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Java Forum / General / April 2006Is it a good idea to get exposure to both Java & .NET in the industry?
I'm interested in both Java and .NET. Do you think its a good idea to seek exposure to both these technologies in the IT industry? Wouldn't it defeat my being able to gain expertise in a specific technology? How important is it to be generic viz-a-viz specific? Would it be of any use at all for me in the long run (for eg. when I'm a Project Manager) if I get exposure to both the competing technologies during my initial days in the software services industry? cat_dog_a.s schrieb: > I'm interested in both Java and .NET. Do you think its a good idea to > seek exposure to both these technologies in the IT industry? Yes. > Wouldn't it defeat my being able to gain expertise in a specific technology? No. > How important is it to be generic viz-a-viz specific? Every experience you make is specific because you use a specific language to solve a specific problem. The generic knowledge will come by itself if you use different languages on different problems. But I think C# and Java are too similar. Have a look at functional languages to broaden your horizon. > Would it be of any use at all for me in the long run (for eg. when I'm > a Project Manager) if I get exposure to both the competing technologies > during my initial days in the software services industry? Useful in finding a job? Probably not. Useful in doing a good job? Probably yes. Timo > cat_dog_a.s schrieb: > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Useful in doing a good job? Probably yes. Odd to think of someone seeing software development as just a stepping stone on the way to project management.  Signaturemonique Ask smart questions, get good answers: http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html > Odd to think of someone seeing software development as just a stepping > stone on the way to project management. In my organization, Project Managers get paid P&L based on the product's performance in the market, whereas Developers are salaried. Career development is often not possible beyond the cap of the "technical ladder" in many shops, whereas, Marketing and Management careers can lead to different places for people who can survive in the atmosphere. It would literally kill me, though. >> cat_dog_a.s schrieb: >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Odd to think of someone seeing software development as just a stepping > stone on the way to project management. It's an economic issue. While some companies are enlightened enough to have technical ladders that parallel the management ones, in others you reach a point where continuing to get raises and promotions means becoming a manager. It's stupid (imagine a hospital where the top surgeons "advance" by becoming administrators) but it's not uncommon. On Fri, 07 Apr 2006 16:58:13 GMT, "Mike Schilling" <mscottschilling@hotmail.com> wrote, quoted or indirectly quoted someone who said : >It's an economic issue. My dad rose very high in management even though he detested being a manager. I asked him why he did it. He said that he was promoted at first because he was a good engineer, and then later because he was the person people hated least. He became the compromise candidate for promotions. He said you pretty well have to take the promotions offered, and of course he had a family of 5 kids to support. I resolved not to do what he did though I did end up managing my own small company of 8 people for a number of years. SignatureCanadian Mind Products, Roedy Green. http://mindprod.com Java custom programming, consulting and coaching. > I'm interested in both Java and .NET. Do you think its a good idea to > seek exposure to both these technologies in the IT industry? Wouldn't > it defeat my being able to gain expertise in a specific technology? How > important is it to be generic viz-a-viz specific? When possible, work on whatever you find most interesting. If nobody is willing to pay for that something, then see if there is something nearly as interesting that they will pay for. By working on the things you care about and love, you will have a higher level of interest and job satisfaction. So, in this case, if you have roughly equal interest, find a job that will let you learn one of them thoroughly. If, on the other hand, it is the _comparison_ between them that is interesting, then seek a job that integrates the two, or that uses both for different projects. We, for example, had a Java robot controller that talked to a C#-driven scientific instrument. We had matlab code, an oracle database, and several web applications. There were matlab-only people, DBAs, an integration guy keeping everything in sync, etc. On a project like that, you might have a java guy, a C# guy, and a Web Services guy who spoke both. It is never a bad idea to learn new skills in IT, as long as you do not harm your current projects with the time you spend. Scott SignatureScott Ellsworth scott@alodar.nospam.com Java and database consulting for the life sciences i have a great analogy for this. i also was a semi professional musician. if you are trained in guitar, or piano, it's always advantageous to learn some of another instrument. whether you "master" it or not. exposure to chord changes on the guitar will make you a spectacular drummer. familiarity with holding rhythm on guitar will make you an instinctive keyboardist. you learn music and not your instrument. it's good to be exposed to perl, java, ajax, .net, javascript, anything you can get your hands on, because you'll see how its design will have some insight to how to solve technical issues. plus you'll get a broader personal "toolbox". Free MagazinesGet these publications absolutely FREE for up to 12 months. There are no hidden fees and no obligation. Simply choose a title, complete the application form and submit it. Read more ...
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