Suggestion for some .NET training

Question

Is there any training that you would recommend for someone looking at doing more with .NET? Does IBM have any good trainings? More specifically, C# and web application development. While I have written a couple applications, I want something that can give me a better solid base on developing in .NET. I'll be supporting our web developer more in the future and we are just kind of browsing around so I can have a more firm understanding. Not necessarily a 101 class, but maybe 102 or 103.

UPDATE: I should add that I have 8+ years or experience doing application development on the IBM i (as/400, iseries, system i) using RPG and CL.

Answer 1

I'm not sure what area you're in, but I took some ASP.NET and C# classes at System Source a while back, and they were excellent for providing a solid base of knowledge to get up and running. Labs and CDs with code samples were given out as well. The best thing about the teachers there was that most of them were consultants working in the field, so they had practical anecdotes to share.

Answer 2

I would suggest hanging out here at Stack Overflow and reading the .NET questions and answers. When you see a .NET question treat it like a school exercise. Research the question and try and answer it. Then come back and check to see which answer has the highest number of votes and/or has been marked as the correct answer and compare that to your answer.

I'm guessing that this iterative approach will probably boost your learning experience faster than any other because it's learning-by-doing.

Good luck - I hope you become a C#.NET Jedi Master!

Answer 3

I've always found that some quality time with a good book is a much better investment. Making the correspondence between the contents of a (well-organized) dead-tree volume, and the sample code you write based on it, and then the actual nontrivial code that you want to write eventually is a pretty powerful way to learn. After that, to stay sharp and take things to the next level, watch (good) blogs to see neat tricks or best practices.

As for C# and web application development thereof, I can only suggest checking the Amazon reviews, and making sure that your book is up-to-date with the latest stuff [unless your company will force you to stick with, say, .NET 2.0 for the foreseeable future :(].

But in any case, even if you're not as much of a fan of books as I, it's good that you're looking for some structured learning; while I did that for normal C#/.NET programming, my ASP.NET web application knowledge has grown much more organically, and I'm finding that to not work so very well :-|.

Answer 4

I'd recommend starting with the official ASP.NET website and the resources there. Since it is in Microsoft's best interest to get as many developers up-to-speed on .NET, they pour a ton of money into training and tutorials. They have a gob of videos, tutorials, downloadable presentations, books, podcasts, and webcasts. The only problem may be the quantity of material can be overwhelming.

I would steer clear of the official Microsoft training that's available at learning.microsoft.com. This training includes self-paced labs and classroom training. It is not that helpful and tends to focus more on what-to-do rather than why-to-do or how-to-do.

Answer 5

I have taken a few classes with IMG in Chicago, they are a good professional outfit.

That said, I have to say that I've gotten more out of doing hands-on labs and demos (like the Visual Studio 2008 Training Kit), or the hands-on labs from patterns & practices.

Your local .NET users group is another great way to get free, interesting training, and also to do some networking.

Answer 6

I just did some training with DevelopMentor (the Biztalk essentials course) and it was awesome. If that's any indication of the quality of their coursework, I can't recommend them enough.

Also, they have "Guerrilla" courses that really pack in the information. They're 12-hour days for a straight week, and are supposed to be really intense. You might check them out.

Answer 7

There are a couple option available, one is that you take the Microsoft certifications for ASP.NET Check out http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/tce/default.aspx for more details.

You can either study in your own time from books or a training kit and the certification track gives you a planned curriculum that you can work through and cover most of the important techniques.

If your more comfortable in a more formal setting there are training providers who will teach the subject at your workplace or at their premisses but these are usually very expensive!

It's worth checking out your local university or college, often they will run evening classes around these technologies, in fact my local uni teaches Microsoft developer certs which are cheaper than your normal training businesses

Lastly why not check out your local .Net user group, they often have lots of presentations and events, they are also a nice informal way to learn and have the odd beer afterwards

Answer 8

I passed my MCTS Web Applications with Firebrand Training. I'd recommend it for experienced developers who want to consolidate their knowledge.

http://www.firebrandtraining.co.uk/