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Ask Slashdot: Scientific Research Positions For Programmers?
An anonymous reader writes "I recently (within the past couple years) graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in Computer Science and currently work as a programmer for a large software consulting firm. However, I've become gradually disillusioned with the financial-obsession of the business world and would like to work for the overall betterment of humanity instead. With that in mind, I'm looking to shift my career more toward the scientific research side of things. My interest in computer science always stemmed more from a desire to use it toward a fascinating end — such as modeling or analyzing scientific data — than from a love of business or programming itself. My background is mostly Java, with some experience in C++ and a little C. I have worked extensively with software analyzing big data for clients. My sole research experience comes from developing data analysis software for a geologic research project for a group of grad students; I was a volunteer but have co-authorship on their paper, which is pending publication. Is it realistic to be looking for a position as a programmer at a research institution with my current skills and experiences? Do such jobs even exist for non-graduate students? I'm willing to go to grad school (probably for geology) if necessary. Grad school aside, what specific technologies should I learn in order to gain an edge? Although if I went back to school I'd focus on geology, I'm otherwise open to working as a programmer for any researchers in the natural sciences who will take me."
I work for a national research organization ( small country, higher-income part of Europe ). It is different here:
* Research staff and non-research staff, here, too ( non-research = secretaries, lawyers... )
* All software engineers are research staff
* You must not have a PhD, although it helps
* Software engineers can lead in research, especially in our dept., which focuses on networks, security and some types and aspects of software / programming
* Direct connections to the good of mankind are not so rare. One of the specializations of this institute is environment; another one is crisis and disaster management
* Most projects are, indeed, rather small. 2 - max. 5 people for about 1 - 2 years is the standard
* You will mostly produce demonstrators / alphas. You will never produce software above TRL 6, for sure.
* I second the part about financial obsession
* It is NOT the same as working with Google, IBM, et al.: it is more laid-back here, you can actually take time to think, and although mgmt. is generally as stupid and incompetent as elsewhere, there is not as high a pressure upon programmers as elsewhere.
Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
How exactly do you mean direct access to academia?
You won't be able to bypass the traditional academic route, but from some of these positions you will be able to publish, and you might be involved in the interesting parts of planning. At the very least, this all will be very helpful if you do at some point want to enter a graduate program. (Or, conversely, it might be very helpful in giving you enough familiarity with the territory that you know you really don't want to enter a graduate program, ever.)