As another IT professional with as nearly as many years as Steve, I would have to heartily agree with his message. I have seen far too many junior resources getting caught up with looking for ways to use the most advanced features of a language. The reality is that the end-users want something that works with zero defects. They also do not want to have to maintain something that no one else understands.
The end users could not care less how "cool" the code is. What they want is to have their business needs met and their problems solved. They do not care how it is done underneath the covers. Unfortunately, "computer science" is less of a science and more of an art form. With experience you realize that what counts are the needs of the end users or clients. After all, they are paying for your services. Yours truly, George Mitchell Terra Encounters -----Original Message----- From: Steve Gawron [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: 28 September 2002 12:08 PM To: JDJList Subject: [jdjlist] Re: concerned Hi all, >From Tim's question, I perceive a concern about careers in IT. I have been a developer, designer, analyst, and instructor for both legacy and object-oriented languages. The "real world" is NOT driven be your skill as a coder. It is driven by how well you understand the business problem, how creatively you apply your skills to that problem, and your ability to focus on solving the problem. As I have told student at both CSC and Sun, "it is not the language, since any computer can only do basic tasks organized by the language you are using. It is how seriously you apply yourself to the task that will determine your success." Take this advice from someone working nearly 30 years in IT. Anyone can master a skill, even a complex IT skill. The magic is in how you apply what you have learned. If you enjoy the challenge, you can be a success in IT. If solving problems without regard to how we used to do it is your enjoyment. Then a career in IT is for you. If you are lazy and want things handed to you, then IT will be an unhappy place for you. Sincerely, Steve Gawron Still loving IT for nearly 30 years! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tim Nicholson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "JDJList" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2002 9:37 PM Subject: [jdjlist] concerned > I just wanted to pose a question that has just come to my attention > and concerns me quite a bit:- > > I yesterday posed a question to a java email list, asking what sort of code > is dealt with > "in the real world" and whether I would be able to manage and > understand it. > This is very importnat to me cos I want to know whether I am able to > have a > successful career in software engineering. So whether or not you are > able to > understand and deal with the sort of code that you are going to be > seeing "in the real world" for me would seem to be an important > indicator of whether you would be able > to have a successful career in the IT industry or not. > > Would it be fair to say that if you are able to understand stuff that > you would be doing in Griffith subjects like :- > 1) Software Engineering I > 2) Software Engineering 2 > 3) Programming 3 > > that you would be equipped to have a successful career in the IT > industry ? > > This is just a problem that is constantly at the back of my mind :- whether > I will be able to succeed > in the IT industry ie whether I will be able to understand and deal > with the > sort of code that I would be dealing with in "the real world" ? > > And related to that I guess, is how close is the stuff that you learn > in subjects like the ones mentioned above, to the stuff that you would > be doing > in the real world ? > > I am just sort of worried as to whether I would be able to understand > code in java or C or C++ when it gets more complex ? > > I know I am asking this as someone who is really just a beginner at > the java > language as well as at C or C++. > > I am just scared as to whether I would be able to deal with code when > it gets more complicated ? > > It's just a worry that I have ? > > I have managed to solve a few of the sort of exercises that beginners > get and I am very happy about that. > > I am just constantly worried that at some stage, most likely when you > get into industry, that the java code would become too complex ? Or > that at some > stage I would not be able to understand it ? > > I am trying to gain some self-confidence that I would be able to have > a successful career as a software engineer. And I am trying to knock > off this > little devil on my shoulder that says "things are at some stage gonna > get too difficult ie the java syntax is going to become too > complicated". > > Can you answer these questions ? > > Will I be able to manage or not ? And perhaps this is difficult to > answer cos I am only at the beginning stage ? > > Perhaps the best thing to do to try to answer this sort of question is > to give examples of the sort of code that you are likely to encounter > in the industry ? > > I have also found 3 journals :- > 1) C/C++ Users Journal > 2) Java Users Journal > 3) Javaworld magazine > > If I am able