I’ve been a systems programmer on IBM mainframes for over 20 years now and that’s been a good thing for quite a while. The pay’s been good and it seemed that job security was never going to be a problem. Well, that’s changed. What with corporate downsizing and outsourcing, things aren’t as secure as they once were. So, I’m thinking that it sure wouldn’t hurt get some training in other IT disciplines. The problem is I’m not sure what I should be looking at.
Are the certification offerings from Microsoft and Cisco (for example) worth going after? What programming skills are needed nowadays? (I can program, it’s just that I’ll need to learn new languages and concepts) Can I pick them up quickly on my own, or will I need to go to school? Anything else I should consider?
Well, I don’t know anything about mainframes, so I don’t know how much of what you know is applicable to other environments. As I hear it, the market is pretty saturated with everything these days, and most companies that are hiring are looking for specialists in a particular area.
That said, if you’re going to learn programming, learn C and/or C++. They’re used everywhere, but it seems to me that most people who want to program go for either Java or Visual Basic. You should be able to get everything you need with an internet connection.
There’s the Borland C++ Compiler 5.5. A great compiler, but it’s command line only, no IDE. The Bloodshed Software Dev-C++ - The compiler is based on gcc, and it comes with a great IDE. For learning material, Bruce Eckel has made his “Thinking in C++” books available on line for free, and they’re very good. There are several web-sites dedicated to general programming (like www.cplusplus.com or www.codeguru.com) or more specific areas (like www.gamedev.net for game development, or www.gameai.com for AI within games).
So, there you go, and happy hunting!