Need Career Advice:

[JayinMichigan]

Hello all ...

I'm 28, and after graduating from Cornell University with a degree in managerial
economics, I've been stuck in a non-IT corporation (automotive corporation)
for 4 years now, merely developing web pages (and paying off my student loans);
it's been a security-blanket type of job. They call me an "Intranet Applications
Specialist", but I don't know if that title really applies to me.

My question deals with the future (as do many questions on here). I want
to do something that will put me in demand, and my company will pay for one
class at New Horizons. I'm not sure what precisely to focus on.

After taking a mini-exam, I was told that just one of their classes will
suffice in helping me attain Java-Certification. I'm not sure if this Certification
will help me out 6 months down the road or not; some say it's obsolete, others
say it's valuable. Will my experience plus the certification get me a good
paying job? I'm definitely not an expert programmer like .netguy, but I'd
like to think I'm semi-intelligent and can pick up on things relatively quickly.


Basically, what I'm asking ... should I choose this Java class/certification,
or should I focus on something else ... and if so, what? I mean, should
I try to focus more on ASP/VBscript? I just want to take the class that
can best-suit me for the next 6 months, and then I'll take it from there
with continued training.

Thank you everyone for your help,

Jay

[David K.]

"JayinMichigan" <Lockeja1@aol.com> wrote:
>Basically, what I'm asking ... should I choose this Java class/certification,
>or should I focus on something else ... and if so, what? I mean, should
>I try to focus more on ASP/VBscript? I just want to take the class that
>can best-suit me for the next 6 months, and then I'll take it from there
>with continued training.
>

Nobody has a crystal ball to say what is going to be the "hot" skill in the
coming years. It's sort of like trying to find the pot of gold at the end
of the rainbow. My opinion (and its just that - an opinion) is that Java
will still be around in the near term, despite Microsoft's effort to "kill"
it with C#. I don't think you can go wrong learning Java, if that is what
interests you.

Probably the biggest obstacle you will face is lack of work experience in
Java. You didn't mention exactly what you are doing other that to say that
you are designing web pages, but I assume you mean something along the lines
of HTML and maybe some CSS and some CGI scripting. Java is very different
from designing web pages. It is a full fledged programming language, so
it requires a different skill set from straight web design. Some employers
may be hesitant to give you a chance as a programmer without real world programming
experience.

My advice would be to try and incorporate as many programming projects into
your current job as you can. Since you have a track record with your current
employer, they might be more open to you branching out into programming.
Once you get some experience under your belt, you will be in a better position
to test the employment waters, if that is what you want to do.

Good luck!

[JayinMichigan]

Thanks a lot for your advice,

Jay