.Net gravy train switching tracks?

[PAH]

Simply by learning how to do the job, then proving you can do it.

How do I find out what the job of Technical Architect entails? Isn't it different from company to company, so there must be a set of rules or skills that is associated with that role?

[bogeyman]

As a contractor you're not encouraged to seek out those steps by the client, so how do we learn what we could become and what opportunities there are to progress to?

True. But even as a permie you wouldn't necessarily be encouraged.

I agree it's hard to avoid being shunted into a man-management role: team-leader -> project manager -> department manager ...

Few places have a solid technical career path, even though they pretend they do, just to sucker you into a job.

If you're determined to be technical and stay that way, you need to be VERY technical and move about a lot, and see a lot of different shops. You can't afford to be a numpty introverted geek either - you need to socialise and shmooze with people with connections that will open those doors.

[PAH]

True. But even as a permie you wouldn't necessarily be encouraged.

I agree it's hard to avoid being shunted into a man-management role: team-leader -> project manager -> department manager ...

Few places have a solid technical career path, even though they pretend they do, just to sucker you into a job.

If you're determined to be technical and stay that way, you need to be VERY technical and move about a lot, and see a lot of different shops. You can't afford to be a numpty introverted geek either - you need to socialise and shmooze with people with connections that will open those doors.

Yeah, so much is more about who you know.

[bogeyman]

Yeah, so much is more about who you know.

Yeah but you have to be good too.

[DimPrawn]

and just for the record:

1. OO programming is hard to do right (even Java programmers find it hard). Its even harder if you have programmed in a non-OO language, so ex-VB guys are going to struggle.

2. C# may be a fine language but its survival will depend on the strength of its libraries. At present, .Net is spending most of its time porting Java libraries over.

3. I have worked in some companies which were Windows only but most have used Unix variants in production. Java rules the roost there.

4. I hear C# is popular for building front ends in Windows in some orgs (like banks). The server side is mostly Java and thats unlikely to change.

R

Yes Java is future. That and SAP.

[bogeyman]

Yes Java is future. That and SAP.

Yes, I was quite amazed that "OO programming is hard to do right" and that "even Java programmers find it hard".

Makes me wonder how I struggled all those years with C++ writing classes with all those methods and properties, with a sprinkling polymorphism and the occasional bit of multiple inheritance.

Thank God those Java boys came along to sort us out - even if they found us a bit difficult.

Personally, I've seen too many Java devs who couldn't even figure out how to work a coffee machine.

[NotAllThere]

Apparently smalltalk is the real oo language.

[bogeyman]

Apparently smalltalk is the real oo language.

It is but there's no money in it.

[bored]

How do I find out what the job of Technical Architect entails? Isn't it different from company to company, so there must be a set of rules or skills that is associated with that role?

In 90% cases, a Technical Architect is a permie developer who had to be promoted but wasn't fit to be a manager...

[PAH]

In 90% cases, a Technical Architect is a permie developer who had to be promoted but wasn't fit to be a manager...

So my usual title of Developer doesn't necessarily give the impression I'm just a coder, but that I may also be able to design and implement a solution from scratch?

Or should I be calling myself an Analyst/Programmer?