Trouble Keeping Up?
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Dude... I'm married, 2 kinds (6 and 10), 37 years old. I work from home, so I have no commute time. I work from 6 am to about 4 pm ( currently to 6 pm, as the kids are in holiday care ), eat breakfast and lunch at the PC, make dinner, put the kids to bed, start again by 8pm and work for another 2-4 hours. I have 6 hours of sleep in there. I go at least 15 hours work over the weekend. I learn new stuff entirely when I need to know it, otherwise, I just try to keep abreast of what *is* new, so when I need something, I know that it exists and where it is.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
Christian Graus wrote:
I'm married, 2 kinds (6 and 10), 37 years old
Christian, I must applaud you. I am also 37, married, and about to start a family. Your wife must be a very understanding woman. My wife would be too, but she would get tired of my working/studying all the time and start coming into my office "just to see what I'm doing" about every 15 minutes!!
JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer.NET
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JamminJimE wrote:
C#, VB.NET, ASP.NET, Classic ASP, VBScript, Oracle, SQL Server,
Why ? Maybe you need to steer clear of agencies, who look for an expert in everything, to ensure they get someone who knows the job at hand ?
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
Believe it or not, I just interviewed for an insurance company (name witheld) that wanted that very thing. This was a direct hire. Actually, that's all I have been talking with lately. The agencies just see the fancy buzzwords on the ol' resume and submit me. It's the hiring manager or his IT groupies that are asking these questions and looking down their nose if you don't know all of the answers!
JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer.NET
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David Kentley wrote:
In what alternate universe was this ever the case?
During the early DOS days with GWBASIC, Turbo C (not C++), and MASM (or TASM) I guess.
Regards, Nish
Nish’s thoughts on MFC, C++/CLI and .NET (my blog)
Currently working on C++/CLI in Action for Manning Publications. (*Sample chapter available online*)Uhm.... you're forgetting those behemoths called mainframes. There was also a period when DEC unvieled a new 'mini' computer every other month. There was all sorts of 'new' stuff to learn then as well. The best thing to take away from this, is that just as there was lots of new stuff in previous decades, not all of it has survived. I think the same can be said for a lot of the new technology that comes out today. There will only be little of it that will survive for a couple of decades. :)
Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] I agree with you that my argument is useless. [Red Stateler] Hey, I am part of a special bread, we are called smart people [Captain See Sharp] The zen of the soapbox is hard to attain...[Jörgen Sigvardsson] I wish I could remember what it was like to only have a short term memory.[David Kentley]
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Yes, the world of developers (well at least on the MS platform) changes started at the release of .NET and just keep increasing at the speed new technologies are being released. Being involved in the computer industry since 1981, I have never seen anything like the changes of today except for the very early years of the personal computer. Once I learned C and started on MSDOS, it was a quiet life until Windows 3.0 hit which required a great deal of change along with firmly embrassing C++. Then things were quiet until Windows 95 hit, but then most of the technology just came along and the learning curve was slight. From that point until the release of .NET, not a lot happened. The first few years of .NET were somewhat calm, but now that it has exploded, Microsoft seems to be taking it seriously and most areas of development continue to change. Not sure if at times it is for the good ;) Anyway, I am finding it VERY hard to keep up with everything and have decided I need to focus in given areas and let the rest go by me until I have the time to deal with it. As an example, for a number of years now I have worked mostly on web applications, so I tend to dig in to advancements in that area. While I still keep an eye out about the other technologies, I focus on the technologies that will change the way I do the majority of my work. This is the first time since I began in the computer technology that I could not keep up with all areas of development.
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: SQL Server Express Warnings & Tips Latest Tech Blog Post: Scratch: fun for all ages for free!
Rocky, I've pretty much given up on writing Winforms as of late. There is just so much going on with ASP.NET and with it being all the buzz in the magazines (CIO Magazine, for example). With the release of the new framework (whatever iteration they are on), AJAX, Atlas, etc, I'm just struggling to keep up with that!! I am a VB programmer from 1993. I got into computers in '82 (12 years old) and wrote my first program (a game) on a Radio Shack TRS-80 CoCo. It just seems like instead of updates to the current frameworks, they come out with a new version. I have to agree with the Win'95 and '98 comment. It was pretty stable (not the OS, the industry) during that time. Just as of late, it's become a rat race.
JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer.NET
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Christian Graus wrote:
I'm married, 2 kinds (6 and 10), 37 years old
Christian, I must applaud you. I am also 37, married, and about to start a family. Your wife must be a very understanding woman. My wife would be too, but she would get tired of my working/studying all the time and start coming into my office "just to see what I'm doing" about every 15 minutes!!
JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer.NET
JamminJimE wrote:
Your wife must be a very understanding woman
*grin* she is, sometimes. She knows that the extra hours are the reason we have a nice house, and so on. I make sure we have the odd weekend away, and stuff like that. I prefer to work hard, and make my playtime count, than just be together with my wife every night, slack jawed in front of the TV ( which is what we used to do, before I started coding )
JamminJimE wrote:
"just to see what I'm doing" about every 15 minutes!!
If Donna didn't work, there is no way I'd contemplate working from home.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
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Pete O`Hanlon wrote:
I now tend to steer clear of bleeding edge technologies
Pete, That's a good idea. However, like I said in one of the other replies, that's the kind of questions coming up in my recent interviews! They want a Programmer/DBA/Architect expert in C#, VB.NET, ASP.NET, Classic ASP, VBScript, Oracle, SQL Server, Underwater Basket Weaving, Astronomy, etc. If you can't answer the questions, they'll find some 20something who can. My debtors don't like to hear "I'm betwen contracts." ;)
JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer.NET
JamminJimE wrote:
My debtors don't like to hear "I'm betwen contracts."
So you work as a contractor? If you feel overwhelmed with the technology changes, it is probably a good time to look for a full-time job.
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Believe it or not, I just interviewed for an insurance company (name witheld) that wanted that very thing. This was a direct hire. Actually, that's all I have been talking with lately. The agencies just see the fancy buzzwords on the ol' resume and submit me. It's the hiring manager or his IT groupies that are asking these questions and looking down their nose if you don't know all of the answers!
JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer.NET
Perhaps be more assertive in the interview. If they ask if you know asp, ask them why they're still doing asp work when ASP.NET is so much better. If it's not a web dev job at all, ask why they're asking about that. If you know what they are advertising for, you can focus on presenting well for that, and throw the other stuff back at them.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
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JamminJimE wrote:
My debtors don't like to hear "I'm betwen contracts."
So you work as a contractor? If you feel overwhelmed with the technology changes, it is probably a good time to look for a full-time job.
That's what I'm doing. This company doesn't expect that kind of knowledge from me, but the full time jobs I have been interviewing with want it. I am going to start raising my asking price when they want all of these technologies, I swear. "Yes, Mr. Manager, since you want a DBA, VB.NET Guru, Web Developer, AND a Software Architect, my salary needs to be between $250,000 and $275,000/yr." ROTF. That'll be the end of that interview! :laugh: When they start asking the questions, the interview is shot anyway. I know what I'm doing, but don't know every detail of every person's job on a development team!
JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer.NET
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JamminJimE wrote:
I hope that I'm not the only one otherwise I'm gonna start interviewing at the fast food chains. Does anyone else feel that software development is changing so fast that you can't keep up? I work 9 hours a day with an hour for lunch, a 45 minute commute each way. This doesn't leave much time for trying to keep up with Microsoft changing everything every couple of months! If asked, I couldn't even tell you what all the new technologies' acronyms mean! I miss the good ol' days when a dev environment was around a couple of years before they started changing it.
As most of the new stuff builds on what went before, I don't find the learning curve too hard. As long as you have good solid development practises, you'll find you can cope with almost anything Microsoft throw at you.
Michael CP Blog [^] Development Blog [^]
Yeah, well in my case, I don't know anything to start with and have to learn the solid development while working both without WPF and not and all mixed up :( Never mind, I don't know what anything means curently, so the people who can't keep up don't necessarily need to feel to bad :)
"Your typical day is full of moments where you ask for a cup of coffee and someone hands you a bag of nails." - Scott Adams
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Christian Graus wrote:
I'm married, 2 kinds (6 and 10), 37 years old
Christian, I must applaud you. I am also 37, married, and about to start a family. Your wife must be a very understanding woman. My wife would be too, but she would get tired of my working/studying all the time and start coming into my office "just to see what I'm doing" about every 15 minutes!!
JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer.NET
JamminJimE wrote:
about to start a family
oh hooooooooooo... I think we've reached the crux of the matter! I remember that time WELL in my life. I thought, "well, something's gotta give!". And it did. I had to put off hobby programming for well over FIVE YEARS! Maybe some other super-humans are capable of being a dad and still keeping up at a heavy duty dev company and also keeping up on learning and hobby programming. But those super-humans weren't ME. When you become a Dad, you're GOING to have to simplify some things. Commute time suddenly becomes the ULTIMATE priority for finding a job. You just have to let some things slide as you learn to be a good dad. If you don't let those things slide, you're letting your kid down. Don't do that. And if this is only your first kid, your next decision is "will we have another"? Once a few years have gone by and your kids are in about 4th/5th grade, well, things will slow down for you as a Dad. (I'm at that stage - it's NICE!) And you get more "me" time. I could be way off base. But BOY do i remember that time in my life :jig: It's an amazing ride. Hang on :cool: ...Steve http://shazware.com[^]
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JamminJimE wrote:
I miss the good ol' days when a dev environment was around a couple of years before they started changing it.
