I often find myself searching Google for a lot of information related to different technologies surrounding the .NET Framework and AJAX. It wasn't always like that. There was a time when I barely knew what a computer was. I had been around technology for about 10 years before I found my passion. I have had various jobs outside of technology which have made me regret not finishing college and getting my degree. I have gone back to college several times since leaving the military in 1994. I have yet to finish college because of all my degree changes. I technically have enough credits to get some sort of degree, but no degree that exists will use all of my credit hours which pretty much sucks.
I have always been told since childhood, that education is the key to success and that I needed a degree to become successful. I found that the more I pursued education, the more I got confused as to what I really wanted to do. I tried Computer Science, Management Information Systems and Software Engineering. I even went for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineering (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA) and Oracle Certified Professional certifications with no success. I was trying to find my niche and what it was that I loved to do for a career.
I found, that this wasn't it either. I gained a lot of insight into the workings of systems and databases, but this wasn't really something I wanted to do for my career. Things started to take a change in my life when I went to work for Compaq working with Servers and sales. It was exciting and I learned a lot, but there was something missing. I was quickly reaching a dead end with what could be done with hardware. Hardware is only so deep and seldom does it change quickly enough where your knowledge has to constantly be updated.
Basically, I was a quick study and quickly getting board. I decided that I needed a change and accepted a position as a Help Desk Technician for a software company. This is when life got interesting. I discovered a fire in me that I didn't realize was there. I had to learn how to support a software package from Frontrange Solutions Inc. that was used for helpdesks. How odd, that I would be working for Frontrange Solutions Inc., the developers of HEAT and having to support the product in a helpdesk environment.
It was a blast in the beginning and I quickly learned every product suite Frontrange had except Goldmine. I knew the product so well, that I could envision the entire interface in my mind. I knew each and every screen and what processes took place. I knew what errors would happen in different circumstances and when using different databases. I strived to perfect my knowledge of this software application. I became the go to guy when customers needed high priority issues addressed. I was challenged with handling serious issues with the customers and dealing with DBA's and System Administrators who wanted solutions quickly. It was a rush at times and very stressful. I found myself being the support for QA and Professional Services.
That was an experience that I wouldn't trade for the world, but I was glad when I resigned because it gave me an opportunity to become a consultant providing the same services to customers using HEAT. I tried initially working for a VAR and soon found some unethical practices that caused me to resign and become an independent consultant.
I had the opportunity to experience different technologies when I went to work for myself. I took a lot of what I learned on the helpdesk and applied it to my contract engagements. While working with different customers, I found that they all had something in common. They had lack of knowledge about the software package that had spent so much money on. Most of the customers could only tell you what the software package was called and what it was used for, but not many could really figure out how to configure and administer it. Thus they would be forced to call me or go get trained.
This was a fun time for me and I had the opportunity to learn new technologies like .NET 1.0. I learned about .NET while working a contract at a hospital when I was designing ASP classic webpage’s for the HEAT database. An article that I read on the web bit me like a bug and I was hooked. I immediately went to Barns and Noble and bought an ASP.NET for VB.NET book.
Yes, I was completely confused and could barely make heads and tails of what they were talking about in that book. I completely read through the over 800+ page book before I started experimenting with the content. I was amazed at what could be done and quickly took it on myself to rewrite some of my ASP classic pages using ASP.NET. I quickly became confident about what I had learned and was redoing the entire website. I had a network administrator who was a wiz with JavaScript who recommended that I learn C#. I resisted at first because I was okay with VB.NET. I didn't know about the darkside of the force and didn't know if I wanted to know. But, I read a couple of online blogs and other articles that swayed my thinking towards C#, so I ran down to the book store again and purchase a C# book and taught myself C# for .NET 1.1.
It was interesting to see the similarities between C# and JavaScript. This made it easier for me to pick it up. I started analyzing the differences between VB.NET and C# and trying to see which one was better and faster and found that it pretty much boiled down to individual preference. At the time, I looked at what was prevalent in the market and C# was the King, so I decided to focus on C# and used VB.NET where I saw fit, especially since I could use both interchangeably. Every since then, I haven't looked back and pushed myself farther and farther into the development world. I took every possible project I could get my hands on to improve my skills and increase my knowledge. I had the opportunity to work with some awesome developers and learned quite a bit. I continually pursue knowledge because technology is always changing. When I thought that I had gotten a handle on .NET 1.0 and 1.1, .NET 2.0 came out. I would then go out and buy my next book to learn what I needed to perfect this new framework and found that quite a bit had changed. Then, before I knew it, .NET 3.0 became available and then .NET 3.5. Enough to blow your mind. How much can I actually retain and how much will I actually use.
This is when I realized, I had found a gold mine. I have finally found what I had been searching for all these years and I didn't need to go to college to get it. Education is the key, but it doesn't necessarily call for a college degree. I consider myself blessed to have had this experience though. I am excited to see where life takes me from here.