to understand the sort of stuff that goes on in these, as well > as perhaps the subjects at Griffith that I eluded to before (SE1, SE2, > Programming 3), would that be a fair indicator that I will be able to > succeed ? > > So in answer to this question that I posed on this java email list, I > got the following example of java code :- > > ================================================================ > package com.buyformetals.categorytemplates; > > import java.io.File; > import java.net.URL; > import java.net.MalformedURLException; > import java.util.ResourceBundle; > import java.util.PropertyResourceBundle; > > public class CatalogParserResources > { > private final static String propertiesFilename = "CatalogParser"; > > private static boolean initialized = false; > > public static String PROTOCOL = null; > public static String HOST = null; > > public static String OUTPUT_DIRECTORY = null; > public static String OUTPUT_PATH = null; > public static String OUTPUT_URL_PREFIX = null; > > public static URL PRODUCT_CATALOG_2_CHECKLIST_XSL = null; > public static URL PRODUCT_CATALOG_2_INTERNAL_XSL = null; > public static URL CHECKLIST_2_FULL_REPORT_XSL = null; > public static URL CHECKLIST_2_PARTIAL_REPORT_XSL = null; > public static URL INTERNAL_2_DML_XSL = null; > public static URL INTERNAL_2_DBLOAD_PART_1_XSL = null; > public static URL INTERNAL_2_DBLOAD_PART_2_XSL = null; > public static URL INTERNAL_2_DBLOAD_UNINSTALL_XSL = null; > > public static String JDBC_DRIVER = null; > public static String JDBC_CONNECTION_SID = null; > public static String JDBC_CONNECTION_USER = null; > public static String JDBC_CONNECTION_PASSWORD = null; > > public static String SQL_STATEMENT_UOM = null; > public static String SQL_STATEMENT_LDD = null; > > public static void init() > { > if (initialized) > return; > > // Retrieve information from properties file > PropertyResourceBundle prop = (PropertyResourceBundle) > ResourceBundle.getBundle(propertiesFilename); > > PROTOCOL = prop.getString("PROTOCOL"); > HOST = prop.getString("HOST"); > > String appUrl = prop.getString("APPLICATION_URL"); > if (appUrl.charAt(appUrl.length()-1) != '/') > appUrl = appUrl + "/"; > > String xslUrlPrefix = appUrl + prop.getString("XSL_DIRECTORY"); > if (xslUrlPrefix.charAt(xslUrlPrefix.length()-1) != '/') > xslUrlPrefix = xslUrlPrefix + "/"; > > OUTPUT_DIRECTORY = prop.getString("OUTPUT_DIRECTORY"); > OUTPUT_URL_PREFIX = appUrl + OUTPUT_DIRECTORY; > if (OUTPUT_URL_PREFIX.charAt(OUTPUT_URL_PREFIX.length()-1) != '/') > OUTPUT_URL_PREFIX = OUTPUT_URL_PREFIX + "/"; > > File outputDir = new > File(prop.getString("APPLICATION_PATH"),prop.getString("OUTPUT_DIRECTO > RY > ")); > if (! outputDir.exists()) > outputDir.mkdir(); > OUTPUT_PATH = outputDir.getPath(); > > try > { > PRODUCT_CATALOG_2_CHECKLIST_XSL = new > URL(PROTOCOL,HOST,xslUrlPrefix + > prop.getString("XSL_PRODUCT_CATALOG_2_CHECKLIST")); > PRODUCT_CATALOG_2_INTERNAL_XSL = new > URL(PROTOCOL,HOST,xslUrlPrefix + > prop.getString("XSL_PRODUCT_CATALOG_2_BFM_INTERNAL")); > CHECKLIST_2_FULL_REPORT_XSL = new > URL(PROTOCOL,HOST,xslUrlPrefix + > prop.getString("XSL_CHECKLIST_2_FULL_REPORT")); > CHECKLIST_2_PARTIAL_REPORT_XSL = new > URL(PROTOCOL,HOST,xslUrlPrefix + > prop.getString("XSL_CHECKLIST_2_PARTIAL_REPORT")); > INTERNAL_2_DML_XSL = new > URL(PROTOCOL,HOST,xslUrlPrefix + > prop.getString("XSL_BFM_INTERNAL_2_DML")); > INTERNAL_2_DBLOAD_PART_1_XSL = new > URL(PROTOCOL,HOST,xslUrlPrefix + > prop.getString("XSL_BFM_INTERNAL_2_DBLOAD_CLASSES")); > INTERNAL_2_DBLOAD_PART_2_XSL = new > URL(PROTOCOL,HOST,xslUrlPrefix + > prop.getString("XSL_BFM_INTERNAL_2_DBLOAD_EVVS")); > INTERNAL_2_DBLOAD_UNINSTALL_XSL = new > URL(PROTOCOL,HOST,xslUrlPrefix + > prop.getString("XSL_BFM_INTERNAL_2_DBLOAD_UNINSTALL")); > } > catch (MalformedURLException e) > { > System.err.println("Exception creating XSL URL's: " + > e.getMessage()); > } > > JDBC_DRIVER = prop.getString("JDBC_DRIVER"); > JDBC_CONNECTION_SID = prop.getString("JDBC_CONNECTION_SID"); > JDBC_CONNECTION_USER = prop.getString("JDBC_CONNECTION_USER"); > JDBC_CONNECTION_PASSWORD = > prop.getString("JDBC_CONNECTION_PASSWORD"); > > SQL_STATEMENT_UOM = prop.getString("SQL_STATEMENT_UOM"); > SQL_STATEMENT_LDD = prop.getString("SQL_STATEMENT_LDD"); > > initialized = true; > } > } > > ================================================================= > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Alan Williamson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "JDJList" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, September 27, 2002 12:11 AM > Subject: [jdjlist] Re: / > > > > > > ||| I do not see it that way at all. > > > > okay ... then i wish you all the success ... because ... judging > > from the > > posts ... your going to need it! > > > > To change your JDJList options, please visit: > http://www.sys-con.com/java/list.cfm > > > > ______________________________________________ > To change your JDJList options, please visit: > http://www.sys-con.com/java/list.cfm ____________________________________________________ To change your JDJList options, please visit: http://www.sys-con.com/java/list.cfm Save Bandwidth! 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