Now What

So here I am about to graduate from West Chester University with a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science. I am also on the job hunt as my internship with QVC is about to end. So where do I go from here… 

Well that’s a good question. I am sending out my resume to any positions I feel qualified and interested in. I have been focusing on software or web development and would love to get a government position or something in security or defense. These of course would be leaning towards ideal positions, but in these times beggars can’t be choosers as the saying goes. So far I have sent my resume to 7 different companies the past 2 weeks and have heard back from one.

So what am I doing to help myself get a job? Another good question and one that I have considered extensively. For starters I wanted to be sure that my resume was up to par. I have had it reviewed by professionals and made sure that I have many activities to include. My resume is rather strong with a strong education (GPA), significant list of skills, independent work, internships, tutoring experience, and awards. In fact there were enough things to list that I can easily go over one full page, so that I have to selectively choose what portions to include to which job applications. 

I know that just a list of my qualifications may not be enough to lift me over the other candidates though and so I am still pursuing some independent work. For starters my work with game development has allowed me to add C# to my list of skills as well as provide with a demonstrable product (well almost there!). I also am creating my own website to showcase some of my abilities and design methods. It also is a great place to host any demo projects that I may have created in C++, Java, or XNA (C#). 

My other pursuit is in the mobile development field. I feel that this field will be growing very large, and in fact has already started. I feel that ultimately with the expanding use of smart phones and netbooks, the call for programmers able to work with mobile devices will increase as well. So I am interested in developing for the Blackberry (since I need MacOSX for iPhone). As well as possibly learning to develop for Android. Though Android still has yet to really take off, the experience of learning at least two different methods of mobile development will be beneficial to me. And of course this can add to my list of demos! 

My list of current/short term projects: 

-          Finish a polished pong game

-          Create a Tetris clone

-          Create my first original idea game (already have some design done)

-          Learn to program in python

-          Learn to develop for the blackberry