I\'m a computer science student in my last year, and I want to get a job, but ha

Question

I'm a computer science student in my last year, and I want to get a job, but have difficulties finding one in my city where I can use what I already know pretty well. There is a company which does PHP/web that insists to work for them, and it is tempting, because pay would be good (for someone who is still a student) and the working conditions are great; the problem is that in no way I want a career in web developement, because I love low-level programming (C++, C, a bit of C# and Python - for my thesis I'm working on a complete C compiler with optimizations - I will make it open source later this year). This job would be only until I graduate and find something I like.

Now the question: could taking this job reduce my chances in being accepted on a job where low-level things are done? I think it might, because the interviewer could say something like "Well, if you pretend to know so much low-level stuff, why did you choose a job where you're doing the complete opposite?"

Here PHP is considered by many a language used by novice programmers (I know it's not entirely true) and I fear it doesn't give a good impression to claim I have deep knowledge of low-level stuff while having a PHP job (and the only one) listed on my CV.

Explanation / Answer

I'd say it depends: Would you work as part time in that PHP job and would it slow down your last studying year? Or do you think about taking that job once you're finished with your studies?

My suggestion is: Think about what your main goals are.

If getting job experience, working in a team and looking beyond your low-level programming horizon are amongst them: go for it. If someone asks you in a future job application why you took this job, you can tell them the just mentioned reasons.
Otherwise, i.e. if you are really certain that low-level programming is by far the most important thing you want to learn, look for other possibilities, e.g.
finishing your studies more quickly and then look for a suitable fulltime job. If you need money now, maybe federal student support or scholarship is a solution for you.
ask your thesis supervisor whether he has a student assistant job for you. You'd probably get paid much less than in industry, but also consider how worthy the appropriate experience is.
take the initiative and ask corporations who are closer to your field. My experience is that unsolicited applications have a quite high chance, and initiative from your side looks really good, too. Since many firms are doing their budget plans right now, the timing would be good, too.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse I
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.