Hi,

My fren now has receiving 2 job offers, he is considering which 1 is the better for him to join (He is a fresh grad). Below are some description about the job.

JOB 1
- PHP programmer
- MNC
- PHP coding in LAMP environment
- hv chance to do user requirement, testing, install, support..

JOB 2
- Java programmer
- MESDAQ company
- Java coding in windows and Unix
- only do coding, without chance to meet user

* both job also located in City Center and offering same salary.

Thanks for your advise.

I'll take Job1 if i were him.

Ya, I also think like that before (since job1 is MNC, but the MNC is Malaysia-based, own by Malaysian, not kuai-lo), but I heard that Java Programmer is more demanding...

This post has been edited by python_king: Jun 13 2006, 09:21 AM

PHP is child play man.... only Java will truly shines in real Enterprise Application

This post has been edited by victor_hoh: Jun 13 2006, 09:20 AM

programming skill is not tat important. important is client relationship if u thinking to open a company in future. for me i will take job 1

For me, I would choose PHP as I found it easier and more flexible than Java. Though Java might be popular demand, but by only coding, it would get your friend too far. For fresh graduates, try to opt for more exposure would be good.

It is not easy for a fresh grad to handle clients, so it will be better for him/her to brush up on the technical skills first.

Remember, ur colleagues/superior is ur inner clients too, so first learn how to deal with them.

PHP cannot get you very far. If you gonna enter enterprise application development, u gotta either master .NET, or Java.

This post has been edited by victor_hoh: Jun 13 2006, 09:28 AM

I'd recommend Java as well, most enterprise apps are either in Java or .Net. You rarely see enterprise apps done with just PHP alone.

I would go for Job 1, technical skills can be brushed up through practice and self learning, but opportunities to brush up ur soft skills can only come from experience and exposure to negotiations and interaction with end user/client side.

Technical stuff come and go as technology moves on, but soft skills remain with u forever.

I dunno what's the extent of your user interaction with job 1, but if it's meeting the client, assisting project manager on the technical discussions, then by all means go for job 1.

I joined my company as fresh and had to follow project manager go meeting, it's like this, there's nothing as handling client is tough for fresh, then u're thrown into the water u'll just have to learn how to swim. I got lucky because there is a senior with me in meeting but sometimes he is not around and I have to take in all the bullets.

Andy, i do agreed with your point. And I'm glad that you have picking up some skills along the way. Hehe. Nevertheless, the auther can keep on seeking for the ideal job if he don't really like both of the jobs above. For me, I will go for negotiation & communication skills.. because you don't want to work as a designer/developer all your life, right ?

Thanks a lot for the advices given.
I think that it's good for a fresh grad to improve his technical skill first, try master in a language / framework. Then only slowly move to SAP or ERP or project management or related fields. Is it will be better? It is because you will have technical skills (after few years as coder) and a bit of soft-skill (communicating with your senior/colleagues) which may help in your career to switch to those project management.

This post has been edited by python_king: Jun 13 2006, 03:03 PM

Assuming both workloads are totally equal,

My opinion is ,
whether he wants to
- Be in a position to learn more (Job1)
- Be in a position to do a good job (produce better end results) (Job2)

Job1 sounds like a good start, as it gives him a bigger picture and would maybe help him decide what he wants to focus on in the future.
But to my experience, handling a project while doing the actual work yourself, leads to some difficulty.

Job2 sounds like a bigger company, as a bigger company normally has more focused job scopes
This focus may bore him, but the quality of his work may be better