SOFTWARE DEVELOPER BOOT CAMP

The challenge facing software developers with legacy programming skills is that that of spending the time or money it takes to learn a modern, object oriented programming language or that of marketing their existing legacy programming skills to a niche market!

In this issue, we will address the challenge facing a legacy Visual Basic programmer with more than 30 years of programming experience.

Question – I have more than 30 years of legacy programming experience in Visual Basic and Viual basic for Applications. In my last project, I was hired as a .NET Project Leader. What career track should I follow?

Answer – How To Re-Train or Upgrade Legacy Programming Skills

Are you looking to gain marketable skills or do you want to get back into project management or perhaps learn C# and .NET Framework?

What is the actual problem facing you … the challenge of marketing legacy programming skills or transitioning to a Microsoft .NET Framework Career?

1. The Market for Legacy Programming Skills – If you are thinking of staying with your Visual Basic or Visual Basic for Application programming skills, you need to find clients with Visual Basic Projects and start a conversation with them. There are specialized markets where you can source or freelance or consult for clients who still need help with legacy programming projects.
2. Upgrading Legacy Programming Skills -your other option is to upgrade your legacy programming skills by learning a modern object oriented programming language like C# or even Visual Basic .NET. Since you already know Visual Basic and Visual Basic for Applications, it may be better for you to start off learning Visual Basic .NET and then move to ASP.NET after wards. If you decide to upgrade your programming skills, you will be looking at learning Microsoft .NET Framework technologies for a span of six months to one year.
3. Become a Project Manager – You may also decide that you don't like technology details or that you have spent so many years as a programmer and you are not willing to learn a new programming language. If that is the situation, you need to consider becoming a project manager for technology projects. This option may hold some really good promise for you, especially if you are tired of always learning new technologies. Your background in programming and technology can definitely come in handy for your new career, you just need to re-brand your resume and your career accordingly.
4. Personal Branding for Legacy Programmers – look into starting a personal branding campaign. The goal of the personal branding campaign is to re-position you as a Project Manager with a strong programming / technology background or as a highly experienced Visual Basic for Applications programmer. The objectives of your personal branding campaign will be in-line your stated goal and it should include re-writing or re-branding your resume as well.

If you do, please let me know and also review these additional resources:

Computer Programming is one of the most portable careers … as in you can work with the same skill sets in the USA, Canada, Britain or India.

Also, the industry is not big on degrees or titles … the programming industry however is crazy about your raw talent based on experience and ability to demonstrate competence on the job … which is exactly what the Software Developer Boot Camp training offers..

Depending on your risk profile, you may start with being a contract programmer … contract programmers are expected to be the best at the same time, they do not have or need an offer of full-time employment because they can take their skills anywhere anytime, anyplace and get hired immediately.

As a contract programmer, you will be earning about $30/hr. for a full-40 hr. week with benefits, etc. within 6 months of completing the Software Developer Boot Camp Training.

If you transition into full-time employment instead of contract programming, I would expect your entry-level salary to be in the range of $40k to $45K. After the first six months, you can earn more money as well.

If you are hard working and motivated, I believe you would even do better than these figures … but I don’t want to start by raising your hopes too high or you may end up just obsessing about the money and forget that if you are really good at what you do, you will get paid a lot more!

I hope that I have given you sufficient data and confidence to act on … if you would like to move forward with the “software developer training”, enroll on softwaredeveloperbootcamp.com:

We don’t recommend C/C++ computer programmer careers for the following reasons:

1. Learning Curve – it has a steeper learning curve than other popular, commercial programming languages like Java, C#, Visual Basic .NET or PHP

2. Time to Market – It is not suitable for business application development because it takes more time to build a web application (an e-commerce web application for example) in C/C++ than in PHP or C# or Visual Basic .NET

3. Support Costs – It is easier to maintain Visual Basic .NET or C# or PHP Applications than it is to maintain C/C++ Applications because it has a steeper learning curve and because it takes longer to build C/C++ Applications.

4. Market Demand – The demand is right now for business application development (web sites, desktop software, web applications) and C/C++ programmers are not usually hired for such projects.

5. Compensation – A C/C++ programmer still has to specialize in a market like systems programming or device programming or game programming to earn a living. They can’t just freelance any of the well known programming markets or through the regular recruiters because there is little demand for their skills. So, they tend to be compensated poorly or even find it hard to get jobs!

This is just a summary of some of the issues that they are facing … we coach or consult with a whole suite of programmers and we can see the issues that they are facing with their software development careers from 30,000 feet … I suggest that you read the rest of my article to get the full gist of my points.

Read the rest of this article – Learning C++ Programming Language Is Bad For Your Career

Software Developers Career Help

This question was posted by a legacy (mainframe) computer programmer who needs advice on “becoming a Microsoft .NET software developer”.

If you have questions about your software developer career, be sure to post it as a comment on this page and it will be answered.

Here is the Legacy Mainframe Computer Programmer’s Question:

I’m having a very tough time finding a position after being laid off.

I have 12 years programming experience in mainframe environment.

Education wise I have an associates degree and am currently in school to upgrade to bachelors degree. At the same time my skills are being upgraded.

