Re: Future of RPG: What language would you learn?

Tom

The troubling thing about the scenario you pose and the question you ask that
it's so junior high-ish. Even any half credible college program is going to
expect students to pick up any number of language skills quickly, so that core
curriculum can focus on architecture, design, and application. If you're only
marketing your language skills in today's global market, you're going to be
continually displaced by someone who is more desperate for work, passed more
certifications, and has more skills than you.

Why ask about language skills, when they have relatively low value? Domain
experience has a lot more value. And intellectual property has a lot more value
than domain experience. Is your job merely a set of language skills? Or are you
in the business of creating intellectual property? First ask, what intellectual
property can I create that will add the most value, then pick the language to
express it.

These types of questions always become a discussion about what language is most
popular. Why not discuss what language creates the most value? The problem
with popularity, is that supply rushes to keep pace with demand, and before you
know it, the supply exceeds demand. So you here over and over to keep learning
something new, but that won't keep some worker in some disadvantaged economy
from doing it more cheaply than you. Start DOING something that creates value!

-Nathan.





----- Original Message ----
From: Tom Deskevich <thomas.l.deskevich@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tue, August 10, 2010 5:18:18 AM
Subject: Future of RPG: What language would you learn?

I read with interest the thread about the future of RPG.

I would like to throw out a hypothetical question.

You have just been told you have 6 months left with your company as an RPG
programmer.
As part of your severance, you can learn any language you want in that time,
your employer will pay for any software or training costs.
BTW, this is not happening to me.

What language would you learn and why?

I can only make my decision on my past experience, but my first choice would be
VB.NET and/or ASP.NET.
I think I can retain my sanity coding in it and I think there is a future in it.

I know I only said one, but second would be HTML and Java Script I guess. Seems
to be the most universal language out there right now.

But I wonder what kind of pay you could get. Seems there are a zillion web
programmers out there, from high school kids to off shore for 10 dollars an
hour.

Have a good day.

Tom Deskevich