Want to get into IT, not sure how ...

[Beren1h]

This web site has some really great info which seems to me to mean someone really skilled IT types. So...I thought I would through my situation out there to see what those willing to comment think...

I want to change careers. I currently work in banking and unless I get a lot better at playing politics, I'm pretty much done advancing. Toping out at the $30-$40 grand range doesn't cut it with a wife and two kids to support.

I've had some involvment with Access database application design. I've really enjoyed working with Access. There is always something new (or just better) to learn and I've really liked learning VBA. I like it alot better than any other aspect of my job (mostly paper pushing)

I have a BS in electrical engineering, but no experience (long story) so I decided to go to a techincal college to try and learn a little something about current technology and programming since I'm not going to get it at my current job. I've decided to go into the web development cirriculum.

So I figure I'll try to learn as much about C++ and Visual Basic as you can in a academic setting, but other than that I'm not sure what to do. Learn Java? SQL? HTML?

So I guess what I'm asking is:

Does this plan sound silly and naive to the veterans out there. If not, any comments on how to refine it a bit?

Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings...

 

[ErikZ]

How many programming classes did you take when you went and got your first degree? You should learn how to program before learning the languages.

As to what programming language to learn, that's really hard to say. The needs of the market change so often that it's impossible to say if your skills in JAVA will be wanted tomorrow, or if there's a ton of JAVA programmers out there to fill all the slots.

I's say, ask you bank. You already have time with the company, go talk to the IT department. Say that you're going into IT and you would be willing to take the classes on your own time. In whatever language they need.

Of course, you may find yourself going to learn COBOL...

 

[BigMag]

COBOL rules.

M.

(I'm sorry, I had to say it, cause COBOL is not that pitiful language everybody thinks. When I put COBOL next to VB, I'd choose COBOL, especially when building larger systems!)

BigMag, The Netherlands.
someone@euronet.nl (no kidding!)

 

[Beren1h]

From what I understand COBOL is used in a lot of older systems (like corporate mainframes), but nobody really creates anything new with COBOL any more.

True?

 

[ErikZ]

Well, actually, I liked COBOL when I learned it in college. It's so straightfoward and the bugs are easy to track down.

Opposed to modern programming languages.

 

[BigMag]

Beren1h,

Wrong.

Larger companies, like banks and insurance companies all have a mainframe. The power of COBOL, MVS, IMS and DB2 can not be compared with any other language or system.

MVS crashed? Don't think so! (I've heard it was developed by NASA, cause they can not affort a computer crash in a rocket)

Because of the gui, this system does not reach the "common people". They sometimes see a terminal simulation on a PC and think that's all. But even the gui is getting more sophisticated and windows like.

COBOL nowadays can run on any platform. Fujitsu, ACUcobol and Microfocus supply workbenches for COBOL, where other languages can only dream of.

So tell me, how different is the ancient technologie (terminal - mainframe) then the server - client technologie?? I think server - client is a step back!
Ever heard of "thin client"? Isn't terminal - mainframe the same?? So, how ancient is COBOL??

COBOL was, is and always will be.

M.


BigMag, The Netherlands.
someone@euronet.nl (no kidding!)

 

[MasterRacker]

If COBOL were dying no-one would have bothered to develop Object Oriented COBOL. I read somewhere that 80% of the world's business logic was still written in COBOL. That's one of the reasons for the Y2K problem. A lot of the old code was still running so well, no one had bothered to replace it. It's patched and still running now. People are writing Web front ends for these systems, but the back-end will continue to be COBOL based for a long time...
Jeff

I haven't lost my mind - I know it's backed up on tape somewhere ....

 

[Beren1h]

That's what I love about this site...

You can get a lot of education around here...

 

[pivan]

I heard that when Noah was building his ark, he used COBOL to track his inventory.



Pivan If not now, when?
If not here, where?
If not us, who?

Just do it!!

 

[JAXDBase]

COBOL Rules!!! but only in the banking and financial world. For what it was created to do, that is, process financial transactions or anything similar NOTHING beats COBOL.
Admiral "Amazing" Grace Hopper (the first female US Navy Admiral) started and oversaw the development of COBOL. Almost all, if not all of the ATMs you use run COBOL!!! That is not going away anytime soon folks. The only known limitations of COBOL is the GUI that most users expect nowadays.
And yes, COBOL does ABEND. There is no such thing as a crash proof system. I have crashed both UNIX and MAC(easily done with Netscape) systems before too so nobody can claim that their favorite OS is the best, rock steady and crash proof blah blah...
The best crash resistant system is the one where the OS and applications have been thoroughly tested with as much varied problems and situations as is known and handles the problems well without crashing. Jacksonville DBase, Inc.

 

[BigMag]

Programs written in COBOL can abend indeed.

The program is only as good as the designer and programmer who wrote it.

But, with COBOL, as a 3GL, gives the opportunity for structured programming (JSP, VSP), witch will result in understandable coding and better maintanance.

Something I did not see from VB yet...

M. BigMag, The Netherlands.

 

[nontrad]

JAXDBase -

Actually, RAdm/Commodore Grace Hopper was NOT the first female Admiral. Her distinction as an Admiral is because she was retired as a Naval Reserve Captain and then recalled to active duty. Since people on the retired list cannot be promoted, it took a special act of Congress to get her promoted to Rear Admiral (lower class) (also called Commodore Admiral for a while when she held this rank). When she retired for the second time onboard the USS Constitution, she was the oldest living person on active duty, male or female. BTW, it's not in any of your books but her unofficial nickname in the Navy (at least at my command) was "the female Rickover".