What is the demand in the International Job Market for msaccess ?
Companies rarely just hire a VB developer, or a person that JUST knows
oracle. What most companies hire is a person that bring them a solution to
their problems. So, the skills you learn using ms-access can be applied to
just about any system, and development environment you work with
2. How strong I can benefit out of msaccess knowlege ?
You can benefit a lot. Remember, ms-access is made up of several parts, and
each of those parts can take MANY years to get good at.
The coding part:
For example, you can write code in ms-access, and the coding language is VB
(well, actually it is called VBA (visual basic for applications)). This
programming language is quite flexible, but to learn to write code can take
a good deal of learning. In fact, the hard part about programming is not
learning the syntax, but how to write code. This is very much like math, in
that you can learn the +, -, and how to deal with basic numbers, but it is
the problem solving ability of math that makes math useful. So, not only do
you need to learn how to use math, but you need to be able to apply that
math to problem solving. If you written lots of code in VB, or written lots
of code in some other language, then it will take MUCH less time to learn to
code in ms-access. So, if one was to look for a job in ms-access, then I
would assume that you have fairly strong coding skills. Do you know how to
use arrays, do you know what recursion is? So, "coding" part of ms-access is
VERY large world in a sense of how much you want to learn.
The Sql Part
Ms-access forms, reports, many controls etc. are based on sql. sql is again
a another "large" concept area that once you learn in ms-access, you can
apply to other systems. In fact sql (structured query language) is used by
ALL MAJOR database systems. If you learn sql well in ms-access, you can use
those same sql skills in Oracle. Again, sql can take a very long time to
master.
Data Modeling
The concept of data modeling is perhaps the MOST important concept, and that
can take a good deal of learning again.
Gathering business requirements, and laying out work flows. Again, this is a
skill you likely need, and is NOT a skill that pertains to ms-access.
Also, how do you make user friendly software? (here is a article of mine on
this subject)
http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/Articles/UseAbility/UserFriendly.htm
What is perhaps most interesting here is that each of the above subjects can
go VERY deep (sql, writing code, building good UI, learning to model data).
What this means is that the skill level of a developer can vary from very
little knowledge, to people with 15, or 20 years of knowledge. The problem
with learning to write software is that it is a life long process, and one
that you never stop learning. Because the subjects can go soooo deep, then
the depth, and breath of what you can learn, and what you need to learn is
very large, and larger then MOST jobs.
In fact, if you don't love to code and write algorithms, then likely you
will never really like developing software.
However, ms-access is a rather interesting tool, as many business owners,
sectaries', accountants and the like have used the product to build
applications that solve problems on a daily basis. And, often many of these
people do not have formal training. So, as I mentioned, there is HUGE range
of skills in using a product like ms-access. I want to college,a and then
on to University to take computing science. So, I spent time at University,
and did not even scratch the beginning of what software and this world is
all about.
A company does not really hire a ms-access developer as much as they
purchase a solution. If I can hire you, and you can produce more software
then the value of hiring you..then I will hire you....in fact, I will hire
1000 people just like you!!
I explain the job market, and why people will hire a ms-access developer
here:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/Articles/fog0000000004.html