Can I still get a software job?

RolloofJupiter

I'm 23 years old and want to major in Computer Science. I want to work as a software engineer one day, but the issue is t[FONT=&quot]wo years ago I got arrested for a misdemeanor, but I wasn't convicted of it and it later was expunged. What are my chances of being a software engineer?[/FONT]

dennis_linux

Supply and Demand = Real GOOD IF a government security clearance is NOT needed for the position. And MOST positions are not government related. Also, laws are being changed as we "speak".

Chin up, all is NEVER lost ...

paul78

It really shouldn't be a problem. You shouldn't worry about it. Just do well in school. Good luck.

RolloofJupiter

dennis_linux wrote: »

Supply and Demand = Real GOOD IF a government security clearance is NOT needed for the position. And MOST positions are not government related. Also, laws are being changed as we "speak".

Chin up, all is NEVER lost ...

What do you mean laws are changing?

RolloofJupiter

I just wanna know if I can be a software engineer in general and could care less about working for a huge company.

paul78

RolloofJupiter wrote: »

I just wanna know if I can be a software engineer in general and could care less about working for a huge company.

It's generally not the size of the company. It's what the company does as a business. And it also depends on the state that you are applying for the job. And also the country. And what you were arrested for. There are a few factors that go into it.

But as previously stated - you can be a software engineer in general.

RolloofJupiter

paul78 wrote: »

It's generally not the size of the company. It's what the company does as a business. And it also depends on the state that you are applying for the job. And also the country. And what you were arrested for. There are a few factors that go into it.

But as previously stated - you can be a software engineer in general.

Honestly I don't believe that.

paul78

RolloofJupiter wrote: »

Honestly I don't believe that.

Just curious - based on what experience do you say that? If you are in the US - the EEOC guidelines are pretty clear. And if you are in the EU, GDPR and most privacy law would protect you.

RolloofJupiter

I'm in the US, but in all honesty I truly believe I can't get a software job now because of this.

RolloofJupiter

So I pretty much have to settle for less now?

paul78

RolloofJupiter wrote: »

I'm in the US, but in all honesty I truly believe I can't get a software job now because of this.

You were arrested for a misdemeanor and you were not convicted. Eleven states including California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, etc. currently have ban-the-box laws which prevent potential employers from asking about a criminal record. Other states have similar legislature in-flight. Many background check policies care about convictions.

EEOC guidelines are very clear about companies applying disqualification policies solely based on an arrest or conviction. For example, you can't disqualify someone if the offense is not related to the job role. I.e. drug possession conviction is not a disqualifying reason for a software engineer or tech position.

I have been in tech management for more than 25 years, and in that time, I have hired individuals who have been convicted for misdemeanors and felonies in IT and software engineering roles.

If you truly want to go to school to become a software engineer, do not make the fact that you have been arrested as an excuse not to pursue your goal.

Jon_Cisco

This conversation does not appear to be going in the right direction but I'll chime in anyway.

At 21 years old you made a mistake. We all must learn from our mistakes it's part of growing up. If you don't feel you can go to college get a degree and get a job then you probably won't. Just know that was your choice based on your own self doubt.

Programming is going to be important in almost every career in the future. If you are good at it and that's what you want to do then go make it happen.

RolloofJupiter

Jon_Cisco wrote: »

This conversation does not appear to be going in the right direction but I'll chime in anyway.

At 21 years old you made a mistake. We all must learn from our mistakes it's part of growing up. If you don't feel you can go to college get a degree and get a job then you probably won't. Just know that was your choice based on your own self doubt.

Programming is going to be important in almost every career in the future. If you are good at it and that's what you want to do then go make it happen.

All I'm going to say to that is I can get a degree and be the top of my class all I want, but either way all I'm good for now is nothing.

paul78

RolloofJupiter wrote: »

All I'm going to say to that is I can get a degree and be the top of my class all I want, but either way all I'm good for now is nothing.

I'll give you the benefit of doubt that you aren't simply trolling.

Perhaps you ought to consider seeking some counseling. You sound like someone with low self-esteem challenges. I see that you posted a similar thread in another forum 2 years ago. And I see that you also were seeking to move to Canada. I'm sorry that your viewpoint has not changed in 2 years.

Good luck to you. And I hope you are able to get past this.

RolloofJupiter

paul78 wrote: »

I'll give you the benefit of doubt that you aren't simply trolling.

Perhaps you ought to consider seeking some counseling. You sound like someone with low self-esteem challenges. I see that you posted a similar thread in another forum 2 years ago. And I see that you also were seeking to move to Canada. I'm sorry that your viewpoint has not changed in 2 years.

Good luck to you. And I hope you are able to get past this.

If you want to think I'm trolling then think that way. Other than that what benefit would I get from going to counseling? My life is nothing now point blank period.

EANx

You're obsessing. No one's life is over at 23 because of an arrest for a misdemeanor. If you can't handle a hiccup now, how will you handle the big hurdles life throws at you?

RolloofJupiter

EANx wrote: »

You're obsessing. No one's life is over at 23 because of an arrest for a misdemeanor. If you can't handle a hiccup now, how will you handle the big hurdles life throws at you?

I've been through big hurdles already and I'm not gonna sit up here and act like I was the happiest person on the planet before that happen. I atleast wanted to have a decent life, but as I said my life is nothing so am I.

