I have been doing this for more than 20 years at this point. I have YET to stay with one position for more than 2.5 years (and I only stayed there for the health insurance because of my newborn son). I have found that more often than not, companies see their development staff as "overpaid" as it is. This is why they are quick to try to outsource their development! They are quite unlikely to give large raises or even enough to bring you up to what the market is currenly paying. I have left contract jobs as early as 6 weeks into the contract and perm jobs after 9 months. In both cases, I left for another job and the contract was with the same firm but different client! I ALWAYS left for more money! I leave for large pay raises. Plain and simple. I have to take care of my family and my desire for raises and bonuses are NOT the primary concern of management in any company. If I ever find a company that raises paychecks to match the current market, I would probably stay with them as long as I was treated well. I cannot disclose what I make now because others that I work with browse these boards, but I can tell you that it's more than I made at the last place! ;)

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

Wow! It's almost like a bigfoot sighting or UFO encounter (except this time we DIDN'T get probed)! You know, they are going to read these posts and IMMEDIATELY take down that page. Everyone, QUICK!!! Save that HTML to your local machine. That way we have proof!! hehehehe :laugh:

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

Mike, I have to agree with you! We have looked for the cheapest solution for so long, now our country is paying for it! This is the MAIN reason I hate Wal-Mart. I challenge anyone here to walk down 2 isles in that place and pick up 3 items that were made in the USA. Not designed in the US and assembled in Mexico or India or Taiwan. Find 3 items that are completely made and assembled in the USA. After you have wasted several hours attempting this feat, you'll catch my drift! Jim

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

Alan Balkany wrote:

I'm sure you think so.

Well, I consider myself courteous since I don't smoke within a reasonable range of the entrance to a building, I don't smoke in confined areas, I don't throw my cigarette butts on the ground, and if no one else in my group is smoking, I will excuse myself and go smoke away from them. If I am walking with a group of non-smokers, I will intentionally place myself down wind from them. Athsma, I love that excuse. The first thing that a non-smoker yells when they don't have support from those around them is "I have athsma". I have athsma. I was BORN with it! I have a Primatine enhaler in my house. I have been hospitalized as a child for it. Suffered 18 (not a typo, eighteen) bronchial infections when I was a senior in HS. None of it was related to smoking! I'm not saying that you don't suffer as well. My grandmother is allergic to the smoke. I had a chest X-ray a few years ago and it completely puzzled the doctor. There was NO evidence of tar OR athsma in my lungs. He was baffled. I still have the X-rays around somewhere. Now, I can run a mile in less than 11 minutes. BUT, when I quit smoking, my athsma took me out. I couldn't run 100yds without needing my inhaler. My simple point is that, Truth.com and all of these other "stop smoking" fanatics, are looking to push their beliefs on someone else. I can't put out nearly as much toxic chemicals as that dumptruck or city bus. You don't hear anyone complaining about that. They simply want to control someone else. They are just trying to push their beliefs on everyone around them to "custom-fit" the planet just for them, regardless WHO else it affects. I am sick of this "because I want it" attitude of everyone in this country. People have come to the belief that everyone should do what THEY want them to do, regardless who else it impacts negatively. If I want to smoke, I should not get harrassed by some non-smoker (or worse yet, a FORMER smoker). Leave me alone and stop trying to take away MY freedoms!

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

I am glad to see everyone thinks that smoking is such a bad idea. While we are at it, why don't we ban free speech? It offends me when you make unfounded comments. It offends me when teachers tell children that parents who smoke will die soon. It's unfounded. The British Journal of Medicine (I know, you probably don't trust their findings as the US Tobacco companies have OBVIOUSLY gotten to them!) published a 12-year study on secondhand smoke. They found that the smoker inhales AND RETAINS all of the harmful chemicals. You complain about secondhand smoke. What kind of car do you drive? Is it properly maintained? Does it emit ANY toxic chemicals? Is there ANY smoke coming from it? Do you recycle? Do you stop and pick up any trash blowing past you or do you just stand and watch it? Do you or any of your family just spit out chewing gum in the park? Do you take a baggie with you when you walk your dog to clean up behind it? You are undoubtedly guilty of one, IF NOT MORE, of these things. The truth is that the tobacco companies make a whopping $0.40 profit per pack. Everything else is taxes. No, I work for a woman's clothing retailer in their IS center, not a tobacco company. Right now, in Florida, we pay over $30.00 per carton for cigarettes. A single pack is over $4.50. If you non-smoking nazis continue, you will get EXACTLY what you want. Smokers will stop smoking. But, then, who will pay for your kid to have new computers in their school? Who's going to pay for all of those new roads in the town you live in? Who's going to keep your property taxes low? NO ONE!! If you keep up this ridiculous facade of "Everyone Should Do What I Believe They Should", you're going to end up with property taxes in the tens of thousands of dollars a year. Then, what? What will be the next big thing that offends you? Wow, you might have to spend some time thinking about it, huh? Realistically, I am a smoker (like you couldn't have guessed). I am a courteous smoker, UNLESS YOU ARE AN OBNOXIOUS NON-SMOKER. If I am standing outside (can't smoke ANYWHERE in Florida indoors) in the rain, smoking a cigarette and you come out and start chanting about smoking, I WILL FOLLOW YOU TO YOUR CAR, BLOWING SMOKE AT YOU! Since you're so up for banning things, why don't we ban obesity? Obese children's parents should be jailed for poisoning their children. Child Endangerment. That offends me. OOOO, while we're at it, If you are found to have alcohol in your possession outside of your home, you

