What direction in software development?
 

I need to advise someone on what would be a good area to get into if they wanted to be a developer. No clue where to point them. I'm a network guy, not my forte.

Thoughts?

Java and .net are hot right now.

Web 2.0, application servers, mash-up technologies (Google gears, Yahoo pipes)

It's a toss-up between COBOL and Fortran. :)

Assuming they're really interested in development (rather than computers in general) I'd look into .NET, Ruby on Rails, mobile application dev (i.e. for your cell/blackberry/iPhone), and good old Java.

Actually, there's some truth to that- COBOL developers are getting hard to find as the old geezers die off. A good COBOL developer has a nice long-term ticket.

Video Games

.NET, C#, IronRuby if they are interested in the MS stuff.

How about SAP?


BTW, screw being a developer ----- how about DBA! The ticket nowadays is having skills that can't be outsourced to Philippines, China, India, ........

.ASP, .Net, and SQL, and of cousre Java

Thats good advice, I just wrapped a project called "VDI" (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.) We deployed a few new farms of servers and about 800 virtual desktops to date. Subsequently we let 800 domestic developers go when we turned those new desktops over to India. We now have no domestic software development , and we were one of the larger employers of software engineers.

Been doing computer crap since the punch card days. I have seen VisiCalc, SuperCalc turn into Excel. Saw this turn into that; saw the mighty Cobol programmers turn unemployed (saw them literally die too); know companies who hired a bunch of contractors to upgrade their system and let old-timers get let go..... you name it.

I think I am still in the game due to a) people skills and b) problem-solving skills ---- (though I do not know how much longer I would last :p).

Again, the key is to not get outsourced

80% of our DBA's are offshore.

Ugh, bet we follow suit on that.

You never know...it's not been hailed as the wisest move. Only reason it really got support was that we were fat on headcounts. Had about 3x the number of people the job should have taken.

The key anymore is efficiency and delivery.

I've been working on predictive modeling and business rules for a few years. Every year, our workload grows by an order of magnitude.

I helped developed a system that allows our business partners to use a UI to define business rules and generate an application. Changes can be made to systems in hours/days that used to take months/years. It is great for highly volatile rules that need to change frequently.

I'm looking into becoming a DBA.

I think that off-shoring as a trend will fade, for two reasons:

1) The cost of doing business with India is going up. Wage inflation is up and the dollar is down.

2) For many businesses, it is their processes that give them a competitive advantage. Outsourcing the implementation of these processes leaves you vulnerable to having those processes copied as well as having them implemented incorrectly.

+1.

Meh. The language isn't as important as the industry. New languages are easy to learn, picking a profitable and progressive software industry that won't turn you into a mind-numbed drooling pale basement dwelling green-screen coder is the trick.

Unfortunately it usually takes a few years as one of the above to get a job that's really worth working at. I'd tell him to do a few years of penance in an SAP/Oracle/Accenture/etc. job, get the salary up, then go look to do it for someone interesting.

If he were to pursue this, would he just start will C++, then move on to learn a particular development studio?

My best friend, who is a member of this BBS, just got back into video game development. You can PM him at TimothyFarrar.

If he doesn't answer you (and he is busy working long hours right now), pester me and I'll let him know he has PMs.