I have having a very difficult time finding work in any environment.

I am interested in crossing platforms and willing to start at entry level pay. However, all jobs are requiring experience and my resume is denied because the only experience I have in .NET/Web is class work.

I don’t know what is holding me back (except that I’m intraverted…), nor do I understand how to move forward. If you have any advice – I’m all ears.

Thank you in advance for any help.

Career Advice For Legacy (Mainframe) Programmers Transitioning to Microsoft .NET

Software Developers Boot Camp

In the current job market, Microsoft .NET Programmers are highly employable … we get quite a bit of calls from recruiters asking for Microsoft.NET skills.

So, transitioning to .NET development will help because Microsoft .NET Programmers are in-demand in the current job market.

The reason why your situation is different is that software development careers are specialized, skill based careers.

For example Visual Basic programmers (classic Visual Basic or VB6) may find it hard to get jobs while Visual Basic .NET programmers are in-demand because of the demand for .NET Programming skills.

Another real-world example is with Active Server Pages (ASP) skills. ASP programmers may find it hard to get jobs while ASP.NET programmers are in-demand.

So, when it comes to computer programming or software development, your past years of programming experience doesn’t count except if your skills are current.

What counts is how current or up-to-date your skills are! So, when you will may have a hard time getting a new programming job until you update your programming skills!

Because when it comes to hiring computer programmers, you’re only in-demand if you have the lastest computer programming (Microsoft.NET) skills.

Also, Educational qualifications are nice on your resume but they won’t persuade a hiring manager to hire you for a cutting-edge computer programming job.

So, here is what you need to do:

1. Learn Microsoft .NET, ASP.NET, C# programming. You can learn these programming skills at the Software Developer Boot Camp.

   Learn SQL Server database design and development because a lot of Microsoft.NET job postings require SQL Server Database Development Skills (even when they are not stated on the job posting).

   Database Development skills are important for Microsoft .NET Programmers because hiring managers prefer to keep their head count or staffing costs as low as possible.

   So, they would prefer a Microsoft .NET Developer who can write or code their own stored procvedures and then pass it on to the DBA to review and add to the database.

   Right now, we have a special that allows you to join both the SQL Boot Camp and the Software Developer Boot Camp for only $49 more!

2. Get lot’s of hands-on experience. This is another area where some developers miss it!

   Getting a Software Development Degree is not enough to get a job! You have to approach the hiring manager with a lit of projects that you’ve worked on using the skills that they want.

   The Software Developer Boot Camp comes provides you with hands-on software development experience so that by the time you finish training, you have some good hands-on experience to show for your time.

3. What gets you hired? When it comes to getting hired, it is better to be as direct as possible. The reaon why you are not getting hired is that you don’t have hands-on software development experience in Microsoft .NET programming.
   So, the best plan is to give the hiring managers what the want … ” A Resume that says that you have hands-on Microsoft.NET Software Development Experience“.

This post answers a question posted by a legacy (mainframe) software developer who needs advice on “transitioning or making a career move to Microsoft .NET Development”!

If you need help with your career, Contact Us or Post your Question as a comment and you will get the help that you’re asking for!

Software Developer Career Help

This question was posted by a reader who needs advice on “transitioning to a career in software development”.

If you have questions about your software developer career, be sure to post it as a comment on this page and it will be answered.

Here is the Developer’s Question:

Is Learning SharePoint A Good Career Move?

The company I work for wants me to learn and gear up to become a SharePoint developer.

But I am not sure if this the right move for my career and if Sharepoint is a valuable skill to add to my resume?

For your information I have been working for that company for 8 years mainly as a Client/Server developer using PowerBuilder.

But for the last 3 years I have also picked up and worked on Informatica/Teradata along side my main job.

Which one has more market demand and may be also a better pay; Informatica, SharePoint or PowerBuilder?

Career Advice For Software Developers

Software Developer Boot Camp

Transitioning to SharePoint development is a good career move for the following reasons:

In the last year, there has been an increase in the demand for SharePoint software development skills.

Because of that we have been receiving calls from IT recruiters asking for sharepoint developers or consultants for high-paying SharePoint projects.

SharePoint developer billing rates are rising because of the demand for skilled developers

$60+/hr. and more or six figure salaries are available is in-spite of the current economic situation.

If you learn SharePoint as part of a general strategy of learning Microsoft .NET, C#, ASP.NET and OOP, then you have nothing to lose because you can be hired for SharePoint Jobs or Microsoft.NET Jobs.

Right now the market demand for SharePoint is going through the roof.

After many years of iteration and development, the current version of SharePoint is being well-received, adopted and implemented by IT Managers.

Is there a future for SharePoint you ask? The turth is that no-one can predict the future … but you can make a bet or an informed decision based on the past!

So, based on Microsoft’s marketing performance in the past, learn Microsoft.NET, C#, ASP.NET, SQL Server and then SharePoint now because in 2 years time, you will be one of those highly-paid, SharePoint Consultants or Developers!

This post answers a question posted by a software developer who needs advice on “transitioning or making a career move to Sharepoint Development”!

If you need help with your career, Contact Us or Post your Question as a comment and you will get the help that you’re asking for!