Re: Future of RPG: What language would you learn?

[Hans Boldt <hans@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On 08/10/2010 08:51 AM, Adam Stein wrote:
> The issue is that there are no i jobs to apply for. 
> Nothing at all. In the NY-NJ area, same old same old spots. Still want all the bells and whistles of the particular industry and software package. 
> It's a different market but in Microsoft you can find smaller companies not married to any package completely as in the i. Mostly you see alot fo Great plains/Dynamics.
>  

Three years ago when I was job hunting, one headhunter told me the
iSeries job market had pretty much disappeared. That was in the 5th
largest metropolitan area in North America.


> I would love to go back to the i, but I have work on SQL Server, ASp.net, C#, VB.net
> SQL Server requires a lot of time to learn it well imo. Knowing SQL very well is an important step.
> When I started this new work, I was sure that I wouldbe able to find an i position that would utilize some of these new skills. This is not happening so I have to accept that I likely will not see the i again.


Yeah, a lot of job openings want .net experience. In my old job, I
started out doing Python/Unix programming. But for the follow-on
release, they opted to go with .net and SQL Server, even though I think
they're starting to get the idea that that was probably the wrong
decision. (I suspect that their new product could probably be
implemented faster and easier as a Lotus Notes app!)

There are also companies looking for Java/J2EE programmers. (I got until
Friday to send my resume to one local company looking for J2EE experience.)

But my own personal preference would be doing C programming. I think OO
programming using languages like C# and Java is nice in theory, but can
easily be unwieldy in practice.

Cheers! Hans