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ajthepoolman
Constraint Violating Yak Guru
384 Posts |
 Posted - 2005-06-17 : 00:55:49
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| I have only been in the industry for 5 years now, so I still consider myself a bit of a newbie. I am just wondering what you would of done differently if you could do it all over again.And of course, this is related to programming. I'm not interested in your misspent forgotten youth, or how you regret not taking that stock tip for Microsoft back in 81. I mean, would you of chosen a different line of work, or hooked in with a different language?I started off doing Access 97 and ColdFusion 4.5. I loved ColdFusion and still enjoy working with it in my spare time. Although I don't know how to really use it to do the cool stuff it can do. After my first year I began working in SQL and VB 6. And I have been doing it ever since. One thing I would not change is the SQL route. Which in hidsight is really funny to me. I can remember sitting in class at tech school when they started introducing me to SQL. I sat there and wondered why anyone would want to write this crap. It is so boring "select from where, blah blah blah". But now, it is the one skill I would never give up. I love it! We use SQL to build our Visual Basic forms for us based on the table specs. I just love using it.I need to learn some ASP. Lots of friends of mine use it. They tell me that if I know VB, I should be able to run with ASP in no time. I should get on that.I also want to get more into project management. I would rather be the guy who tells the developers to rope the moon, than be the developer who has to figure out how to do it!I also need to be a better nerd altogether. I don't read PC Magazine. I thumb through Network World, but really don't care whether a T1 line is for networking or hanging laundry on. I couldn't tell you about the latest Bluetooth invention. It really bores the hell out of me to be frank. VB is much the same in that half the time I don't know why you should pass something ByRef instead of ByVal. Almost midnight here in America's heartland. Nighty night!Aj |
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elwoos
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
2052 Posts |
Posted - 2005-06-17 : 03:15:25
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| A very long time ago someone tried to teach me PASCAL. It didn't make sense and frustrated the hell out of me. At the time I was much more interested in other distractions in life (including playing the original MUD!) and so gave it up. I sometimes think I should have carried on with that but then I probably wouldn't be here now! I also had a brief encounter with C but it was so brief I never got the opportunity to make something of it. Then I met a woman who was an Ingres expert. We lost touch but some years later I got the chance to 'do' SQL server. She would be proud if she knewsteveA sarcasm detector, what a great idea. |
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spirit1
Cybernetic Yak Master
11752 Posts |
Posted - 2005-06-17 : 06:00:20
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i'm in IT for 6 years. got hooked on college...wouldn't change a thing!  ok maybe the college itself because there are only 5 women out of 250 people per year... Go with the flow & have fun! Else fight the flow  |
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madhivanan
Premature Yak Congratulator
22864 Posts |
Posted - 2005-06-17 : 06:14:59
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I have been using VB6 with SQL Server2000 for 3 years and willing to move to .NETquote:
ok maybe the college itself because there are only 5 women out of 250 people per year...
