Where to begin?

[Techdawgs]

Hello All,

I am currently in the US Military with 5 years left until my retirement and need to actively start to persue my next career.
I have been tinkering in Access databases for the last 6 years. I have decided I would really love to get into this field when I get out. I know I need to broaden my programing knowledge to also specialize in Visual Basic and SQL.
My question is where I should begin? I know I can take some college courses, but they seem so general. I know I should also be concerned about getting certified.
Any suggestions?

 

[dyarwood]

Certs are not a ticket to a job. Experience counts for a lot. I would suggest get a copy of SQL Server dev edition (about £30) and a copy of VB.NET (would actually suggest VS.Net so you don't limit the language you can learn. If you learn by actually doing things it will stick in your mind better and you will come across situations which only really appear when developing. Get a book on VB.NET and SQL Server (Wrox VB.NET is good). Work through a few examples in that and you will start to learn the language.

Just my opinion and I'm sure others would advise differently.

Also visit the VB.NET and the 4 SQL Server 2000 forums on TT.

 

[chiph]

5 years is a long time in the software industry, so I wouldn't concentrate on one technology expecting it to still be there when I retire or deros.

You'll probably be 40 or 45, right? At that age you'll make more by consulting, helping disfunctional development organizations learn to write good software, rather than doing hourly coding work.

The topics you'll need to learn are configuration management, the development process, and a software methodology or two.

For CM, I recommend:
Software Configuration Management Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration
ISBN: 0201741172

For the development process, I recommend:
The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master
ISBN: 020161622X
The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, 20th Anniversary Edition
ISBN: 0201835959

There are a number of competing methodologies (processes for building & delivering working software on time & on budget). The main one is the Rational Unified Process:
The Rational Unified Process: An Introduction, Third Edition
ISBN: 0321197704

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first

 

[11011110000]

Certs are WAY overrated.

Consulting without experience is path to nowhere.

But Chip is right that 5 years is a long time and what is popular today most likely will change in that time. Learning the fudamentals is the best way to go, which means an education in either CS or MIS.

 

[dyarwood]

5 years is a long time and what is popular today most likely will change in that time.

I agree that is probably true but there are still plenty of companies using office 97, and such products.

Also COBOL is not taught any more but people still have apps built in it and need someone to support it.

Even if the popular thing changes having a background in something will help. IMHO.

 

[chiph]

But if you know a more recent technology, people hiring for it won't have expectations that you have 10 years experience in it.

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first

 

[pmonett]

COBOL is not taught any more but people still have apps built in it and need someone to support it

That doesn't mean that anyone is actually encouraged to go learn COBOL now, does it ?

Yes, Windows 98, and DOS, and even Windows 3.11 are still being used. Building a career on that is suicidal, though.

I agree with Chip - at 45 in this industry, you'll not be coding for long, or if you are, it'll be for peanuts. You're better off looking for management skills (based on coding experience), since you're likely to be managing a group of Indian developers.
I have 10 years in the coding industry, and I'm approaching 40 fast. I know that if I can't get up to management, I'll be on the dole in a few years (unless I find a job for a government).

Pascal.

 

[Techdawgs]

I just want to thank everyone for their input. It has given me a lot of food for thought and definitely helped me get started in the right direction.