軟件工程師提升自我修養的2要3不要

Great software engineers are hard to find, let alone hire and keep.

優秀的軟件工程師很難找，更不要說聘用和留住他們了。

Which is why more people than ever are trying to become one. The average annual salary for Google (GOOG) software engineers, for instance, now hovers around $145, 000 and skyrockets to as much as $550, 000, according to job site Glassdoor.

難怪越來越多的人拼了命想成爲軟件工程師。招聘網站Glassdoor的數據顯示，谷歌（Google）軟件工程師的平均年薪保持在145,000美元上下，但也有550,000美元的天價。

But training to be a software engineer and snagging a high-profile, high-paying position afterwards isn't simple or easy, even for some computer science grads from top-tier schools. Zach Sims, co-founder of the education startup Codeacademy, and Matt Mickiewicz, co-founder of tech job recruiting site , offer several do's and don'ts for landing a plum role in Silicon Valley.

但經過培訓成爲軟件工程師、拿下知名高薪職位，就算對一些名校計算機科學專業的畢業生來說也絕對不是一件容易的事。教育初創公司Codeacademy的聯合創始人扎克•西姆斯和科技業招聘網站的聯合創始人馬特•密茨凱維奇就如何在硅谷獲得高薪工作提出了幾點建議。

Don't: Just take courses.

不要只學習課程。

Build something, like a website or an iPhone app. "If you're just taking a class, it becomes much more about fulfilling the requirements for a class, but if it's about what you want to build, you're constantly being reinforced by seeing the actual manifestations of what you're learning, " says Sims. Plus, many potential employers will want to see a portfolio of real-world work demonstrating what you can really do.

動手做點什麼，比方說一個網站或iPhone應用程序。西姆斯說：“如果只上課，更多地是滿足課程要求。但如果是你想做點什麼，你就會不斷地應用學到的東西，得到成長。”而且，很多潛在僱主也希望能看到一些現實的作品，瞭解你真正能做些什麼。

Do: Study data structures and algorithms.

要學習數據結構和算法。

Both are computer science fundamentals, and both make up a large part of the interview process with companies, explains Mickiewicz. It's possible for people to build some applications and write a lot of code without having a deep understanding of data structures and algorithms -- and some do -- but that lack of basic understanding is something potential employers will suss out quickly.

密茨凱維奇解釋說，兩者都是計算機科學的基礎，在公司面試中佔比很大。有些人可能會編應用程序，寫很多代碼，但對數據結構和算法沒有深入的理解。潛在僱主很快就會發現基礎理解的缺失。

Don't: Do it just because.

不要有理由才做。

Understand what you're getting yourself into, and make sure it's for the right reasons. "You can kind of dip your toes in and figure out whether this is something you're really interested in before committing whole-hog, " says Sims. He also points out that it's unrealistic to assume you'll get a job at a top company that pays $120, 000 a year. "Not everyone works at Google. Not everyone works at a startup."

搞清楚你要做的是什麼，確保有合理的原因。“可以嘗試一下，搞明白這些是不是你真正感興趣的，之後再全身心投入，”西姆斯說。他還指出，想當然地以爲未來能夠獲得一線公司年薪120,000美元的工作機會也是不現實的。“不是每個人都在谷歌工作。也不是每個人都在初創公司工作。”

Also, don't: Think you can fly solo.

不要以爲自己可以唱獨角戲。

Contrary to popular belief, coding isn't always a solo activity conducted from one's college dorm room. (Though of course, it can be.) More often, it's a collaborative process with others, who may for instance, help you figure out what to learn, troubleshoot your code or build on top of it.

與普遍觀點相反，編寫代碼不總是大學宿舍裏的單打獨鬥。（當然，可以是這樣。）更爲常見的情況是，這是一項與其他人協作的過程。別人可以幫助你指出該學什麼，找出你代碼中的錯誤，還可以根據你的代碼繼續推進。

But do: Form habits.

要養成習慣。

"We see a lot of learners say, 'I'll do 15 minutes a day, ' sticking to that and actually doing it, " explains Sims. Indeed, this piecemeal approach is more realistic than swearing you'll learn how to build a website in two weeks. To borrow the old adage: It's a marathon, folks, not a sprint.

“我看到很多學員說，我會每天學15分鐘，”堅持做下去，”西姆斯解釋說。實際上，這種看似零散的方式比發誓你將在兩週內學習如何建一個網站更加現實。借用一句古諺：這是一場馬拉松，不是百米衝刺。