How to Learn the 10 Technologies that Will Help You Stay Employed [Archive]

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Andy Sjostrom

01-09-2003, 11:05 AM

<a href="http://www.devx.com/devx/editorial/10432">http://www.devx.com/devx/editorial/10432</a> One of my favorite developer sites is <a href="http://www.devx.com">DevX.com</a>. A recent editorial by A. Russel Jones caught my interest and I'd like to share it with you! The article touches on the eternal subject of learning. By first having brought up 10 key technologies to stay on top of, Russel addresses how to learn them. The 10 technologies identified by Russel are: #1: XML #2: Web Services #3: Object-Oriented Programming #4: Java, C++, C#, and VB.NET #5: JavaScript #6: Regular Expressions #7: Design Patterns #8: Flash MX #9: Linux/Windows #10: SQL Yes, I agree. We would like to see some sort of "mobile" reference to this list but as we move forward I am convinced "mobile" will become an integral part of all key technologies and vice versa. Russel writes: "When we told our readers what technologies they needed to learn, they told us: easier said than done. While that's true, there is an approach to learning that can make it easier. With the right attitude and some essential resources, you'll be on your way slowly but surely." As professionals in the fast IT industry we have to constantly rethink, relearn and redo. How do you do it?

FredMurphy

01-09-2003, 11:26 AM

The trick to constantly being up to date on current technology is to be interested in it. Then it doesn't seem like work.

I'm OK on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 but don't mention 6 (Regular Expressions). Just started using them yesterday and it's driving me mad! :x

UPDATE: Off-topic but I'm sure all programmers will appreciate this... Just spend two days trying to get my head round Regular Expressions in ASP.NET and was having a real problem with quotes and whitespace. Assumed it was my lack of understanding of Regular Expressions, but it turns out my text had been HTML Encoded and all my quotes were now "..... :evil: :cry: two days..... OK - we've all done it before. Rant over.

:roll: Actually, accidentally back on topic again, I suppose this shows how we do it. We will spend two days learning to do something in a new improved way rather than two minutes doing it the "old" way.

Fred

JeZaD

01-09-2003, 02:08 PM

The REAL trick is to travel to work by train.

If you have a train journey time of at least 30 mins each way then you can be very productive. Download your white papers/literature before you leave and read the stuff on the way.

Also a good tip is to cut big heavy books along the spine, and just take the 100 pages you are currently need. That way they don't take up so much weight... and they can be real heavy!

Iain

01-09-2003, 02:21 PM

Andy Sjostrom

01-09-2003, 02:36 PM

I got my degree 2 years ago and without a proper job since then (it's not an easy task right now) I'm getting very very out of touch... it's getting to a point where I'm feeling like I need to redo the 3 years...

Don't worry. There is not a single degree out there that automatically has you on top of technology advancements. Getting the degree might have helped you learning how to learn, and hopefully provided you with programming basics and if your'e lucky: mathematics. Above that, in my opinion, a degree in computer science is not much more than a piece of paper.

I constantly have to redo the last 3 years. It's been that way since I started back in the 1980s! 8)

GadgetDave

01-09-2003, 03:37 PM

Interesting editorial. Although I might take issue with order, SQL seems like it should be higher on the list - when we bring a junior developer in at my company, that's one of the first places we start to see improvements ... you can do a lot of tricky stuff once you learn the ins and outs ... :)

I also kinda wish FlashMX wasn't on that list, because until broadband is really ubiquitous, flash has issues. Ever tried to hit a heavy flash site at 56k? (Although with DSL, it works great ;) )

icatar

01-09-2003, 03:53 PM

The REAL trick is to travel to work by train.

I agree 100%! The train certainly beats driving. But it's pretty brave to be chopping up your books! I wish all books came in a standard ebook format.

A lot of the opportunity to work on new stuff also depends on the company you work for. I'm fortunate that I work for a company that likes to move forward and use new technologies. I've seen many companies just paralyzed with fear of upgrades. It's hard to keep up to date with companies like that unless you spend hours away from work updating your skills.

Andy Sjostrom

01-09-2003, 04:06 PM

My tricks are:

1. have fun
2. trial and error
3. read books really fast
4. read sample code really slow

kennyg

01-09-2003, 04:12 PM

And I'd like to add:

5. Pick a pet side project and write Code!

Andy Sjostrom

01-09-2003, 04:22 PM

5. Pick a pet side project and write Code!

That is actually included in my number 1 and 2! :lol:

Janak Parekh

01-09-2003, 04:43 PM

There is not a single degree out there that automatically has you on top of technology advancements. Getting the degree might have helped you learning how to learn, and hopefully provided you with programming basics and if your'e lucky: mathematics. Above that, in my opinion, a degree in computer science is not much more than a piece of paper.
... with the possible exception of Regular Expressions. I didn't truly understand the concept behind RE's until I took computation theory and language courses, with the notion of deterministic finite automatons, grammars, parsers, etc.

--janak

kennyg

01-09-2003, 04:50 PM

5. Pick a pet side project and write Code!

That is actually included in my number 1 and 2! :lol:

Ooooooo

So you write code before you read the books and look at sample code :lol:

Andy Sjostrom

01-09-2003, 05:06 PM

So you write code before you read the books and look at sample code :lol:

yes :lol:

kfluet

01-09-2003, 05:09 PM

5. Pick a pet side project and write Code!

That is actually included in my number 1 and 2! :lol:

Ooooooo

So you write code before you read the books and look at sample code :lol:

Heyyyy....

