month because if you don't you are being ripped off. Do you go into to the office and bend over or something. Or did you get the job from the company on the hill with the big front window and a telescope (THEY SAW YOU COMING!!!) ; ^ )

In america right now even $1500 - $2000 would be a bad deal. I just finished my Junior year of college and am working as an intern and I make more than that. You can do quite well in the computer field if you are good at what you do.

Cthulhu Dragon

I think he means 15-20 dollars an hour. I think 4k-5k is the average in America right now.

HarryW

*** means What The *uck right?

Yep. Try some of these if you get bored:

BRT
BTW
OMW
OMG

bonus points for:
RYFBO
KYFTI

U Su>< nU|3iE!!! i |2oX U!!!!!!

If you got that last one, then you play too many online games ;)

I Took some a vb classes in my local college..and i have a good amount of vb experience myself.
Now i know i wont get the senior postion anywhere..but i just would like to know.
WHERE IN THE HELL!!!, would i start too look for a job in programming in vb? what kind of companies are looking for a
somewhat intermediate programmer in vb?
I just dont have a clue where to start.

RYFBO is Rip Your F**king Bol**cks Off
KYFTI is Kick Your F**king Teeth In

You Sux Newbies I Rox U!!!

i wonder how know these hmmm Harry hehe : ^ )

Hey! You spoilt it! ;)

Well there's still some easy ones left I suppose.

Ok in oz you get approx $55 an hour contract or approx 100k if your a senior developer. It goes down from there, but the junior we hired (he's a yank so thats a lot of fun), is on about 30k with a pay rise coming in December.

We pay bonuses at the end of financial year (July) as well, dependant on profitability etc.

Sophtware

Where you at? Check your local papers for jobs, if in US get a copy of Visual Basic Programmers Journal, they list job agencies etc specialising in vb.

Good idea is to get something besides vb to top up your skills. Maybe XML or Java or something. We generally don't employ anyone who just has vb, because there are some really bad vb programmers out there, (who learnt from 21 Days etc), it's an easy language to start but takes years to get good at.

Hope that helps

I live in Los angeles california...thats the west coast part of the u.s. i was just curios as to what kind of companies hire programmers... i have a friend and she works for a automobile club and she is a programmer for them (vb of course) so i wanted a idea of what companies hire vb programmers.I Didnt think it would be too hard to get some kind of job using vb cause where i live...being the big city that it is...there aint too many places that are involved manliy with puters.



See ya:)

Jethro

Which state are you talking about $55 / hour???


I'm in Adelaide which as we all know is a lot lower than most other states in Australia and I am on $55-$60 / hour

I keep turning down contracts in Melbourne and Sydney at $80/hr because it isn't worth the overhead in paying so much for living there to be worth it.

Not bad Dude.....l think the guy was indicating vb only, not additional skills. Have even seen some COBOL contracts floating around for $90...

Sophtware

Don't restrict yourself to IT companies. Most medium to large companies have IT departments, you just have to verify they use vb. You may even, heavan forbid, have to learn a language other than vb. Don't worry at an entry level a company will train you in a new language.

Jethro... you might have found some contracts for COBOL programmers at that price Pre-Y2K and there could still be some floating around Post-GST but after that the poor sods are going to hit rock bottom because nothing else is on the horizon until 2047 :)

http://www.computerjobs.com (check out the salaries. Sometimes I really like them)

If you are asked to learn another language, and you think it will be useful to you, then jump at the opportunity, because you really need breadth of knowledge nowadays.

i agree with harry

Just thought I'd add my say, I am no way near anything like an expert (though I like to think I am), but I do get lots of industry / techie newspapers & mags.

With VB in England, programming adds advertise from 16,000 to 70,000 (although ones like that I have only seen 3 times). The average being 30,000 - 35,000.

I'm talking per year here incase you havn't guessed, cannot be bothered at the moment to work out per hour!

I was looking in my local newspaper for programming jobs and all i could find was jobs that wanted programmers that have 2+ years experience...where are all these entry level jobs that i hear about that hire programmers to teach?

Are these jobs only for the selected bunch of people that go through college and dont learn programming..only the basics?? If so that sucks.


.PS i actually found ONE software developer that had entry level postions open for Visual Basic, so i sent a resume in
yesterday and then i heard the same day over the news that in the SAME city that i sent the resume to ..there was a shooting/suicdie at a software developer!! haha

It was over some stupid argument and one guy shot the other one through the mouth and then shot himself...

Knowing my luck..the one that got shot in the mouth was probably the person that was looking my resume over and said "Well hire him"
Then the other guy comes up and shots him! lol........knowing my luck.:)




See ya.

A one off reply perhaps, as I'm too busy working to spend much time on notice boards. Anyway, I'm not quite sure which dollars people are talking about at times but as a contractor in the UK for some years now, you might like to know that I don't get out of bed for less than £80-100K per year. Yeah it's not enough I know.

As for who's using what, well its COM+, XML/XML Path/XML Schema/XML Forms/XML Link/XML...ya da, ya da, ya da... all the way. Thats where the money is anyway.

well, i found out that now at nineteen with only an A-Level in computing. and i will be earning 15K i had only learnt to program in VB and they took me on to teach me up.

they are going to teach me java and C++ and i have learnt about networks and seven kindsa ****.