Jim Dettman
jimdettman at earthlink.net
Fri Feb 18 10:11:26 CST 2005
Dan, One can only hope<g>. Of course with Access, there will always be a demand. Too many "developers" get in over their heads quickly. But I do get tired of fighting the "Access is a toy" syndrome at times. Jim -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Dan Waters Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 10:22 AM To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving' Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then? Jim, The US economy will soon begin to suffer from many skilled people retiring, as they are in the baby boomer generation. I would suspect that you may be in more demand than ever a few years from now. Best of Luck! Dan Waters ProMation Systems -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Jim Dettman Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 8:38 AM To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then? Steve, 1. Access 2. Moving more into SQL Server both in terms of development and DBA. Also using VFP to develop one major app at the moment. Will be starting on .Net most likely in the latter half of this year. Starting to get calls for it. Still support a large number of legacy applications and still program in Fortran, NPL, and some other odds and ends stuff. 3. Independent. 4. None that I've bothered to keep up with. Had Access and VB at one point and was working on MSCD and MSCE but I started at looking at what I was spending vs what I was getting. Certifications are nice but bottom line is companies want results. I've never had to advertise as I've always worked on a referral basis, so the certifications don't mean all that much to me. I do a good job for clients at a reasonable price and word gets around. So for the past 23 years, I've never lacked for work. I do understand where your coming from though. I'm 45 now and have been asking myself a lot lately if I'm still going to be able to keep doing what I'm doing for the next 20 years. It's very hard to stay on top of all the new stuff and still keep everyone happy. If I wanted to make a career switch, it can't be too much longer as once I get into my fifties (egads!) I simply won't be as marketable anymore no matter what skills I have. On top of that is the lack of health insurance options, 401K, pension plan, etc. I know I could get all that one way or another, but it's costly. Jim -----Original Message----- From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com]On Behalf Of Steve Erbach Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 7:05 AM To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving Subject: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then? 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 -- AccessD mailing list AccessD at databaseadvisors.com http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com