Help! Need Programmer To Interview Before Tomorrow!

>Name:
Julienne Walker

>Position:
Team Leader

>Company:
I choose not to say.

>1. What are the functions of your industry and profession?
I'm in the field of creating developer tools, specifically compilers, libraries, and the like.

>a. What is your title? how long have you been in this position?
I'm a team leader, and I've been in this position (or a similar position) for about ten years.

>b. How did you become interested in this field?
An unhealthy fascination with data structures.

>c. What are your responsibilities, and what skills
>are particularly useful to you in fulfilling them?
I train, hire, manage a team of developers, and handle senior level programming tasks. People skills and a strong foundation in the business aspects of the field are both extremely helpful.

>d. What is a typical "Chain of command" in this field?
Junior developer -> senior developer -> project leader -> team leader -> manager is a rough description.

>e. How does your organization compare with others in the field?
We're concentrated awesome.

>2. What does your workday consist of? your work year?
Meetings, helping co-workers, and not nearly as much coding as I'd like.

>a. How many hours a week do you work?
40 to 60.

>b. Do you work closely with other people?
Yes.

>c. What are some problems you must face, and decisions you must make?
I have to decide how to prioritize tasks.

>d. What do you find challenging in your work?
The field in general is challenging.

>3. How specialized is your work?
Reasonably specialized, though the fundamental concepts are fairly generic across most fields.

>a. How do most people get started in this field?
I imagine they start by reading and hacking with projects like GCC.

>b. Are any degrees or licenses required to enter this field?
No, though it helps to have a degree focusing on computer science or mathematics.

>c. What academic preparation would you recommend to qualify for this position?
Math is important, seriously. Kids don't believe me, but it is.

>d. How do you keep up with changes occurring in your field?
I'm constantly reading and experimenting with new technologies and trends.

>e. Do you belong to any professional organizations? (Do they have a student chapter?)
I believe the ACM offers student discounts, as does the IEEE. Aside from that, the organizations I'm a part of don't differentiate between students, professionals, and hobbyists.

>4.In your opinion, what is needed for success and fulfillment in this field?
I think the only thing that matters is that you're interested enough in the field to stick with it.

>a. Which skills do you consider important for success in this field?
Learning to visualize the system at both a high and low level is helpful.

>b. What talents and personality traits do you consider to be necessary for this field?
As long as you work well with other people, I don't believe you need to be exceptionally talented or have specific personality traits.

>5. What is the salary range for work in this profession?
It varies greatly depending on where you are. In my experience, the salary and benefits are competitive at the starting level and very generous as you move upward.

>a. Do you represent your organization or profession at social functions after work hours?
Yes.

>b. Are any travel obligations associated with your job?
Not really.

>c. Is relocation a factor in your job?
No.

>d. How is this field affected by economic fluctuations?
There's enough critical mass right now that economic fluctuations don't really affect us.

>7. Is this field growing, with opportunities for employment?
It's a fairly specialized field with established companies. I don't see a great deal of growth, but opportunities are there.

>a. Are "no experience" college graduates employed in this field?
Yes.

>b. What kinds of jobs could be used as entrance into this field?
Pretty much any programming position is a good thing.

>c. Are there other fields on which the same skills might be utilized?
Absolutely.

>d. What was your career path from college to the present?
I didn't go to college, but shortly after high school I pretty much jumped right into a programming job working primarily with operating systems. From there I moved to more of a project leader/consultant position and then finally worked my way into my current job.

>e. Which classes would you recommend i take in the future?
Algorithms and data structures, and every math class you can stomach.

>f. What is the reason most people give when they leave this field?
Stress, probably.

>a. May i use your name?
Sure.