Abstract

Previous work finds that recent college graduates entering the software development industry encounter difficulties early in their careers, due to significant differences between their coding experiences in academia vs. what is expected of them on the job. To explore the gap between academic and industry software development, we conducted interviews with twenty early career software developers with four-year degrees in CS. We present an analysis of these interviews, including excerpts in the developers’ own words, organized around six themes. We conclude with thoughts on how to bridge this gap so that our students may be better prepared when we launch them into their careers.