jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

Facing redundancy within the next few months and IT is an area I have always had an interest in, so I am thinking now is an ideal time to do something about it (company will pay for courses etc)

I see there is a lot of Java type jobs going (around the Manchester area) so I am thinking of something along those lines.
I am also thinking of web design as something to do part time as well for extra income.

If I was to chose the Java route, does anyone recommend any worthwhile courses that will help in gaining employment?

Also I had basic C programming skills back in the early 90's before VC / VC++ came out, would it be worwhile doing a C# course as well?

Any other paths recommended? Looking for something that would pay a minimum of £25k

GaryK

Java is still popular although that has waned in recent years and I think that c# has overtaken it in terms of available jobs. If its Java then you can do Suns Java Certification and I think for M$ its MCSD. That said qualifications mean little, unfortunately its all about experience. You might want to choose your language then approach people you know that own businesses that need something writing (which you do for free) just to gain that experience and build testamonials/case studies.

The other thing to bear in mind these days with IT is that just having core language (c#, java) skills is never enough. Many employers want framework and or/SDK knowledge so struts/hibernate/j2ee on the java side and obviously .net framework on the c# side as well as DB skills good SQL with TSQL (for SQL Server) or PL/SQL (Oracle).

Dont let that put you off, perservere and you will get there!

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

cheers Gary, I am th8nking about SQL as well as this seems to be tied in with the jobs that I have seen. The J2EE thing is something I will look into as well as the Java (have it on my notepad as things to look into )

Iain Young

Agreed on the experience thing. A green "learnt from a book / course" programmer isn't a very attractive prospect for potential employers. If you can find some sort of project which demonstrates your skills in this area, it will likely volumes more than any "qualification" (I've seen quite a few useless but qualified developers over the years).

J2EE and Java is getting to be a bit old hat these days. Good to learn the basics of OO programming though. You'd be well advised to look at c# and cloud computing as well...

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

whats cloud computing????

Dedrater

Now is the time to put your computer skills to use..

Type Google in the address bar, then type 'cloud computing' click the first link.

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

didnt work, should I type www.google.com in instead as that seems to work with other sites

JackClark

Cloud Computing

Dedrater

Then you should be using Firefox

Dedrater

lol from JackClarks thread..

Let me google that for you

I had to post it

Will

darlodge

That is one of the best links I have eve seen

boxst

Remember that whilst It is still a viable career it certainly doesn't pay as much as it used to until you have proven yourself to be very good.

As someone who has interviewed many so-called Java programmers (and specifically trainers) all I can say is that the quality is severely lacking at the moment. So if you can get an entry level position and then work your way up you will do well.

Steve

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

cheers Steve, problem is I dont think entry level will pay enough
may have to rethink my plans.....

Iain Young

Realistically, I think there are too many unemployed Java devs with experience out there for you to get anything other than an entry level position...

GaryK

Thats always going to be the problem in any trade though Jay, not just IT you have to take a long term view of things. And agree with Iain, java skills for devs even with j2ee experience don't command much of a premium.

Iain Young

The trouble is that for an "experienced" developer, coding in Java is actually pretty easy (it's not a complicated language at all and certainly a lot easier than something like c++). Because of this, there are a large number of people out there doing it already. It's a difficult profession to break into at the moment (especially in the current climate with a lot of devs being laid off, projects being put on hold etc).

If you are serious about doing it, then you have to look at the longer term picture and be prepared to take a pay cut for a while. You also need to try and get some sort of experience under your belt so you can make yourself stand out from the crowd. Examples of software you have worked on would be good.

Perhaps you could have a look at sourceforge, find a project you like the look of, and start making contributions. Could be a good way of getting your skills up and having demonstrable software at the end of it...

jaytc2003

iTrader: (1)

cheers Iain will look into that