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[Advice] Upgrade path .Net (C#)

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  • 27-07-2011 11:18am
    #1
    scorn
    Registered Users Posts: 265 ✭✭


    Hi all,

    A bit of background:

    Between 2002 and 2008 I was working in .Net (C#), primarily web applications for in-house intranets. From 2006 - 2008 though, I moved to windows forms applications in an engineering environment. This was still version 2.0

    However, since 2008 (just as the 'troubles' began) I accepted a short contract in VB6 to get me through a few months. 3 years later I am still there! (Partly due to deflated job market and also good daily contract rate). It is looking likely now that my contract may not be renewed and I am keen to get back into the .Net arena.

    So - my request for advice is what is the best way to get back into it? Anyone know any good courses (online/offline, free/paid) to upgrade? I obviously do not want a course that would assume I know nothing about .Net as that would be a waste of a lot of my time.

    I would not feel 100% confident about walking into an interview now that is looking for .Net developers so need a refresher in some shape/form - preferably something that emphasizes the new features in 4.0

    Any advice welcome (except those that suggest moving to Java - don't have the time for that just yet) and thanks in advance.


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    #2
    dazberry
    Registered Users Posts: 2,150 ✭✭✭dazberry


    Ah the confidence thing. I was a Delphi contractor for years, and used to be pretty upfront and honest about what I'd done and in general never really sold myself properly. In those days I got loads of repeat work anyway, but ended up loosing out a few times to another contractor who eventually I ended up working with. The guy came across as an expert (something that I think he believed himself) and yet his work could best be described as utter sh1t.

    Ok, so not all experience is created equal, but you have 6 years of C# and dotnet (1.1 and 2.0) experience, and that's not be sniffed at. Not feeling too confident, well start working on a couple of personal projects to get back up to speed, nothing like some hands on and see how you feel then. Post 2.0, have a scan of the job boards and see is there anything that jumps out at you that may interest you (e.g. Linq, WCF, WTF etc.) and try integrate that into your projects.

    At this stage you definitely need to dump the VB6 work, the C# rate I'm on today is almost half of my last Delphi rate, but it would have been career suicide to stay with it :(

    D.


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