1 Month to become c# contractor?

[tim123]

The bizarre thing is that the test should be trivial to anybody with just a couple of months experience in the skills required.

But this often depends upon how you learnt the language.

I was once asked to write sample code to parse a DOS command line.

As I am sure that I have made clear in the past, I work in embedded software and never once in 25 years has a product that I have worked on had to parse a DOS command line.

But the tester thought that this was a fair test of someone's "c" ability because anyone who had done a formal course in C is likely to have included this.

However, I learnt my "C" "on the job" (converting from PL/M), so I had no idea at all how to do it.

tim

[chicane]

However, I learnt my "C" "on the job" (converting from PL/M), so I had no idea at all how to do it.

But this would shirley be just a generic test of your understanding of pointers and string functions rather than requiring specific DOS knowledge?

[tim123]

But this would shirley be just a generic test of your understanding of pointers and string functions rather than requiring specific DOS knowledge?

No, it requires that you know the standard library "stdarg.h" functions.

I did not, (I didn't even know that they existed at the time of the test, and like I said, apart from this test I have never had any need to know).

tim

[PAH]

On the positive side, at least with contracting we can just write it off and go to the next interview in the hope it will be more to our taste.

Unlike permiedom where you can pass two interviews and still fail at the third. That would really wind me up. Wouldn't suprise me if there were yet more hoops to jump through before they finally hired you.

Maybe we should compile that list of companies and their interviewing processes after all! I can't seem to find it in the links.

[Shimano105]

less than a week each/// and remeber the .net Libs are massive..
I think your best bet would go permy doing C# junior role... stick it out 6-12 months then look at contracting...

(how many speling mistakes?)

When you first start out this seems way too much, however I have learnt (by doing M$ exams largely) the following:

you got to learn OOP.

- no big deal. Polymorphism, Inheritance etc. A lot of this is in VB6 anyway (except inheritance) if you use it properly

you got to learn the .net framework

- ADO.NET, GAC/deployment stuff, garbage collection, library organisation - only memorise what you need to know

you got to learn the NEW DataAccess(off line and online)

- ADO.NET (command object, datasets & adaptors, data readers etc.) and brush up on LINQ perhaps

you got to learn the NEW controls

- brush up and familiarise

You got to learn C# syntax and semantics.

- easiest bit. Done C, a little C++ and found C# to be totally intuitive as a result. .NET 2.0 stuff quite intuitive with generics ans stuff. Delegates are easier than they are often explained as well (like the offside rule)


I really don't see the above as being the problem that some make it out to be.

[chicane]

you got to learn OOP.
- no big deal. Polymorphism, Inheritance etc. A lot of this is in VB6 anyway (except inheritance) if you use it properly

OOP is no big deal if you're just making use of somebody else's OO code. Writing your own good quality OOP code takes a long time to master which is why an increasing number of job ads are asking for design patterns experience.

[Shimano105]

OOP is no big deal if you're just making use of somebody else's OO code. Writing your own good quality OOP code takes a long time to master which is why an increasing number of job ads are asking for design patterns experience.

Yeah right. Master of the dark arts are we? Same could be said of designing anything correctly.

[tim123]

Yeah right. Master of the dark arts are we? Same could be said of designing anything correctly.

I wish I had a quid for every project in the world where the software was designed on the back of a fag packet. Even if I had to give back one pound for every project designed 'properly', I'd still be retiring tomorow!

tim

[PAH]

I wish I had a quid for every project in the world where the software was designed on the back of a fag packet. Even if I had to give back one pound for every project designed 'properly', I'd still be retiring tomorow!

tim

Just proves that you can over-engineer something. If it works it works. That's what the IT industry is built on. Roll out then fix. Then charge extra for the fixes!

[bogeyman]

Polymorphism, Inheritance etc. A lot of this is in VB6 anyway (except inheritance) if you use it properly

You can do a sort of inheritance in VB6 by using the 'inner object' technique.

i.e. you write a wrapper class and Dim innerClass as ParentClass, then write stub methods and properties that you delegate to the 'innerClass' or handle in the derived class.

It's a kludge like most OO things in VB but can be quite effective.