Well, I guess that there are times that being a developer, we take things for granted. InfoPath 2003 has the setup alot like a big dataset. When you create a textbox on the form, there is a data connection built automatically. In any other IDE, when you delete a control, you kill its references. NOT SO IN INFOPATH 2003. You can delete a field all you like, you can even delete the container that the field was in. HOWEVER, it does NOT remove the data connection. When you save the form and attempt to validate your data, it will still see the data connections to those missing fields. THE FIX ----------------------- When you delete a field from an InfoPath 2003 form, write down the name of the field. Go to View -> Data Connections. This will list all of those connections to the data source. You HAVE to manually delete the data connection in here as well. Otherwise, it will keep trying to validate the missing field. I hope that someone else can learn from my beating my head against a wall for 2 days. Happy coding,

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

I am in despirate need of some help. I am stuck developing this stupid Infopath form in 2003. I cannot upgrade to 2007 because the company doesn't own it. The problem I am having is enough to make a saint swear! I have removed several fields on this form. Some of the removed fields were required before submission of the form in an email. Since the priorities have changed, they no longer needed these fields. I deleted the fields, cells they were in, and eventually even the column. Now, this POS software is trying to validate against the fields that no longer exist. When the user fills out the form and puts the required data into the EXISTING required fields, everything looks fine. When they try to submit this form, the form begins its validation check. It, for some stupid reason, is still trying to validate the missing fields. This is not missing data, mind you, but the fields are GONE!!! How do I make this stop? I am so sick of this form but it's in my lap, whether or not I like. Please, someone out there, tell me how to fix this &!%#%!+~ problem before I throw this computer out the window! Thanks,

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

Personally, I used LinkedIn. I have found alot of people I used to know through it and have made some very valuable contacts as well. I don't have any kind of financial interest in LinkedIn, but I have talked to several people about jobs on it. http://www.linkedin.com[^] That may help you find the small company that you're looking for! Good luck!

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

HAH! I can beat that. Here, at my current job, we use LONG for T/F, ID fields, and properties that store a dropdown list's index! Good thing memory is cheap! And...before you ask, yes, the application runs like crap!

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

Ummm...what? :confused: If you are trying to suggest that I use class libraries vs. using a dll, that is even more confusing. If that's not what you're suggesting, then I have no clue what you are saying. I have no input as to the architecture of this application. I have a small opportunity to clean up some poorly written code by reorganizing it the best that we can without a complete re-write. I do NOT have the luxury of taking the application apart and putting it back together correctly. That would literally take months to complete such a task and we have a production deadline approaching long before that project would be completed.

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

Unfortunately, I don't have that luxury either. The code is compiled on my local machine. It is then deployed to the DEV server. I have ZERO control over the DEV server and they will NOT grant any permissions other than for me to copy files out there. I contemplated a small "FileWatcher" service that, once the files changed in the BIN of the "Class Library" folder, to copy them out to the bins. I can't even put a service on the DEV box!

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

Man, I have a GOOD question for the brilliant minds out here on CodeProject. I have been tasked with cleaning up a single ASP.NET web application that has been broken out into 5 different and smaller web apps. One of the projects, a "Class Library" project if you will, has a set of common DLLs that are used by all 4 of the other new smaller web applications. These "Class Libraries" are frequently updated as they contain the business logic for EACH of the 4 smaller web applications and they contain the data logic for the same. NOW, for the hard part.... 1) I need to keep the DLLs in the "Class Library" in sync ( 1 version shared by all web apps) 2) I CANNOT load them into the GAC (changed too frequently and company policy prohibits hit (NOT MY POLICY :mad:)) 3) I am attempting to make this easier to maintain these DLLs instead of having to deploy them to all 4 web apps' bin directories when something in changed. 4) I cannot break up the "Class Library" and move the business/data logic to the application that uses it. As much as that would be the RIGHT thing to do, you know how it is with big companies. :doh: Can ANYONE tell me an intelligent way to accomplish this seemingly impossible task? I am pulling out all of the grey hair that this industry has caused me trying to come up with a viable solution to this problem!! Thanks in advance!