DZA_

RolloofJupiter wrote: »

I've been through big hurdles already and I'm not gonna sit up here and act like I was the happiest person on the planet before that happen. I atleast wanted to have a decent life, but as I said my life is nothing so am I.

The folks on the board are giving you genuine life advice to help you get on the right track. You asked a question, you got a handful of positive responses. While you can sulk about your past, obviously there are people here that are providing positive criticism. Either you can fix your life decisions or be consumed by self pity. You have long ways to go to make a better future in IT if you plan on continuing with it. There are always people in worst situations that turned a bad outcome into a good one.

iBrokeIT

RolloofJupiter wrote: »

If you want to think I'm trolling then think that way. Other than that what benefit would I get from going to counseling? My life is nothing now point blank period.

People think you are trolling because paul gave you a well reasoned argument not to worry and backed it up by citing the law from a few states. Despite that, you continue to hold your belief while giving no reason for it which is why people recommended counseling. If you were expecting us to hold a pity party for you, this isn't the place.

P.S. I have plead no contest to a misdemeanor and work for a F500.

RolloofJupiter

DZA_ said:

RolloofJupiter wrote: »

I've been through big hurdles already and I'm not gonna sit up here and act like I was the happiest person on the planet before that happen. I atleast wanted to have a decent life, but as I said my life is nothing so am I.

The folks on the board are giving you genuine life advice to help you get on the right track. You asked a question, you got a handful of positive responses. While you can sulk about your past, obviously there are people here that are providing positive criticism. Either you can fix your life decisions or be consumed by self pity. You have long ways to go to make a better future in IT if you plan on continuing with it. There are always people in worst situations that turned a bad outcome into a good one.

And how did they turn bad outcome into a good one exactly? Bagging groceries for the rest of your life isn't turning a bad outcome into a good one if I remember correctly. 

pHumphrey

This is not that field where the rumors and personal background really matters. Just study hard and work hard - you will get some rejects for sure, but that doesn't mean you won't get a decent offer

DZA_

Well to Paul78's point that there individuals who he hired that were convicted for misdemeanors and felonies in IT, point proven for being in a bad outcome and turning it around. Who said that you had to bag groceries for the rest of your life? Its only up you on how you want to make your future choices, no one is going to force you. 

AvgITGeek

Self fulfilling prophecy. OP snap out of it and get busy living. How many people need to tell you this? I think you'll find people are done with this after reading this topic. You don't appear to want to accept the advice given. We've offered advice and now it is up to you to do what you need to do. Good luck and may god have mercy on your soul.

N7Valiant

No idea why this is bothering you.

Instead of assuming it's something that's going to get in the way, perhaps you should stop assuming and just start applying for entry-level positions until a potential employer decides to ask you about that misdemeanor that you were never convicted of (and by law, you were not proven guilty of).


I did wonder for the longest time whether having spent 8 years of my life in retail and then starting to apply for IT at 30 if it was a life decision that was going to come back and bite me.  But as it turns out, I got the job and I've proved myself more than capable of keeping up with my peers who started their IT careers earlier in life.

Nobody knows if you'll land that software job or when.  But I think what we can all say for certain is that if you're not even going to make an effort to try, then your odds are exactly 0%.  I'm terrible at baseball and in sports in general.  I'd peg my odds of hitting a baseball at around 5% or less.  If I don't swing that bat at all, my odds are 0%.  If I never stop swinging that bat, then I will absolutely hit the baseball at some point.  It just might not happen as quickly or as often as I would like.

Now I've started my IT career at 30, some started even later.  I love the work I'm doing, I'm looking forward to climbing that ladder even more and doing more things with automation.  Now I suppose my question to you is whether or not that interest in being a software engineer is something you feel you would enjoy?  Is it worth taking the long road to get to it?  Are you in some kind of a rush?

Programming can be frustrating.  You will spend countless hours, days, weeks, or even months searching through your code for that one little line (or semi-colon) that broke your entire program.  You kind of have to get used to being constantly faced with failure and yet diving back at it for a resolution.  That is our bread and butter.

N7Valiant

Let's do math!

I suck at baseball, and well, any sport really.  Not uncommon for a typical geek.  I'd peg my chances at hitting a baseball to be about 1-3% a swing.

Now if I put down the baseball bat and decide not to ever play baseball again, my odds of hitting a baseball with that bat is exactly 0%.

But if say, I spent every hour of free time I have swinging away for the next 365 days, odds are, I'm going to hit the baseball at some point.


If you won't expend the least bit of effort in achieving your goals, you will surely fail.  But if you put time and effort into it, you might just succeed.  There are certain nuances to life and reality.  For instance, it would be pretty dim to assume that if I swung at a baseball for countless hours that I would never get any better at it.  Presumably my batting average can rise to the lofty odds of 5% a swing.  Never going to improve if I don't at least put in the effort to do it though.

yoba222

If you want to be a software engineer, start doing what it is that you think software engineers do. What programming language are you working on right now? 

RolloofJupiter

Not too long ago I started learning C# after listening to other people saying how C++ has become bastardized or in other words obsolete. 

RolloofJupiter

Honestly I'm thinking about just doing an actual engineering degree and do cs as a minor, but that's a different story I guess. 

yoba222

Coding in general can be a lot like being a musician. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter so much on how much you've studied music history and singing techniques, but instead on how good you can perform.