I do that all the time and I am convinced it helps me learn a lot more once I do crack the book and read the code. Nothing like a "So that's how to do that..." to help something stick in my head.

Adam

01-09-2003, 06:00 PM

I also kinda wish FlashMX wasn't on that list, because until broadband is really ubiquitous, flash has issues. Ever tried to hit a heavy flash site at 56k? (Although with DSL, it works great ;) )

Apologies if this seems off topic, but it is on the list.

Don't write Flash MX off as a development tool, too quickly. It's tended to be incorrectly used (in the same way that DTP created some truely awful documents when it first came out) which is the cause of the flash heavy sites.

I've seen one or two very good flash only (okay, it had a behind the scenes DB) web applications that were quick (well quick enough) to load and did a very good job. One was a hotel booking system - worked as well as any GUI app I've seen. If Flash MX was better and more imaginatively used, it could actually be useful and people might be a bit happier seeing it. This is because Flash wasn't so hot until Macromedia bought Allaire and introduced their development expertise to it.

Personally, I much prefer a flash application than a Java one, on a website, as it takes ages for my JVM to start up in the browser and the Flash one would already be running.

However, I do agree with you that most flash sites are a pain. However I contend that that's because it got into the hands of the marketing people first :roll:

If you get a chance to see what's possible with it, I'd recommend doing so.
Just promise you'll never write an intro with it :D

laner

01-09-2003, 10:31 PM

5. Pick a pet side project and write Code!

That is actually included in my number 1 and 2! :lol:

That's a lot of how I attack things also. But over the years I've found myself learning enough about a given technology to get the job done and not getting to bogged down in unnecessary details. For example I used Kenny's library to do FTP after PPC2002 came out. To use it with eVB I had learn enough about activex/com to make it into a control.

Now if I could just get past the multiple form weirdness with .NETcf I'd be a happy camper.

-Lane

Bill Gunn

01-10-2003, 03:17 AM

Will T Smith

01-10-2003, 04:11 AM

3,4,5,6,7,9 and 10 have been on the list for at least 15 years. Also, IMHO, with over 20 years in software development, a degree in CS or Eng from a serious university is very valuable. I have hired some non-degreed MCSE's who can't write useable software because they don't understand anything besides coding. e.g. math, science, accounting :wink:

After being out of work a year, I have to comment that there is a general bias towards technical specific certification (MS, Java, Cisco, etc...) over your generic all-encompassing CS ciriculum. It's very frustrating because understanding syntax and memorizing definitions only gives someone a cursory understanding. It's sometimes very hard to explain that the ability to program transcends language. There are too many tech managers out there who don't understand technology and rely soly on third party certification.

On a side note, I stumbled on some excellent comparitive analysis of Java vs C# and got very psyched. Java is like an ideal language in a perfect world. C# is an effective language in the real world. The addition of contract based exeption ( ie: void myMethod() throws MyException {} ) and parameterized types would have made it a home run.

.NET will be huge as it transcends language and provides real platform independence( research the mono project for details). Hopefully a .net certification will get me some work :-)

Iain

01-10-2003, 10:13 AM

farnold

01-10-2003, 12:10 PM

As professionals in the fast IT industry we have to constantly rethink, relearn and redo. How do you do it?
The longer I am in this industry - and that more than 20 years now - the more I realize that exactly this is what drives the market. To its highs and - right now and quite justified - to its lows. I have to say: No, that's absolutly wrong!
Companies don't buy features and functions of JAVA, XML, SQL and so forth - they spent their hard earned bucks for the effects on their business. And if they don't come they just stop buying.
So I would say: learn a bit less of all this techy crap and a bit more about the business that your (potential) client does. That'll help you much better staying in your job... and your company as well... and finally your client's company too.
What's more successful? A good business without any technology or a technologically good company with any business? 2c are that simple.

FredMurphy

01-10-2003, 12:37 PM

So I would say: learn a bit less of all this techy crap and a bit more about the business that your (potential) client does.

I agree this is important, but only part of the picture. This is what a Business Analyst should be doing (or if you're an Analyst / Programmer it's one part of your job). The techy side of it enables you to put these requirements into action. Both very important.

As a contract A/P I have to say I really enjoy finding out about whatever business I'm getting involved in. Having just developed my first public-facing project for myself, it's true that it's the ideas, not the code, that make it a success.

[Shameless pug for "Everyone's Connected (http://www.EveryonesConnected.com)" :oops: - part of which was inspired by these forums, all of which was written using technology I wanted to learn.]

Fred

flipdoubt

01-22-2003, 02:52 PM

Speaking of regular expressions, can anyone recommend a good tutorial/book on regular expressions in .NET? Preferrably C#.

topps

02-10-2003, 08:21 AM

3,4,5,6,7,9 and 10 have been on the list for at least 15 years. Also, IMHO, with over 20 years in software development, a degree in CS or Eng from a serious university is very valuable. I have hired some non-degreed MCSE's who can't write useable software because they don't understand anything besides coding. e.g. math, science, accounting :wink:

Also, I would have thought that with today's IDEs that have helpful stuff like IntelliSense to help you with syntax niceties, that it is more important to understand proper coding principles.

My coding background is all self-taught. While I get things done, it takes me far longer than a real programmer and also much longer to get my programs debugged to a satisfactory level. Not really a good way to do things.

There was a discussion on CBC Radio about 6 months ago, with comments much along these lines. General consensus of the panel of software engineers, programmers, sys analysts etc was that it was much more worthwhile in the long term to develop good habits, rather that being "master of the month" on whatever language is currently sexy and in the news.