In what alternate universe was this ever the case?
Faith is a fine invention For gentlemen who see; But microscopes are prudent In an emergency! -Emily Dickinson
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Rocky, I've pretty much given up on writing Winforms as of late. There is just so much going on with ASP.NET and with it being all the buzz in the magazines (CIO Magazine, for example). With the release of the new framework (whatever iteration they are on), AJAX, Atlas, etc, I'm just struggling to keep up with that!! I am a VB programmer from 1993. I got into computers in '82 (12 years old) and wrote my first program (a game) on a Radio Shack TRS-80 CoCo. It just seems like instead of updates to the current frameworks, they come out with a new version. I have to agree with the Win'95 and '98 comment. It was pretty stable (not the OS, the industry) during that time. Just as of late, it's become a rat race.
JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer.NET
JamminJimE wrote:
It just seems like instead of updates to the current frameworks, they come out with a new version.
I think with the demands of an expecting public, many of the basic designs must change to allow for the new features. It is for sure I would not want to go back to using ASP with a ".NET" (captialization for Paul) added feature set, there just was not anything in ASP to update, it had to be from scratch. It does look like we might be getting to a stable time for another short season after we get this latest round under our belt. I see a lot of work in my future digging through WPF/E :)
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: SQL Server Express Warnings & Tips Latest Tech Blog Post: Scratch: fun for all ages for free!
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Uhm.... you're forgetting those behemoths called mainframes. There was also a period when DEC unvieled a new 'mini' computer every other month. There was all sorts of 'new' stuff to learn then as well. The best thing to take away from this, is that just as there was lots of new stuff in previous decades, not all of it has survived. I think the same can be said for a lot of the new technology that comes out today. There will only be little of it that will survive for a couple of decades. :)
Chris Meech I am Canadian. [heard in a local bar] I agree with you that my argument is useless. [Red Stateler] Hey, I am part of a special bread, we are called smart people [Captain See Sharp] The zen of the soapbox is hard to attain...[Jörgen Sigvardsson] I wish I could remember what it was like to only have a short term memory.[David Kentley]
Chris Meech wrote:
here was also a period when DEC unvieled a new 'mini' computer every other month.
And twelve different software products with 76 different required licenses ...
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Yes, the world of developers (well at least on the MS platform) changes started at the release of .NET and just keep increasing at the speed new technologies are being released. Being involved in the computer industry since 1981, I have never seen anything like the changes of today except for the very early years of the personal computer. Once I learned C and started on MSDOS, it was a quiet life until Windows 3.0 hit which required a great deal of change along with firmly embrassing C++. Then things were quiet until Windows 95 hit, but then most of the technology just came along and the learning curve was slight. From that point until the release of .NET, not a lot happened. The first few years of .NET were somewhat calm, but now that it has exploded, Microsoft seems to be taking it seriously and most areas of development continue to change. Not sure if at times it is for the good ;) Anyway, I am finding it VERY hard to keep up with everything and have decided I need to focus in given areas and let the rest go by me until I have the time to deal with it. As an example, for a number of years now I have worked mostly on web applications, so I tend to dig in to advancements in that area. While I still keep an eye out about the other technologies, I focus on the technologies that will change the way I do the majority of my work. This is the first time since I began in the computer technology that I could not keep up with all areas of development.
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: SQL Server Express Warnings & Tips Latest Tech Blog Post: Scratch: fun for all ages for free!
Rocky Moore wrote:
along with firmly emb**[ar]**rassing C++
Love it. :cool:
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Christian Graus wrote:
I'm married, 2 kinds (6 and 10), 37 years old
Christian, I must applaud you. I am also 37, married, and about to start a family. Your wife must be a very understanding woman. My wife would be too, but she would get tired of my working/studying all the time and start coming into my office "just to see what I'm doing" about every 15 minutes!!
JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer.NET
JamminJimE wrote:
but she would get tired of my working/studying all the time and start coming into my office "just to see what I'm doing" about every 15 minutes!!
A few years back when I talked my wife into quiting her job I went through exactly that. It wasn't fun at all especially since I was working from home at the time. I'm a new father now with a 5mo. old and working from home again. My wife is working at a much better job and we have a baby sitter come in and take care of the little one while I'm working. It's a lot more work, but it's worth every bit of it, even though it means completely changing my priorities.
