Self-education (was: /FREE RPG compiler errors)

Gary wrote:

>It's the individuals responsibility to learn. And, 
>they can learn much for little or no cost.

I snipped a huge chunk out of this and changed the subject.

I've been in the midrange market since 1978.  The new name is SMB, Small and
Medium Businesses.  It's a fair assessment.  Here come the generalisations.
Sure, Fortune 100 companies have them installed, but most of the boxes are
in small businesses.  Small businesses do not have much discretionary money.
That means they hire programmers who already know their stuff.  They do not
train their employees to try to keep them current.

Therefore, regardless of what employers SHOULD do to keep their workforce
technologically current and regardless of what SHOULD happen in Utopia, if I
want to be able to keep my job, or find a new one if I get laid off, my best
bet is to stay as current as I personally can, on my own personal time.
Yes, I would like it if employers thought that training is as critical as
electricity.  They don't.

I have two teenagers and a 6 month old (yes, same wife; Lord only knows how
she deals with me.)  I completely understand the limits on a person's time.
But I also understand the terror of trying to support my family with an
outdated skill set, having been there not so long ago.  If I can learn RPG
IV and ILE and Java on my own, literally anybody can.
  --bucks