PhD seeks PHP

[Ross McFarlane]

Hi all,

I'm nearing the end of my PhD studies, in which I've been doing some
pretty in-depth development in C, including quite a bit of parallel
work. I'm looking to make the move into software development,
particularly web development, and would appreciate any advice you
could offer.

I would consider myself to be a fairly language agnostic programmer,
with knowledge of C, Java, PHP and Python, and the great Web
triumvirate of HTML, CSS and Javascript. With regard to PHP, I've been
teaching myself through some personal projects and I'd say I'm
competent, but have much more to learn.

As can be expected, there aren't many PHP jobs out there that request
a doctorate, but plenty ask for n years of experience. Have any of you
had any joy in persuading employers to trade experience for education?
Or, indeed, are you or your company on the lookout for a handy
developer with the capacity to solve problems, learn fast and
generally kick ass? If so, I'd love to hear from you.

Feel free to take a look at my CV: http://rossmcf.com/cv.html

Thanks in advance for your help.

Ross

[Chris Graham]

Hey Ross,

As an employer maybe I can give a perspective.

Breadth and depth of knowledge is definitely a plus.

People without phds often still have breadth and depth, and it's about practicality rather than the level you're at, so that would mean to me someone with experience may have some distance ahead of you due to what they've picked up in industry.

At the same time, what you did in the phd is probably hard for the normal employed programmer to pick up and in some cases may have practical value.

In terms of raw ability to learn and solve problems, doing a phd is evidence of your ability to do that which is good, but candidates without it could also have the skills - so it's not a qualification in itself, but more of a reassurance.

So, probably best to seek positions that make use of what you know that non-phds do not know. Look for employers working particularly in theoretical and difficult areas. Companies like Google are the obvious example.

Otherwise you could apply for pretty much any PHP job, just I wouldn't expect to find a salary premium or to slot straight into a very senior role. Think in terms of the relevant value that you as a unique candidate can offer and it's scarcity - that will determine the position and salary.

Regards,

Chris

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Groups "PHPNW" group.
Post to list: ph...@googlegroups.com
Unsubscribe: phpnw-un...@googlegroups.com
Archive: http://groups.google.com/group/phpnw?hl=en

PHPNW Website: http://phpnw.org.uk/
twitter: http://twitter.com/PHPNW
Events: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/group/4709/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/112906/3FCE41597A1B
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17897252075
IRC: #phpnw (irc.freenode.net)

Chris Graham, Managing Director, ocProducts Ltd Experts in dynamic and interactive websites Phone (switchboard): 0114 209 6208 (9am-5pm, UK time)

[Ross McFarlane]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your advice.

From what I've seen, there's a real mixture of views on this.

The most extreme views have, in my experience, tended to come from
recruiters. Some appear to be solely interested in explicitly matching
the details on a CV to those on a job spec, and if it says n years
experience, then that's what must be required for the job. One
recruiter told me last week that he would only consider putting a PhD
graduate in for 'new graduate' or 'no experience required' vacancies.
I know they won't be fully appraised of what's actually needed for the
role, and I'm sure they get moaned at by companies if they let a dud
candidate through, but it's a shame that the first hurdle for many job
applications is a glorified boolean search.

On the other hand, I've encountered a few companies who really are
looking for aptitude over experience. As Joel Spolsky puts it, people
who are 'Smart and Get Things Done'. This makes some sense in the tech
world, as the knowledge that candidates have is likely to be obsolete
in a few years' time. As you say, though, aptitude is a necessary but
not sufficient condition for getting a job done. It's entirely
understandable that employers want to see evidence of success in
previous projects. The difficulties I'm presented with in jobhunting
at the moment are that many companies and recruiters want to see
evidence of success using their particular set of tools and
technologies.

It's difficult for me to generalise about what makes a company likely
to employ an inexperienced but ludicrously overeducated person like a
PhD student. My guess, though, is that it comes down to two things:

- Can the company afford to invest the time and energy bringing the
person up to speed with what's being done (bearing in mind that this
might not take long with a bright candidate)?
- Is the company solving new problems on a day-to-day basis, or do
they just need someone to crank the same widget the same way?

The Googles of the world needn't be the only route for PhD programmers—
I'm sure there are plenty of small web shops around who could benefit
from the programming skills, inquiring mind, and occasional pedantry
of a Computer Science PhD student. I'm happy to say that a some have
contacted me in the last few days—it appears my thinly veiled plea for
work did the trick—so I'm a good deal more hopeful than I was a week
or so ago.

Thanks again for your response.

Ross

[GUY LANCASTER]

Hi Chris

I think there are no hard and fast rules, juts the better your fit to the current job market , and the more actively and variedly you put your self about, the faster you get employed.

So do job agencies, visit it employers with your cv and a good coverletter (saying please keep this on file even if you have nothing now), tap your personal contacts, go to the events at madlab, geekup and  the phpnw group (with a business card pointing to your website), and make sure you have a good web presence, join linked in, register with online sites. And read "What coulor is your parachute" (a general jobsearch book). And do a pretend interview and get some cv professional help (I think manchester city council does this).

Consider self employment and contracting (but be careful to market yourself as employable when appropriate and contractable when appropriate)

And think about the it skills adjacent to yours and do a project/buy a book/do a short course in what you dont know but could pick up.look at job ads to assess what the market is looking for

 Regards,
Guy Lancaster