C is a dead end skill?

[SoupDragon]

Hi - long time no post

I am a programmer C / unix / embedded SQL (mainly oracle). This skill just seems DEAD. I can't get work in embedded programming because I have no experience of it. I have bits of experience in C++, perl, Java (language only, not j2ee)

I am thinking of going permie to get some new skills.

What would you do in my situation? I can commute to city or cambridge (I live in Ipswich)

c#? Java? I just dunno.

[kingshuk]

Hi - long time no post

I am a programmer C / unix / embedded SQL (mainly oracle). This skill just seems DEAD. I can't get work in embedded programming because I have no experience of it. I have bits of experience in C++, perl, Java (language only, not j2ee)

I am thinking of going permie to get some new skills.

What would you do in my situation? I can commute to city or cambridge (I live in Ipswich)

c#? Java? I just dunno.

In the area I work on (banking/trading software) I do not see any new projects using C. C++ is still in use quite heavily. There are some systems using C but they are all in maintenance mode. If I were you I would read up on C++ as much as possible, update CV with C++ and get a permie role to have "new technologies" on resume. In the permie role I would try to get either java or C# in the resume. I think both are widely used now and likely to be around for a bit longer.

[VectraMan]

I see quite a few unixy C++ jobs these days, which I can't do.

C to any of the OOP variants is quite a jump though. My last gig they had a short term need for a C++ programmer, and a longer term project for C#, so I managed to get paid to learn C# on the job. So it can be done without having to resort to permidom.

And I had a previous gig where believe it or not they were still using some ancient 16-bit Windows software that needed a small amount of maintenance, which I'm old enough to have experience of.

So if you can find somebody who has a small need for your current skills, but is expanding in an area you want to learn, that's a good angle. Everybody has legacy crap that they need to keep running.

[kingshuk]

In the permie role I would also try to get some skills in some software package/product that has a largish commerical user base but not large enough to have become a commodity skill already. For example maybe Oracle ERP (but not PL/SQL - though that doesn't hurt either) or Fidessa (in my world).

Then two years later I will start contracting again I guess

[SoupDragon]

Yeah, C++ sounds good to me...

My last contract was at a bank in the city C/PRO*C legacy system - but no agent is going to touch me for C++ work in that same area.

VectraMan - sounds like you were lucky , I guess that kind of thing is very unlikely to happen to me in this current climate.

[VectraMan]

VectraMan - sounds like you were lucky , I guess that kind of thing is very unlikely to happen to me in this current climate.

Indeed, but it helped that I was cheaper than any experienced .NETter. The recession isn't necessarily bad. Like my previous client companies might be more inclined to hire one contractor to cover a range of tasks instead of looking for one expert in A, and another expert in B.

[moorfield]

What would you do in my situation? I can commute to city or cambridge (I live in Ipswich)

c#? Java? I just dunno.

I think there is still reasonable demand for C/C++ people, and Cambridge is certainly a good part of the country to look for it. Most newbie contractors can't / don't do it.

Cons: You'll probably need a beard and some sandals to get ahead.

[SoupDragon]

I think there is still reasonable demand for C/C++ people, and Cambridge is certainly a good part of the country to look for it. Most newbie contractors can't / don't do it.

Cons: You'll probably need a beard and some sandals to get ahead.

So me not even getting an interview in the last 7 months is probably just down to the recession?

I guess I need to find a "C/C++" contract and turn it into "C++" on my CV.

I would definately like to do C++. As Joel Spolsky points out - there are two kinds of programmers - those who understand pointers and those who don't

[VectraMan]

I would definately like to do C++. As Joel Spolsky points out - there are two kinds of programmers - those who understand pointers and those who don't

I plan on sticking with C++, although I know that if I had lots of experience of C# or Java I'd have a lot more oppurtunites and would earn more. Cambridge does seem to be a good place for the more interesting types of work, i.e. not just connecting up GUIs to databases, and that lends itself to C++ more. I suspect I'll end up there sooner or later.

[nomadd]

Hi - long time no post

I am a programmer C / unix / embedded SQL (mainly oracle). This skill just seems DEAD. I can't get work in embedded programming because I have no experience of it. I have bits of experience in C++, perl, Java (language only, not j2ee)

I am thinking of going permie to get some new skills.

What would you do in my situation? I can commute to city or cambridge (I live in Ipswich)

c#? Java? I just dunno.

Shockingly, I had an interview 3 weeks ago at a large Investment Bank. They now consider their C++ (and yes, I do mean C++, not C) code as legacy.

All they mandate now is Java and C#.

Time for you to re-skill.

Nomadd