to .net or not?

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Developwebsites

I graduated in CIS from a CUNY college(dont laugh) without taking
any .net courses.
having a hard time finding a job as it is, and seeing that people
with 5 or more years are struggling in this job market, should I
even bother taking .net courses?
I think if a company wants to switch to .net, fine, let them pay for training
of their employees then.
however, are companies really switching to .net or is it just the new ones just
starting out using it?
what are the costs of switching to .net anyway?
 
If the company is a Microsoft shop, chances are they have already switched
to .NET or are planning on it since MS will stop supporting VS 6 in the near
future.

Upgrading to .NET may mean hardware upgrades as well as the VS .NET software
licenses. Also, .NET is not just the next evolution of the last programming
paradigm from MS. There will be a learning curve for virtually any MS
developer moving to .NET.

I think you should definitely begin to expose yourself to .NET. There is no
shortage of online material and samples (GotDotNet.com, etc.) to begin to
learn from.
 
I think if a company wants to switch to .net, fine, let them pay for
training
of their employees then.
Click to expand...

It's been a long time since someone in the IT job market could successfully
hold that kind of arrogant attitude about their skills.

When a company interviews a potential employee, one of the things they're
interested in is whether the individual brings skills that are directly and
immediately applicable to the problems that they have to solve. If you come
into an interview with a company that uses .Net and can tell them that
you've already competent in that development platform, you've just earned
yourself some points: they can assume that they're not going to have to
immediately spend money training an unproven employee and possibly throw
their money away if you can't measure up (although they're undoubtedly going
to test your knowledge to discover whether you're trying to scam them).
There's nothing that an employer likes better than to hire someone and
discover that they're immediately productive. Try to show your interviewers
that you are that person.

So my advice would be to get the skills yourself (assuming that you want to
work for a company that uses .Net). It's a tough job market out there these
days.

On the other hand, if you don't want to learn the .Net technology, I suggest
that you focus your job search on companies that use what you already know,
and try to sell yourself to them. But in either case it'd be a good idea to
work on your attitude.

Good luck in your job search,
Tom Dacon
Dacon Software Consulting
 
Congratulations on your graduation...
Good news is: you've learned a lot.
Bad news is: you are not done...

I've been writing code for 24 years. I can look back over all that time
and, without exception, I can make the following statement:

There is no single two-year-window that I can find, anywhere in my
career,
where I was using the same technologies or doing the same job at the
end
of the time period as I was doing at the beginning.

You have graduated. Now is the time to START learning, not the time to
stop. You have to drive your own learning. You must not stop for the rest
of your professional life. If you expect someone else to take the
initiative for you, you will be quickly be overtaken by eager developers who
live in India, China, South Africa, Israel, Bulgaria, Poland, Russia, etc.
I've personally met developers from each of these places or been in
situations where I've had to bid against them.

They will not wait for a benign employer to give them success on a platter.

They will study on their own time. They will grow their skills
continuously. They will compete. They will be smart, agile, and ready. If
you aren't ready to compete, your place in this technical world may not last
long.

Welcome to the speedway. Start your engines...

--- Nick Malik
a half dozen platforms, a half dozen languages, three paradigm shifts,
every job in the IT department, and still learning...
 
having a hard time finding a job as it is, and seeing that people
with 5 or more years are struggling in this job market, should I
even bother taking .net courses?
Click to expand...

Yes, absolutely- having finished college doesn't mean you can stop
learning!

The more you know, the more different technologies you've been playing
around with, and gotten used to, the better. Both for you (since
you'll know more than the other guy), and also because it shows
passion and willingness to improve your own skills - that's a plus, in
any market. These days, companies don't face a shortage of applicants
- the best ones win, not the laziest ones!
however, are companies really switching to .net or is it just the new ones just
starting out using it?
what are the costs of switching to .net anyway?
Click to expand...

Heck, if even a local government here (which is known to be extremely
conservative and prudent) switches to .NET big time, I think it's safe
to say that yes, even large companies and governments *ARE* going the
..NET path - get on the .NET wave as early as you can!

Marc
 
Developwebsites said:
I graduated in CIS from a CUNY college(dont laugh) without taking
any .net courses.
having a hard time finding a job as it is, and seeing that people
with 5 or more years are struggling in this job market, should I
even bother taking .net courses?
I think if a company wants to switch to .net, fine, let them pay for training
of their employees then.
however, are companies really switching to .net or is it just the new ones just
starting out using it?
what are the costs of switching to .net anyway?
Click to expand...
In addition to what others have told you...
Going to an interview with an attitude of "...let them pay for training..."
is a sure way to get your resume filed in the circular device. In tough job
markets, you need to find ways to stand out. One way is to be able to
demonstrate initiative by learning beyond college on your own. Make use of
free information cited in the other responses, and investigate .NET classes
often found at community colleges. In addition, inquire whether the college
CS departments are MSDNAA members. If they are, you should be able to obtain
a *free* copy of Visual Studio .NET, just by taking a class.
 
There is no
shortage of online material and samples (GotDotNet.com, etc.) to begin to
learn from.
Click to expand...

right, but my main concern is about the job market being flooded with "computer
programmers" from India, Russian etc.
 
Upgrading to .NET may mean hardware upgrades as well as the VS .NET software
licenses. Also, .NET is not just the next evolution of the last programming
paradigm from MS. There will be a learning curve for virtually any MS
developer moving to .NET.

I think you should definitely begin to expose yourself to .NET.
Click to expand...


so if a company has employees with no knowledge of .Net, and they do switch to
..Net, will the employees be laidoff and replaced with those who do, or is the
company then obligated to retrain its employees, and wait until the training is
done which could take months?
 
At least here in the states, the company has no such obligation. Unless
you have a very unusual contract, there is normally a clause that gives
the employer the right to terminate any employee at will, with a two
week notice. :(
 
You're not an employee with no knowledge of .NET - you're someone looking
for a job with no knowledge of .NET. The things are very different. In
reality, any decent company would be much better retraining its staff
(unless they're not worth it, in which case it might be a good time to cut
them loose) - much better to keep good staff and pay a little to develop
them than start from scratch.

Steve
 
If you have the requisite skills, knowledge and experience, why would a
company care where you are from?

..NET is not new, but it is also not nearly a saturated market. There are
plenty of opportunities for skilled developers either for contract or
permanent jobs.
 
Any company considering switching to .NET will take into account the "Total"
Cost of Ownership. This includes the costs associated with hiring and/or
training employees. Don't forget that there are costs for a company to let
an employee go. If they have skilled developers already on staff, it may be
cheaper to train them in .NET, rather than fire them and bring in new
employees pre-skilled in .NET.
 
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