| April 2006 |
| By Phoenix Malizia |
I am a software analyst for a small company that develops custom software under Department of Defense contract, mostly for the U.S. Navy; for the most part, our applications are related to tracking, radar, and search-and-rescue. The work is very interesting and challenging, as we are constantly developing, testing, and implementing new algorithms for making our programs more efficient.
As with any type of software development, a pretty interface means nothing if the underlying principles are faulty. All of our computer programmers have a solid mathematics background, and most had at least a mathematics minor at the undergraduate level; similarly, all of our mathematicians have a solid computer science background as well. A B.S. in Computer Science or Mathematics is a minimum requirement for working here, though we do make exceptions based on equivalent industry experience.
Skills with object-oriented languages are vital for working here: I compile my C++ programs with gcc and debug them with gvd under the Suse Linux 9.2 OS, and other newer projects are being implemented in Java on Windows boxes. However, since we are a DoD contractor, much of our code is legacy C, Ada, and Fortran-77, and thus our programmers are expected to have at least some working knowledge of those older languages as well.
Mathematics are a key aspect of the work we do, and any employee with less than the equivalent of a college-level math education could not succeed here. The specific mathematic skills I have had to employ here do include high school topics such as algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, but also include college topics such as statistics, calculus, differential equations, matrix algebra, vector calculus, and numerical methods.
We are expected to be self-starters, correcting and improving our work without direct intervention by management. Senior employees are available to assist us as needed, but we are expected not to be afraid to open a book or use an Internet search engine to enhance our knowledge in areas applicable to our work. Lifelong learning goes hand-in-hand with any technical career.
Our office area is professional, but in a relaxed way. We are all on a first-name basis, even with the president of the company. The employees are expected to dress neatly, but no specific dress code is enforced. Hours are flexible, though each employee is expected to try to ensure that the bulk of his or her hours tend to be in the 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. range. We have a 401k plan, stock options, and medical and dental plans. The company sponsors a couple of parties per year, and gives very nice Christmas bonuses. Additionally, once an employee has been with the company a year or more, the company will contribute significantly toward graduate-level college courses, in the event that the employee wants to continue his or her education.
All of our employees must obtain Secret-level security clearances from the government in order to remain employed here in the long-term. Thus, it is absolutely vital that a person pursuing this line of work stay away from drugs, not abuse alcohol, maintain a good credit history, and avoid criminal behavior.
A person wanting to be a Software Analyst, and work for a company such as mine, would be well-advised to finish a B.S. in Computer Science, and to take additional elective math courses. If you're hoping to have a job by the time you graduate, you need to get your resume out there a year or more before graduation, and not to shy away from internship opportunities as well.
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