A career in software

1. Junior BA

1.1. Mid level BA

1.1.1. Project Manager

1.1.1.1. Senior Manager

1.1.1.1.1. IT Director

2. Penetration/Security Tester

3. Craftsman

3.1. Apprentice

3.1.1. Journeyman

3.1.1.1. Master

3.2. A new movement has begun in the development industry known as the "software craftsmanship". It was set up to create awareness for the problems that exist within the industry

3.2.1. Though the ultimate goal is to create software the craftsman movement uses different job titles to distinguish themselves

3.2.2. For more information visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_Craftsmanship

4. conferences

4.1. Devoxx

5. User Groups

5.1. How to find them

5.1.1. Skills Matter

5.1.2. Meetup.com

5.2. JavaWUG

5.3. LJC

6. Podcasts

6.1. independent

6.1.1. The Java Posse

6.1.2. Software Engineering Radio

6.1.3. Stack Overflow

6.2. associated with one of the communities below

7. Technical Community

7.1. Professional Bodies

7.1.1. BCS

7.1.1.1. Website and Mailing List etc.

7.1.1.2. Journals and Publications

7.1.1.3. Members Events

7.1.1.4. Specialist Groups

7.1.2. ACM

7.1.3. IET

7.2. Online

7.2.1. Career/Role Specific Sites/Communities

7.2.1.1. Programming / Development

7.2.1.2. Testing

7.2.1.3. Architecture

7.2.2. Blogs and RSS Feeds

7.2.2.1. javablogs.com

7.2.3. Technology Specific Sites/communities

7.2.3.1. The Server Side

7.2.3.2. InfoQ

7.2.4. Domain Specific Sites/Communities

7.2.5. General Computing/IT Sites/Communities

7.2.5.1. Learning

7.2.5.1.1. DZone

7.2.5.1.2. Parleys.com

7.2.5.2. Problem Solving / Q&A

7.2.5.2.1. Stack Overflow

7.2.6. Social Networking

7.2.6.1. LinkedIn

7.2.6.1.1. Groups

7.2.6.2. Twitter

7.2.6.3. Facebook

7.2.7. Does anyone know anymore?

7.2.8. Programming Language Specific Sites/Communities

7.2.8.1. JavaRanch

7.3. email mailing lists

8. What I am hoping to create is a tree diagram instead of a mindmap but this seems the best place to start. I am basically hoping to understand the different routes available to people within software. This is to help Grads and people coming in to the industry to firstly gain an understand of the options currently available to them, and secondly to gain an idea where those options may lead. I hope to eventually use this map or a similar one to be a starting point to much more information on each discipline

9. READ ME

9.1. What to do from here

9.1.1. Add branches to the tree

9.2. What is this

10. A career in software

10.1. School

10.1.1. College

10.1.1.1. University

10.1.1.1.1. Programming

10.1.1.1.2. Testing

10.1.1.1.3. Business + Technical

10.1.1.1.4. Junior Technical analyst

10.1.1.1.5. Supporting software

10.1.1.1.6. R&D

10.1.1.1.7. Consultant

11. Types of companies

11.1. Product/Solution companies

11.1.1. Product is most important thing

11.1.2. Work will involve developing a product for the company to sell

11.1.3. Time to market is key

11.1.4. Marketing is mandatory

11.2. Non-IT Companies

11.2.1. e.g. Where the core business is not technology but needs technology to survive

11.2.2. e.g.

11.2.2.1. Financial

11.2.2.2. Media

11.2.2.3. Travel

11.2.3. Work will involve developing systems to improve the companies core business

11.3. Consultancies

11.3.1. Will work on different projects and industries

11.3.2. If there are no projects you are put "on the bench"

11.3.3. Generally have high levels of expectation

11.3.4. Money is high

11.3.5. Can involve lots of travel and working in various locations

11.3.6. Level of commitment to high quality solutions is a make or break

11.3.7. Good reputation is mandatory

11.4. Small Business

11.4.1. Do bits of lots of jobs. Not all IT-related

11.4.2. Need to get on *very* well with colleagues

11.5. One-Person or Self Employued

11.5.1. Responsible for everything from strategy to toilets

11.5.2. Often sell services such as consulting

11.5.3. Money sometimes good, sometimes non-existent. Can be tricky to ensure continuity of income

11.5.4. If you are ill you don't earn

11.5.5. May want to grow into a larger business

12. Understanding the industry

12.1. Open Source Software

12.1.1. Open Source Central

12.1.2. Source forge

12.1.3. GitHub

12.1.4. What Is Open Source Software

12.1.4.1. Open source software (OSS) is computer software for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that meets the Open Source Definition or that is in the public domain.

12.1.4.2. Projects created where there is not a perfect solution

12.1.4.3. Economic Model

12.1.4.3.1. Some projects are run as part time projects, people work in their spare time on them

12.1.4.3.2. Many companies support their developers to work on OSS projects that will be beneficial to their company

12.1.4.4. Politics

12.1.4.4.1. Licenses

12.2. Movements

12.2.1. Software Craftsmanship Movement

12.2.2. Agile Development Movement