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

That's probably true. However, they could afford to pay the good developers better if they were able to get rid of the bad ones. Here, we have several developers who haven't written ANY code since they have been here and yet, they are still here. Heck, one even got promoted to a Sr. Programmer Analyst. I'd be happy to take a good salary and a respectable title, IF either one meant something. When you make the same and carry the same title as a developer who spends all day surfing, it sort of makes you feel less important to the company!

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

Oh, yes, I have spent ALOT of time on that site. However, I have found that my local pay ranges vary wildly from what they say should be the average. eg. 2005 - They said that the average pay for a .NET developer in Charlotte, NC was 35/hr and I was making $37. I felt pretty good. Then, quietly and against management's direction, a few of us consultants started talking and I found out that among the 5 of us, I was the LOWEST paid. There was one guy there making $46/hr!

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

Just out of pure curiosity, I am wondering how the pay scales are looking around the world. In your position (Employee or Consultant) and including your benefits package, are you making a fair salary or are you lower than the rest of the development community in your area? If you are a consultant, are you making what other consultants are making? If you're an employee, are you making the same salary WITH the same benefits that everyone else gets? What are the best geographical areas to work in for financial gains? I'm in Southern Florida, USA and right now, I am financially below the market.:( The benefits are typical without any outstanding perks.

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer
Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

Andrew Eisenberg wrote:

Of course, another option in that kind of situation is to relocate.

The only bad part about the relocation is the funds it takes! I just relocated to SW Florida and I can tell you that had the company I currently work for NOT paid my relo, I wouldn't be here. Relocation is UNBELIEVABLY expensive!!

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer

Why are we still calling it Common Sense when it's just not that common?

I would definately have to pick flexibility. I have been in a programming job that paid almost $90k. However, there was NO flexibility, ridiculous deadlines, no benefits, and no PTO. To me, my time off is more important than my paycheck. If I need extra money, I would figure something else out. If you don't have time off, you are headed for a burn-out. Once you hit a full blown burnout, getting back up on the horse is REALLY tough. Unfortunately, I speak from experience in that arena. Personally, I'd like to find a company (or start one) that allowed you to dress however you wanted, had paid lunch hours, was a real relaxed environment, and was fun to work at. I have taken jobs that paid less than the one before just because of the promise of one or more of those wishes. Usually, some bonehead with a "C" in the beginning of his/her title comes in and decides that the practice I liked was not "good for the company image" or someother bureaucratic B.S. and they take it away. My resume' usually hits DICE.COM or MONSTER.COM within a couple of days!

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer

Why are we still calling it 'Common Sense' when it's not that common?

I wish I could say that age wasn't an issue. I am only 37 and have been in 2 different jobs as a professional developer that I was considered, and even called once, the "OLD GUY". At one miserable position in Charlotte, NC, I was actually older than my team lead, the group Manager, AND even the Sr. Manager. I caught alot of flack because I was older. The average age there was only 24 or so. The manager, who taught himself VB.NET (poorly might I add) was only 26 and an arrogant little pr!ck. Needless to say, I didn't stay there long! Now, please excuse me while I go take my geritol and my early-mid-morning nap. :laugh:

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer

I actually paid to go through the classes. When I was coding VB6, I did it on my own and avoided the COM Interop stuff and most of my code was inline. I didn't use classes for anything. Obviously, this was not very complicated code. I decided to go through the FULL VB.NET training class, not just a bootcamp. It paid for all of the classes, the books from Microsoft ($175 each!), and 2 cert tests PER area. My MCAD was in all of .NET, not like it is now and broken up. My cert required Winforms, Web, and Server components. I was pre-paid for 2 certification tests in each area. To me, it was more than worth it. I tried reading the MCAD/MCSD Prep course books from Microsoft and it wasn't making any sense. I could answer the test questions, but I didn't understand why you would do what they were doing. The classes were scheduled over 3 months, I took another 1.5 months to study while working full time, and took my tests about 3 weeks apart. The cert was free, but the tests, classes, and books are really what cost me $5k.

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer

Luke, I am a MCAD. My certification cost me almost $5k (paid for it myself through New Horizons). I got my cert in April 2005. By the end of 2005, MS was already working on the new certifications. The ink wasn't hardly dry on my cert and they were putting out the new MCPD certifications. Honestly, the only thing my certification has been good for is getting past HR interviewers. I was pushed to the top of the interview pile when up against non-certified applicants. Some companies have accepted my certification and we completely bypassed the interview process! However, once you get on site, they expect you to be GOOD at what they hired you for! Other companies couldn't have cared less about the cert and I have even had other companies tell me that "we can't afford you!" and not give me the chance to hear their offer!! I was going to go for my MCPD Web and MCPD Win, but with VS2008 coming out, you just KNOW that there's going to me another round of certifications coming with that. I don't know about you, but even being a Sr. Programmer Analyst, I don't make the kind of money that it would take me to keep up with Microsoft's Certification program. I miss the days when a certification was good more than 18 months! Just my opinion!

JamminJimE Microsoft Certified Application Developer