Fast technology to learn

Question

My company is going under, some time in the next 1-2 months. In the current job market I am under skilled from a resume standpoint. No degree, many small areas of expertise, but no clear mastery, no "knockout" certifications.

Currently I posses the following experience: 1-2 years MSSql 1 year loose .net2.0+ programing in C# 2 years misc IT Admin/support in non enterprise environments a basic programming foundation 4-5 years wiring and systems troubleshooting (hardware)

I live in the Chicago metro area and have to develop a job hunt strategy that could build off one or several of these technologies. I learn new technology very quickly and I am not against either learning a new programming language, new db system, or building on my current skill set. With a wife and 2 children counting on me I am unable to be out of work for an extended period of time, so if cross training, or pushing for a certification our my best options then I need to work with great alacrity.

Thank you for your thoughtful suggestions.

Answer 1

You can put all of those on your CV and go for a jobhunt, particularly in the area of C#/.NET development - MSSQL and C# are mostly all you need for that, but MAKE SURE you can demonstrate some technical ability to the interviewer. Show them your best piece of code and such things - make sure you show off what you do have.

I myself have a wife who counts on me, so I have a feeling of what you're going through. God bless and good luck!

EDIT: P.s. It is OK to go looking for a job while you're still at this company - when you get an offer they will negotiate a start date, and then you can give notice with the previous employer and move away. Loyalty is one thing, but your wife and kids are in a whole different league.

Answer 2

Honestly, I would push the fact that you know something about a lot of different things. Often times there is a need for those type of people in smaller places. Depending on what you want to do out of your current skillset, I would take one technology and focus on it. One to two months isn't a long time to try and become knowledgable about something. I would also push the fact that you are trying to improve in what you know.

The question you are going to have to ask yourself is "what makes you different than the other applicants?" That is what is going to seperate yourself from the pack. You sound like you are eager to learn, that's something you should try and convey to future employeers.

Answer 3

I would check your local craigslist and feel the pulse of what jobs there are. I see a lot of PHP jobs in the northeast compared to others. Good DBA and sysadmins are always hard to find.

In a recession companies will always look for ridiculous experience, but that shouldn't daunt you. I got a job as a PHP programmer requiring a code sample without ever writing a line of PHP.

Answer 4

I would go with what you know. You've been working in MS SQL and C#. Strengthen those skills firs. They're already on your resume and you have a legitimate reason for them to be there.

A month or two isn't a lot of time, but it's enough to do one of two things: Start a project on your own that focuses on aspects of the technology that you don't know or get certified in one of the technologies you do know.

Different shops value certification differently. But, the process of preparing for certification is a first-rate way to make sure that your knowledge of a technology doesn't have any gaping holes in it.

Answer 5

I'd pull a Mike Gunderloy and jump on the Rails train. I'm biased, but hey...

http://www.linux.com/feature/142083

Answer 6

You might want to look at knocking down a degree from http://www.excelsior.edu or http://www.tesc.edu. You'd be shocked how quickly and inexpensively it can be done if you already know what you're doing in your career field.

Answer 7

Find out what the local companies are looking for and work on those skillsets. Don't pretend to be an expert but if/when you get an interview point out that you are hired to think and learn and solve problems and that you have acquired and will continue to acquire new skillsets.

Keep up with the programming daily/weekly while hunting for a job. Pick some pet project to work on and learn. Read, listen to podcasts, brush up on concepts for interviews.

best wishes! you'll be fine.

Answer 8

It might be worthwhile to learn something kind of cool and buzzy like Python or Ruby on Rails just so you can stick it on your resume — but I agree with Fritz that your skills already sound marketable and you should go ahead and see if you can find anybody who's interested in them.

Answer 9

All good advice here in earlier posts. I would like to ask that you develop a reading and learning plan for the long term. It will be difficult if not impossible to thrive in software world without it. Take this as an opportunity to start thinking about your long term success plan. Dont be in a hurry for that, but also dont neglect it. Good luck!

Answer 10

I came to .Net via PHP. I understood the syntax of C# fairly quickly but none of it made much sense to me (still writing PHP style functional code in OOP languages) until I learned Python from the online MIT book (newer version is in print here). Starting fresh and going through made a huge difference in my code and I learned constructs I can apply to essentially any modern language.

Given your short horizon and recruiters' over reliance on your number of years of experience, I would suggest you take the time to get to know your current skill set even better. Those things that a fuzzy, make crystal clear. Be ready to express yourself in an interview using the terms of a seasoned professional.

In my opinion, that would prove more valuable that adding list items without being able to demonstrate depth.