December 10, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I am in a weird situation. I basically work for a state government . The job is secure, but not challenging enough for me to learn new technologies. My employer would not have minded if I was developing application using classic ASP and MS access. But in order to be in touch with technology , I learnt .Net and SQL Server 2005, AJAX and started developing applications. My employer is ready to help with resources and software and I am making good use of this. But since I am the only developer, it hard for me to judge myself in terms of skill set. It’s like a one man army. I know working in team helps a lot, but unfortunately I am the only developer and other have no idea of programming. Due to work permit problems changing job is difficult(it a long story..for some other time). I had accepted a good job recently, but gave up due to economy going bad.
I want to become expert in ASP.Net and SQL server. But I have no idea how to work towards what I want to become. Whenever I see blog from experts, I ask myself I wish I could come up to their level. I know wishful thinking won’t help. I am ready to work hard, but I don’t know the methodology to use. Also as said earlier, my work does not demand so much knowledge on .net /sql server. But to be on top of technology I always try to learn new stuff and implement in project.
Can anyone tell me how to become expert .I mean study, learning techniques. Few months from now, I might look for a job and I don’t think at that time I will have the time I have now. SO want to make sure every minute now.
Thanks and apologize for long post…
December 10, 2008 at 2:55 pm
To become and expert, you need experience. You need to do things and work on them.
You might be able to get experience at some place like Rent-a-coder, or volunteer for some local non-profit and work on a project. Going through articles and blogs is a good way to learn, but unless you start to apply those things, you are missing something.
December 10, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Heh... to heck with all that... start answering posts on this forum with code! 😉
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
December 10, 2008 at 9:08 pm
That certainly will help with SQL skills, but it doesn't necessarily help you with larger projects.
I'd try a few different things and see what works best for you.
December 11, 2008 at 9:00 pm
There are many .net tech forums. Check whether you can find .net user group in your area. I happen to know Toronto .Net user group is looking for a volunteer (developer) this week for the user group site.
You will learn and get help from both forums and user groups, and know where you are in the market.
December 11, 2008 at 9:38 pm
bytezone (12/10/2008)
I am in a weird situation. I basically work for a state government . The job is secure, but not challenging enough for me to learn new technologies. My employer would not have minded if I was developing application using classic ASP and MS access. But in order to be in touch with technology , I learnt .Net and SQL Server 2005, AJAX and started developing applications. My employer is ready to help with resources and software and I am making good use of this. But since I am the only developer, it hard for me to judge myself in terms of skill set. It’s like a one man army. I know working in team helps a lot, but unfortunately I am the only developer and other have no idea of programming. Due to work permit problems changing job is difficult(it a long story..for some other time). I had accepted a good job recently, but gave up due to economy going bad.I want to become expert in ASP.Net and SQL server. But I have no idea how to work towards what I want to become. Whenever I see blog from experts, I ask myself I wish I could come up to their level. I know wishful thinking won’t help. I am ready to work hard, but I don’t know the methodology to use. Also as said earlier, my work does not demand so much knowledge on .net /sql server. But to be on top of technology I always try to learn new stuff and implement in project.
Can anyone tell me how to become expert .I mean study, learning techniques. Few months from now, I might look for a job and I don’t think at that time I will have the time I have now. SO want to make sure every minute now.
Thanks and apologize for long post…
dont know whether you will agree with my advice or not
try to create your own website if you want to go for web
or if for desktop app. work as a freelancer. this will work a lot.
kshitij kumar
kshitij@krayknot.com
www.krayknot.com
August 24, 2009 at 6:25 am
Don't know if you are still looking.
One of the better sites to start with: www. asp.net
Need to learn to design a page with graphics, layout controls for the content etc. and also utilize the various data controls to display data from a data store.
Being the only developer you would need to learn to do both side by side.
The intention is to give any visitor a rich user experience and also use the various data controls to display or update the data on a page quickly.
These few things can take you a long way.
Arun Samuel
August 24, 2009 at 8:31 am
I'd love an update to know what you tried, and what worked. Actually, if you are willing, it would be a great article.
August 24, 2009 at 9:08 am
Sure, I would love to share what I tried and what worked.
What would I need to do?
Arun Samuel
August 24, 2009 at 1:06 pm
Thanks everyone for responding to my question.
I will try to be as honest as possible here . As always I was on and off my goal. Few days I got motivated and did everything I could do in mastering the concepts of .net and Sql server. But the motivation does not last longer. However I decided to learn sql server 2008 and started preparing towards the exam..i also got registered. So far the preparation is “ok” , but will pick up as the date approaches.
I bought a good wrox asp.net 3.5 book and decided to read from cover to cover( I have never done this before and as a result I have missed some good information). I got loaded my pdf books in my ebook reader and try to read whenever I have time. My motivation is now much better than it was when I posted the question. But I am not satified yet with my efforts....!!!
Just to give an example the results I can achive if my motivation gets going: I was facinated my iphone apps and in 1 month i learnt the cocoa touch language and got an iphone app registered on itunes. Got good reviews also.
The responses I received here and this link(http://misfitgeek.com/blog/more-questions-on-professional-development-reading-habits/) helped me a lot.
Any inputs…
August 25, 2009 at 8:53 am
If you're not satisfied with your own drive to conclusion, then not sure what to tell you, other than keep going. Set mini-goals, maybe, rather than biting off too much at once?
Also, read your link about reading, something that I dabble in occasionally that doesn't get mentioned as much is speed reading. Even if your book is technical, the practice that you've had in speed reading will allow you to assimilate more information from the page in less time. It also allows you to practice skipping past the unimportant words on the page and focusing on the concept.
I would not use a tech manual to practice speed reading, but if nothing else it will help you get through your email and web browsing more efficiently.
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How best to post your question[/url]
How to post performance problems[/url]
Tally Table:What it is and how it replaces a loop[/url]
"stewsterl 80804 (10/16/2009)I guess when you stop and try to understand the solution provided you not only learn, but save yourself some headaches when you need to make any slight changes."
August 25, 2009 at 4:03 pm
There are plenty of open source projects out there. Look for something that interests you, then volunteer to help out on the small stuff, including documentation. At first, you probably won't be a "committer" (someone who can put changes directly into source control), but that's what you want. Someone with experience on the project will review your work before checking it in; its in their best interest to give you good feedback. Be prepared to learn the architecture of the system and the style of the project team. Learn to pace yourself; they are probably all volunteers too, so they understand balancing your paying job with outside projects. If you're good, you'll become a more integral part of the team and start doing more advanced work. If you're not, theyll let you know one way or another.
Check about your day job first. Some places (even state jobs) place limitations on outside work, or may lay legal claim to any work you do even if its completely outside the workplace.
Of course the real trick is finding a good project with a good team that's worth learning from. 😉 There are all kinds of projects out there. (You might also try picking up on an abandoned project, though its harder to get feedback on those.)
Good luck!
David Lathrop
DBA
WA Dept of Health
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