Have Bench Time - want to pick up another language - C# or JAVA?

[Charles Rush]

I have some bench time and want to pick up a new language to, perhaps,
reduce the amount of bench time in the future. To that end, I've been
looking at either the C#/.NET (VB/.NET?) thing with the goal of getting
an MCAD, or going the JAVA route getting a Sun certification. What do
you think? Is the Sun training the best for JAVA? What about C# or VB
training?

A little background. I've been a programmer for about 20 years with
languages going back to the old BASIC. I'm primarily a mainframe
programmer with IBM Assembler, but also have Fortran, COBOL, and PL/I.
I also have Javascript, HTML, TC/L, and the older Visual Basic. I have
taken intro classes in C, JAVA, and C++ but though they paid for the
classes, my company wouldn't let me transfer to positions where I could
actually use them. I'm currently in the process of finishing a quick
tutorial on Prolog just to get the feel of it. In addition, I have the
Visual Studio 6.0 suite (C++ and VB), but because of work demands, never
got around to installing it.

Thanks

[Yoyoma_2]

Charles Rush wrote:

I have some bench time and want to pick up a new language to, perhaps,
reduce the amount of bench time in the future. To that end, I've been
looking at either the C#/.NET (VB/.NET?) thing with the goal of getting
an MCAD, or going the JAVA route getting a Sun certification. What do
you think? Is the Sun training the best for JAVA? What about C# or VB
training?
C# resembles java very much though from what i hear, C# isn't adopted
much yet. Not many companies are developing in C#, most are still
porting products made in VC++ or VB.
A little background. I've been a programmer for about 20 years with
languages going back to the old BASIC. I'm primarily a mainframe
programmer with IBM Assembler, but also have Fortran, COBOL, and PL/I.
I also have Javascript, HTML, TC/L, and the older Visual Basic. I have
taken intro classes in C, JAVA, and C++ but though they paid for the
classes, my company wouldn't let me transfer to positions where I could
actually use them. I'm currently in the process of finishing a quick
tutorial on Prolog just to get the feel of it. In addition, I have the
Visual Studio 6.0 suite (C++ and VB), but because of work demands, never
got around to installing it.
VB certification is a joke. I wouldn't bother with that. If you will
be doing VC++ or Java, they won't make you do VB. VB is what we give to
2 year college diploma graduates who barley know how to program, for a
20 year programmer .

You took intro classes in Java you say, but they won't let you transfer.
You didn't say exactly why they won't. If its an experience thing,
then get on it. If its a managment thing then your choices are more open.

Java is a good language to learn, it teaches you the purist OO approach
and you can side-linkage that to C++ knowledge. Java uses a lot of
modern ideas (Design patterns, pure OO, methodologies etc.) that have
just recently came out since 1995.

I also know that java programmers get paid more than VB and even C/C++
programmers even, but that was during the boom. To be a good java
programmer, you need ot be good in object oriented design, and also
pretty good with computer science in general.

Look throughout the company, waht do they need the most? And train
yourself for that. I think you wouldn't have any problems doing VB, but
taking a java course could be usefull. Or maby (even better) take a
methodologies course at a local university. Even if its by
correspondance, usually having the material in a formal way really helps.

Athabaska University has some good courses by correspondance... Very popular

Thanks

[Charles Rush]

Yoyoma_2 wrote:

VB certification is a joke. I wouldn't bother with that. If you will
be doing VC++ or Java, they won't make you do VB. VB is what we give
to 2 year college diploma graduates who barley know how to program,
for a 20 year programmer .

You took intro classes in Java you say, but they won't let you
transfer. You didn't say exactly why they won't. If its an
experience thing, then get on it. If its a managment thing then your
choices are more open.

Java is a good language to learn, it teaches you the purist OO
approach and you can side-linkage that to C++ knowledge. Java uses a
lot of modern ideas (Design patterns, pure OO, methodologies etc.)
that have just recently came out since 1995.

I also know that java programmers get paid more than VB and even C/C++
programmers even, but that was during the boom. To be a good java
programmer, you need ot be good in object oriented design, and also
pretty good with computer science in general.

Look throughout the company, waht do they need the most? And train
yourself for that. I think you wouldn't have any problems doing VB,
but taking a java course could be usefull. Or maby (even better) take
a methodologies course at a local university. Even if its by
correspondance, usually having the material in a formal way really helps.

Athabaska University has some good courses by correspondance... Very
popular

The company never lets me go to another app is because I'm VERY good at
what I do in Assembler. They basically let me go to the classes as a
reward instead of pay increases. It's not an uncommon problem in large
companies. I'm hoping that certification in a new language will help me
break out of here and into another company. I kind of assumed what you
stated with the VB, I don't think I was very serious about it.