What programming language is used for SB?

[Ssnake]

I suppose you could try to compose a career-oriented portfolio. But the question is if that will bring you the biggest job satisfaction. I think you'll be spending too much time with programming to work on projects that you don't like (and if you purely concentrate on resume projects that might maximize your income but do not interest you the least, you might end up being hired for projects of a similar kind).
From what I heard, programming is a bit like an art. You get good in it only through practice, practice, and more practice - and you'll develop a sense for what you WANT to do while you do it and through doing it. There are so many areas where programs are being used - embedded software, database programming, web pages, computer games, numeric methods in scientific applications, cryptography and cryptanalysis, ... There is no "one size fits all" answer.

The good thing is, you do not necessarily need an internship. You can simply write a program of your own, and that program itself will then be your reference that you could put up on your personal web page. It could be an App for a smartphone, or a small browser game, or ... endless possibilities.

Often great solutions will come from restrictions however. Try to write a functioning piece of code with an arbitrary limit on code lines. Make a game that will accept only one mouse button or a hotkey as an input. Make a program with only sound output, no screen messages. Something like that. It does't really matter what kind of restriction you put on yourself. It's just that "endless possibilities" are often a major obstacle to one's own creativity.

[SeanPatrick]

Originally Posted by Tonywjones44

I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK...

I knew there was something funny about you..

[Homer]

Originally Posted by Scrapper_511

I'd like to get a headstart in buildling my resume' and portfolio. Are internships in this field common? What skills should I focus on as a programmer? How do I make myself "talented" in this regard

Advice from Peter Norvig

[tarball]

Originally Posted by Homer

Advice from Peter Norvig

Homer, that is one of my favorite articles and I share it with my own programming students every semester. A must read.

[tarball]

Originally Posted by Scrapper_511

Thank you all for the feedback!

I'd like to get a headstart in buildling my resume' and portfolio. Are internships in this field common? What skills should I focus on as a programmer? How do I make myself "talented" in this regard?

Thanks in advance...!

In addition to the other good advice you've received, see if you can get on with an open-source project.

[Scrapper_511]

Thank you, thank you, thank you all very much for all the wisdom you have provided me here! Feedback from experienced programmers and professors are particularly inspiring.

[Homer]

Originally Posted by tarball

Homer, that is one of my favorite articles and I share it with my own programming students every semester. A must read.

[LtGeorge]

Originally Posted by Scrapper_511

Thank you all for the feedback!

I'd like to get a headstart in buildling my resume' and portfolio. Are internships in this field common? What skills should I focus on as a programmer? How do I make myself "talented" in this regard?

Thanks in advance...!

I can toss in my thoughts. I design hardware and software for embedded systems, meaning the circuit boards and black boxes found on almost all consumer products these days. I used to be in construction equipment, now avionics. In this field, it is about making things do something through the fusion of hardware and software. I find it very fun.

For getting into the software field, I recommend several things:
1. Learn from pros. Find a company that is known for good software and try to join them. Take your lessons wherever you can.
2. Writing code is just a small part of the skill. Also learn about the methods and madness behind software management, like version control, build control, requirements control, code language and style standards, and some of the team developer techniques like agile. Your ability to write great code is all well and good, but useless if you can't plug into a larger effort.
3. Do code projects for fun, especially if you are trying to break into a new language. I wrote a series of encryption/decryption tools in order to learn Perl.

Generally, when I've interviewed developers, I can find people who I have no doubt can write very intelligent code. However, those who are useful in a team setting - that is more rare. So if the person shows they can work in a structured environment that includes version control, build control, and work in an agile setting, that gets my attention.

Also, don't listen to anybody who says all the jobs are going overseas. There will always be software jobs available where you are, and so long as you stay flexible and provide value to your employer, you'll have no worries.

[Ssnake]

If you pay peanuts, you'll get apes as an employer.
Costs are one thing, productivity and reliability are another. Yeah, one may give certain programming jobs to India - others, not so much. When top performance is required without language barriers, awkward time zone difference, personal visits to the end-user to let him talk about his requirements - IOW custom software rather than a standardized product.

What some hardware-oriented companies still haven't grasped is HOW IMPORTANT (embedded) software is for them, and that it will become only more important in the future, not less. I think that a growth in appreciation is inevitable. Those companies who can't change their corporate culture to learn this lesson will eventually perish.
We haven't peaked in demand for programmers, by far not.