

55 year old preparing for out of work - rogeralan

I’m a 55 year old Classic ASP programmer preparing for job loss. I’m wondering how to prep in today’s market. Should I be worried? What languages should I learn?
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akulbe
Is it safe to assume (since you're an ASP programmer) that you're already
competent with HTML?

If so, then I'd _highly_ recommend you get up to speed with HTML5 and mobile
development. It's the direction things are going.

Try to think as many moves ahead as you can. :)

Good luck!!

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rogeralan
yes, I know SQL Server, HTML, CSS, I have been working with JQuery for a
couple of years now. What concerns me is my backend server language. Thanks,
I'll brush up on my HTML5 as well.

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PixelJ
As a developer of approximately the same vintage, I'd say the most natural
transition is to C# and full .NET skills. Add to that SQL Server skills for
good measure. Most of your ASP skills will translate naturally and you can
take advantage of Microsoft's free C#/VB.Net Express compilers and SQL Server
Express.

Also, I'd highly recommend you invest in a Microsoft Certified Software
Developer (MCSD) certification. Get one of the study guides and take the exam.
It'll only cost you $200-$300 total but will give you proof that your skills
are verifiably current in an interview.

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pepsi_can
C#, C++ and Java are very common and low risk skills to learn. There is also a
demand for mobile application development and front end development with Html
and JavaScript. The Ruby on Rails frame work is common especially at newer
tech companies.

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devs1010
I agree, C# and Java would probably be easier to get started with than C++,
these are mature technologies with companies that seem to really value years
of developer experience so you could probably transfer over fairly easily.

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Loic
If you post here, you are already half way through, because it means you know
where you are and that you want to go somewhere else. For the the somewhere
else, I would say, take a look around you. ASP is not necessarily bad, many
systems are still running on top of ASP and a good knowledge of it can help
you land deals where people need this kind of knowledge.

So, look for new things (pay particular attention not to fall into fade) but
do not consider your ASP knowledge as just to be thrown away. I am sure you
can make a living out of it — I make a living working with old school Fortran
77 code...

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rogeralan
Interesting... I didn't think of leveraging my ASP skills. Thanks.

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atindra
I would learn PHP.

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CyberFonic
I second Loic's and Diminish's suggestions. What I've seen with COBOL, RPG and
FORTRAN is that over time the rates for freelancers actually go up due to
scarcity of supply.

Typically there is a rush to new tools, etc. So you can either learn some new
framework, tools etc and be competing with a lot of similarly skilled
programmers. OR ... you can contract yourself to maintain and enhance "legacy"
systems. Languages/frameworks fall out of vogue far quicker than the systems
implemented in them.

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melling
Ruby on Rails?

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diminish
Watch the Ruby on Rails episodes, learn Ruby and assuming you know HTML, and
CSS you quickly may charm a younger team. And if you know SQL etc, it will
have an advantage.

Or you may simply maintain an ASP- VB application in MS environment. This days
it is hard to find maintainers for VB, VB6, ASP legacy apps.

