Randall Anthony
randall.anthony at cox.net
Fri Feb 18 08:29:06 CST 2005
Steve, I find myself in a position similar to yours, unfortunately I got laid off in the process (lack of contractual funding, natch). 1. I was very much immersed in developing and maintaining dbases and applications from Access2.0 through A2K, using SQL and ASP pages for some. 2. As the work slowed down, my access to developing new apps disappeared. Consequently, when push came to shove, my skillsets deteriorated. 3. The company I worked for was a division of a defense contractor with a small IT department. Last I heard that division's IT department is getting smaller. 4. So, during this "sabbatical", I decided to bite the bullet. I've got one class left, SQL Server 2K Implementation and Administration. I'm now an MCP in ASP.Net development, I'm studying to pass the SQL Programming exam next week, then I have two exams left to get my MCDBA. If I had achieved this while working, that company would have given me a bonus and a pay raise, however, even if I had accomplished this with them, I still would have gotten the axe. I have spoken with a number of professionals in the field when I was contemplating getting my Masters degree. Most concurred that a Masters would be beneficial if you were aiming for management type positions within the IT world, but the return on investment would be negligible if I wished to remain technical. Ergo, the next best thing to separate oneself from the pack in IT is to get certified (in my humble opinion). I'm starting to get more positive replies from companies I have submitted a resume to, and I feel fairly confident that I will be affiliated with someone soon. I think that could be attributed to my obtaining certification. Randy. Dear Group, Could you indulge me in a little survey? 1) What's your main line of work these days? Access development, SQL Server administration/development, VB, ASP/ASP.NET, PHP...? 2) How does your work today differ from what you were doing a few years ago? Is it only that you're using newer versions of the same tools, or are you doing entirely different development work? 3) Are you independent or do you work for a company? If you work for a company, what's the size of the company and where do you fit in? 4) Do you have any Microsoft Certifications? If so, do you keep current with them, and/or have they made any difference in your current position? Thank you very much. I'm approaching a career crossroads with the decision to stay in business as an independent developer or not. I have picked up a fair amount of .NET knowledge (the hard way -- is there any other?) but I have no Microsoft certifications. Regards, Steve Erbach Scientific Marketing Neenah, WI www.swerbach.com Security Page: www.swerbach.com/security -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com