Using the GridView is like trying to explain to someone else how to move a third person's hands in order to tie your shoelaces for you. -Chris Maunder
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Yeah, I remember.. While i was sitting with my little 300 baud Hes Modem, I dooled over those other guys that had laid out the big bucks for their 9,000 baud modems. Thought that would be all the speed I would ever need :)
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: SQL Server Express Warnings & Tips Latest Tech Blog Post: Scratch: fun for all ages for free!
I remember buying a 40MB hard disk for my 8088 box and thinking, "there's no way I will ever run out of space." I never did, actually. It wasn't until I got a Pentium box running Windows that I started to have disk size issues.
Gary Kirkham Forever Forgiven and Alive in the Spirit He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot Me blog, You read
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I hope that I'm not the only one otherwise I'm gonna start interviewing at the fast food chains. Does anyone else feel that software development is changing so fast that you can't keep up? I work 9 hours a day with an hour for lunch, a 45 minute commute each way. This doesn't leave much time for trying to keep up with Microsoft changing everything every couple of months! If asked, I couldn't even tell you what all the new technologies' acronyms mean! I miss the good ol' days when a dev environment was around a couple of years before they started changing it. "Would you like fries with that?"..."Would you like to large size for only 39 cents more?" Just practicing! :wtf:
JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer.NET
What changes? I'm still using MSVC 6!
Steve
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JamminJimE wrote:
Does anyone else feel that software development is changing so fast that you can't keep up?
Naw. Oh, sure, if i wanted to be up-to-date on every new MS "technology", i'd never sleep... but that's just madness. I don't care how amazing Biztalk is, it'll either die out in a couple of years, or someone will find a way to explain it in 100 short words. WPF may be the most amazing new technology ever created, but i doubt it. A decade ago, I was writing GUIs in DOS that had better layout engines than WinForms - if i ever really need to use some new MS GUI thing, i'm sure i'll be able to get the hang of it in an afternoon. Here's a link for you: Fire and Motion[^]
When I was an Israeli paratrooper a general stopped by to give us a little speech about strategy. In infantry battles, he told us, there is only one strategy: Fire and Motion. You move towards the enemy while firing your weapon. The firing forces him to keep his head down so he can't fire at you. [...] The companies who stumble are the ones who spend too much time reading tea leaves to figure out the future direction of Microsoft. People get worried about .NET and decide to rewrite their whole architecture for .NET because they think they have to. Microsoft is shooting at you, and it's just cover fire so that they can move forward and you can't, because this is how the game is played...
Shog9 wrote:
Fire and Motion[^]
There was also the thing with the mine field... (can't find the link, though...)
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I hope that I'm not the only one otherwise I'm gonna start interviewing at the fast food chains. Does anyone else feel that software development is changing so fast that you can't keep up? I work 9 hours a day with an hour for lunch, a 45 minute commute each way. This doesn't leave much time for trying to keep up with Microsoft changing everything every couple of months! If asked, I couldn't even tell you what all the new technologies' acronyms mean! I miss the good ol' days when a dev environment was around a couple of years before they started changing it. "Would you like fries with that?"..."Would you like to large size for only 39 cents more?" Just practicing! :wtf:
JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer.NET
I long ago gave up staying on the bleeding edge. I'm more interested in practical solutions to problems, not using the latest whiz bang technology just for the sake of it. One advantage this has is that an extraordinary number of bleeding edge technologies fall by the wayside sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, there are a lot of technologies that don't, some of which bore me, and other's which are still crap, but somehow stick around. My goal isn't to resort to working fast food, but to retire and get out of this damn business once and for all. (And isn't it the running joke that you agree in meetings to use the new fangled stuff because your boss read about it in the trades, then you go back and just use the tried and true with enough gloss that he doesn't know the difference.)
Anyone who thinks he has a better idea of what's good for people than people do is a swine. - P.J. O'Rourke
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I remember buying a 40MB hard disk for my 8088 box and thinking, "there's no way I will ever run out of space." I never did, actually. It wasn't until I got a Pentium box running Windows that I started to have disk size issues.
Gary Kirkham Forever Forgiven and Alive in the Spirit He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. - Jim Elliot Me blog, You read
Yeah, I remember when I got me first IBM compatible PC which cost me $650 and came with the machine (no monitor, I had an CGA compatible monitor to use on it) with 1 full height 5 1/4 floppy drive and 512K RAM. I was happy when I could afford another floppy drive ($99) so I could keep my my compiler (Lattice C and Microsoft C) in one drive while my souce code could be on the other floppy :)
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: SQL Server Express Warnings & Tips Latest Tech Blog Post: Scratch: fun for all ages for free!