Any restriction in that college?  MadhivananFailing to plan is Planning to fail |
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spirit1
Cybernetic Yak Master
11752 Posts |
Posted - 2005-06-17 : 06:40:19
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| no... seems women here are completly uninterested in technical oriented studies...Go with the flow & have fun! Else fight the flow |
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Seventhnight
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker
2878 Posts |
Posted - 2005-06-17 : 07:29:41
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I had a brief run in with c in college, and I would change that... i would have learned more c/c++ (although that may have been dangerous)I have been writing web apps with a wonderful mix of SQL, ASP, HTML, Javascript (and a pinch of css )... and I wouldn't change that at all... but SQL is what I find really interesting (especially SQL puzzles)Corey Co-worker on The Wizard of Oz "...those three midgets that came out and danced, the freaked me out when I was little. But they are ok now." |
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X002548
Not Just a Number
15586 Posts |
Posted - 2005-06-17 : 09:15:14
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| Let's see...25 years....(I was 4 when I started)...nope, wouldn't change a thing.BUT! I'll do anything...that's why I put window washer as mu occupation....BUT! I try to avoid any front end work...besides, since they killed everyone...I have more backend work than I can handle....SQL Server, Sybase, Oracle, DB2 OS/390 (no, I'm not gonna say Access, although there is a lot of that).... I stay pretty busy....Brett8-)Hint: Want your questions answered fast? Follow the direction in this linkhttp://weblogs.sqlteam.com/brettk/archive/2005/05/25/5276.aspx |
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Thrasymachus
Constraint Violating Yak Guru
483 Posts |
Posted - 2005-06-17 : 09:36:49
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| I would have gone into B2B Sales where the real money is.6 years of real experience. Some dabbling before that. Started with VB6, Access and static web development at the first gig. Then somehow I got a job doing Visual Foxpro, which I ignored as much as possible in favor of the internal SQL Server I had access to and I learned ASP and SQL as I went. Dabbled with a little of this and that along the way like C++, Java, Flash, ASP.Net etc...I would have gotten more serious about the stuff early on. In the begining, I would learn enough to get the job done and then I would stick to the same trick for a while. My employers were always happy. Over the last couple years I have realized that the game really requires constant studying and reading and exploring if you are going to grow. It is almost like being in school forever.Sean RoussyPlease backup all of your databases including master, msdb and model on a regular basis. I am tired of telling people they are screwed. The job you save may be your own. |
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Kristen
Test
22859 Posts |
Posted - 2005-06-20 : 10:28:48
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| If I had my time over, and the second time around Wendy was still there putting the punch cards into the mainframe at College, and she looked just the same, I would spend all my time in the computer room ... and then the outcome would be the same.There again if the punch card operator was Wendell ... Kristen |
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AjarnMark
SQL Slashing Gunting Master
3246 Posts |
Posted - 2005-06-20 : 14:30:00
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| I would have become self-employed earlier and done more marketing and shmoozing to build a diverse clientele. I might have abandoned computers and gone with commodities when my uncle offered to teach me his trade if I was serious. At the time it didn't look like such a good option (pardon the pun) but that's because I didn't have the vision to see where it could go. Now I see what he has done and wonder. Regardless, being an owner beats being an employee any day!---------------------------EmeraldCityDomains.com |
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jhermiz
3564 Posts |
Posted - 2005-06-20 : 14:53:53
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Ajarn,Not to say that you aren't always busy, but do you always seem to find work when you are your own manager? Don't get me wrong being your own boss is a great thing, but it is difficult finding clients sometimes, and it could be a royal pain keeping the ones you have. Sometimes having an employer I think is a plus.
Keeping the web experience alive -- [url]http://www.web-impulse.com[/url]Imperfection living for perfection -- [url]http://jhermiz.blogspot.com/[/url] |
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AjarnMark
SQL Slashing Gunting Master
3246 Posts |
Posted - 2005-06-20 : 15:09:27
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| Until recently, yes I did always find work. Sometimes there were droughts lasting as long as 3 months, but I'd find something. The biggest problem I had, though, and why the droughts were sometimes that long, is that I relied too heavily on too few clients and didn't get out and market myself aggressively enough. I also didn't dive into new technologies fast enough sometimes so I was behind in my marketability at times.While I believe that anybody can be successfully self-employed, I know not everyone has the determination or desire (either of which will produce discipline) to do it. But if I could wave a magic wand, I'd love to make everyone have to run their own business for a couple of years before they could go get a job for someone else. It would radically cut down on the bellyaching that goes on in companies. Most employees have no clue what it takes to run a business profitably. And while I'm ranting, I would make every politician have to run their own business for 5-10 years before they could enter government service. That would change a few things, let me tell you.But back to your question, remember, also, Jon that you don't necessarily want to keep every client that you have. That is one of my Top 15 Myths About Business.---------------------------EmeraldCityDomains.com |
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If you could do it all over again...