Where do I go from here?

[Monsterboy]

Hey, folks. Just found this place. Sorry to jump in with a question right away, but I'm hoping someone can offer advice/suggestion...

Background: I'm sort of an accidental programmer; the guy who, when no one else in the place knows how the program works, sits down and figures it out. I've taught myself visual basic (basically just building macros in Excel 2000), which I've been doing for 5 years, gradually learning how to do more and more (started doing data entry, then everyone at the office thought it was magic when I showed them I could automate stuff). I've tried to branch into other languages, but only picked up a surface knowledge of C/C++, C#, Perl and Javascript before I had to move on to other things.

The Problem: I just found out I'm probably getting laid off in a month. I find myself with a very limited knowledge of the programming scene, and not a whole lot of experience outside the somewhat specialized area of Excel 2000 macros (though I have a pretty good understanding of OOP in general).

So, I'd be interested in anyone's idea of where to go/what to learn next, given the above experience and the curent job market (of which I've little idea). I have a month to throw myself into learning something (at least I genuinely enjoy sitting in front a monitor and zoning out with code for hours at a time). I've considered learning web design, or alternatively C#, or... anything else?

Grateful for any perspective,

- Sean

[Frank]

It's a rough world out there. As far as tech/programming jobs go, it's difficult if not impossible to get into any such field without at least an Associates degree. Most employers nowadays seem to only want Bachelor's degrees lately. I've been programming (self taught) since 1987 and I still don't have the qualifications that most employers want in a programmer. The best you can do is apply for jobs that you feel you can do and hope for the best. If you have the ability both financially, physically, and family-wise, you could consider further education in a college or university. In the mean time, you might find that the job market in certain fields is impossibly difficult to break into, causing you to stick with jobs that are similar to the one you have now. My opinion, would be to find another job doing basically the same thing you're doing now, and once that's done, look into getting a degree from a college/university.

[PeteMann]

I too would advise 'Further Eduction', but be prepared for having to divert for a couple of years whilst you achieve any required entrance qualifications ..

At first, you'll be able to progress with just programming, but once you reach College Level, you be forced to take five other subjects to complement your programming, usually Databases, HCI, and 'Design Concepts' (SSADM, RAD etc), always figure in there, maybe with PHP and Concurrency, as in my case ..

Each of six subjects will be advanced considerably at University ..

Hard work my friend, but enjoyable too, especially if you group up with others in a similar learning phase/level ..

Good luck, and my very best wishes to you for a very successful outcome .. ;)

Pete ..