"Jason Daly" wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
:
: I'm a freshman at college as a computer science major.
: I'm not sure it has what I want. Does anyone know if a major commonly
: exists in web design (focusing in server side languages)? I want to
: program for the internet, but don't know where to get all of my
: information from to be the most knowledgeable I can be. Do i find what
: i'm looking for in some class somewhere? if so where do i look? or do i
: just buy all the asp, php, xml, etc books i can find? or do I just
: scour over problems and solutions in these forums?
:
: The school i'm at now is teaching C++ and Java, followed by other
: computer courses unrelated specifically to internet, even if I want this
: to be my profession.
: I'm looking at a school of lesser prestige, which does offer some
: courses in web development.
:
: What exactly should I be looking for from my college and my major in
: order to know what I need to know when i get out and want to become a
: web developer for a career?
Jason...
You're young enough to try quite a bit to see what you like. My advice is
to get the C++/Java experience if you can. While I would not limit myself
to just those languages, they will be helpful for working in the UNIX world
and/or application development. The .NET technology allows many languages
to be used for application development that can interface with the web. If
you want to be a developer, specifically for the web, you will work with an
array of languages. Rarely will you only work on the server side since it
interfaces with the client, so you need to be familiar with both and how
they communicate together.
It is also helpful to have, which a lot of programmers do not, is networking
knowledge. I have run across numerous programmers who think they know
networking but sadly, they do not. If you have an understanding, rather
than just an expertise with a language, you'll accomplish more in a shorter
period of time.
You need your college degree to get in the door. Certifications will also
help you get some understanding and in the door. Experience will keep you
there. If you're just paper smart, they'll soon find out and you'll be
looking for another job. You have to think logically to troubleshoot and
experience gives you the foundation to troubleshoot faster.
I have been working with computers since 1979. I program in almost 30
languages but my main strengths are network design and security. I went
through the same type of scenario as the folks at Enron. The only
difference is we had to sign an agreement not to sue the company to get our
packages. There is a name for that in the legal profession. I have been
unable to find full time work now for over two years. Why? I can't get in
the door and with the rate I'm looking for, it is hard to get that without
some paper behind me. It appears that experience and knowing what I'm
doing, and being able to prove I can do it, for some reason is not good
enough. I do not have a college degree nor do I have a string of
certifications behind my name. I am over-qualified for most positions I
apply for but you can't fight the system. I tried putting myself through
college when I was 27-30 but eating was a greater priority so I had to drop
out. You also need to have a 4 year degree minimum because 2-year really
doesn't mean that much to get past HR.
I eventually worked my way up to a 6 figure income but after 9-11, Enron,
Dynagy, Compaq-HP merger, not having a college degree and not many
certifications, and living in Houston where most of the layoffs took place,
it has been extremely difficult to secure a permanent position. You do NOT
want to be put in that position. Get your degree while you can because
having that piece of paper is crucial and will be beneficial to you for the
rest of your life. Beyond that, get every certification you can relative to
that area you want to work in. Network with people in the industry because
it still is who you know more than what you know. With so many paper SEs
and developers out there, you still need someone to walk your resume over
and put it on the top of the pile. One more thing, hiring a professional to
land you a position will tend to benefit you in the long run for a higher
salary, signing bonus, etc. Head hunters are not trustworthy or reliable.
Putting your resume out on the net gets you more spam than offers and it
generally will get you more contract work than potential full time. Nothing
beats word of mouth.
Good luck.
--
Roland Hall
/* This information is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
without any warranty; without even the implied warranty of merchantability
or fitness for a particular purpose. */
Technet Script Center -
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/
WSH 5.6 Documentation -
http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/list/webdev.asp
MSDN Library -
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp 
