Reply to: which microsoft skill is hot now?

[Diver]

This is the end of my contribution to this thread. I think those reading can come to their own conclusions as to how worthwhile your posts have been.

They were to bogeys usual standard of excellence

and stop having a hissy fit, he's winding you up and you bit

[bogeyman]

This is the end of my contribution to this thread. I think those reading can come to their own conclusions as to how worthwhile your posts have been.

Oh boooh hoooh

Don't leave me Cowboy Bob!

[Cowboy Bob]

Trolls schmolls!

High degree of immaturity indeed. Let me guess. You're in your 20s probably and live with your mum.

This is the end of my contribution to this thread. I think those reading can come to their own conclusions as to how worthwhile your posts have been.

[bogeyman]

Not really. I just don't take too kindly to trolls - which your first post in this thread clearly was.

I answered a question from the OP in a perfectly sensible manner. You disagreed, fair enough. But instead of offering your own opinion, you decided to troll my post instead - which demonstrates a high degree of immaturity.

Yes I am in a hiring position. I have my methods to weed out who I think will not make the grade. Again you may disagree with those methods, but I would counter that by saying I've never (so far) hired anyone who turned out to be unfit for the role.

Now, how about you offer your own advice to the OP (if you have any) and make a positive contribution to this thread?

Trolls schmolls!

High degree of immaturity indeed. Let me guess. You're in your 20s probably and live with your mum.

[Cowboy Bob]

You're a rather an angry little individual aren't you?

Not really. I just don't take too kindly to trolls - which your first post in this thread clearly was.

I answered a question from the OP in a perfectly sensible manner. You disagreed, fair enough. But instead of offering your own opinion, you decided to troll my post instead - which demonstrates a high degree of immaturity.

Yes I am in a hiring position. I have my methods to weed out who I think will not make the grade. Again you may disagree with those methods, but I would counter that by saying I've never (so far) hired anyone who turned out to be unfit for the role.

Now, how about you offer your own advice to the OP (if you have any) and make a positive contribution to this thread?

[bogeyman]

There was nothing anti-MS in my post. Quite the opposite. I was merely suggesting that diversifying is a good thing - given that the OP gave the impression that he/she was only intending on learning MS technology, only had MS experience (the name 'ashwin' gives me a clue) and is finding it tough to get a contract with his/her current skillset.

As for my hiring procedure, if you had any knowledge at all about AS400 you would realise that it would pretty much be a fruitless task to find anyone with the requisite experience of .NET or Java (yes we use .NET) and AS400 on the same CV, and that those with some experience of non-MS technologies are likely to get "into the groove" far quicker than those who have only ever experienced a point and click interface. Besides, the anecdote was only there as an example of how diversification is good - there are plenty of other mixed technology shops out there.

My advice to the OP was sound. Your post was a pure troll. Get your head out of your arse, ignore my avatar as it's not relevant, and grow up.

You're a rather an angry little individual aren't you?

As it happens I'm quite familiar with AS/400 (and S/3x) but more at home with S/390, Z etc.

Have you ever really been in a hiring position or is that just some kind of fantasy?

[Cowboy Bob]

The OP asked 'which microsoft skill is hot now?' and you go into your irrelevant anti-MS tirade.

You then enlighten us with your approach to hiring (i.e. you don't care what skills the employer wants or needs - just as long as you are happy).

Are you that stupid?

I think anyone who has a vendor logo as their avatar is immediately suspect anyway.

There was nothing anti-MS in my post. Quite the opposite. I was merely suggesting that diversifying is a good thing - given that the OP gave the impression that he/she was only intending on learning MS technology, only had MS experience (the name 'ashwin' gives me a clue) and is finding it tough to get a contract with his/her current skillset.

As for my hiring procedure, if you had any knowledge at all about AS400 you would realise that it would pretty much be a fruitless task to find anyone with the requisite experience of .NET or Java (yes we use .NET) and AS400 on the same CV, and that those with some experience of non-MS technologies are likely to get "into the groove" far quicker than those who have only ever experienced a point and click interface. Besides, the anecdote was only there as an example of how diversification is good - there are plenty of other mixed technology shops out there.

My advice to the OP was sound. Your post was a pure troll. Get your head out of your arse, ignore my avatar as it's not relevant, and grow up.

[bogeyman]

Are you so stupid that you think that my advice to the OP of trying to branch out from MS a bit to gain a competitive advantage over other 100% MS people is not sensible? Are you seriously saying that keeping your skills homogenised into one area is good for your long term future as a contractor?

The OP asked 'which microsoft skill is hot now?' and you go into your irrelevant anti-MS tirade.

You then enlighten us with your approach to hiring (i.e. you don't care what skills the employer wants or needs - just as long as you are happy).

Are you that stupid?

I think anyone who has a vendor logo as their avatar is immediately suspect anyway.

[Cowboy Bob]

Wheeey! CowboyBob in from left field with a crunching anti-M$ tackle.

"I was hiring recently for my current client and they have a whole bunch of AS400s. I wasn't bothered about the lack of AS400 on the CV"

If that's how you hire, you shouldn't be hiring, or even washing cups.

The OP asked what MS skills were hot and you said (I pararphrase)...

"Huh! M$ is deh tulipz lolz! get sum leet skilzz n00b - M$ its teh evil"

Are you so stupid that you think that my advice to the OP of trying to branch out from MS a bit to gain a competitive advantage over other 100% MS people is not sensible? Are you seriously saying that keeping your skills homogenised into one area is good for your long term future as a contractor?

[Stan.goodvibes]

Any CV that was 100% Microsoft went straight in the bin.

That was after you threw away half the CVs in the pile first, to avoid employing unlucky people, right?

[bogeyman]

If you've not got any skills other than Microsoft, then probably none of the above. To get a contract quickly you need to stand out from the crowd, which means getting some non-Microsoft skills on to your CV as well - Unix, Linux, Oracle, DB2, etc etc

There are many more mixed technology companies out there than there are ones that are 100% Microsoft. For example, I was hiring recently for my current client and they have a whole bunch of AS400s. I wasn't bothered about the lack of AS400 on the CV, but I wanted to see experience with other systems than Microsoft. Any CV that was 100% Microsoft went straight in the bin.

Wheeey! CowboyBob in from left field with a crunching anti-M$ tackle.

"I was hiring recently for my current client and they have a whole bunch of AS400s. I wasn't bothered about the lack of AS400 on the CV"

If that's how you hire, you shouldn't be hiring, or even washing cups.

The OP asked what MS skills were hot and you said (I pararphrase)...

"Huh! M$ is deh tulipz lolz! get sum leet skilzz n00b - M$ its teh evil"

[lilelvis2000]

What? no MS Office choice. I do a lot of work with Excel and Access. I'm just learning the ropes on Sharepoint whilst I'm on the bench.
Like to get into SQL Server 2008 but lately I've been doing quite a bit of Oracle.

As for non MS- Does running two Linux machines in my office and managing to get a RAID, DNS cache, CUPS and SAMBA up on one. And Oracle, Alfresco (quite the bitch to install) and SAMBA on the other qualify?

How about changing the heat sink and all the fans in my PC to quieten it down?

[Jaws]

I'd say Sharepoint, going by the endless ads I get sent just because I mention it once on my CV. I should remove it, because I only did a bit of customising on an intranet Sharepoint site and all the contract jobs require "Webparts" expertise and all that. Hideous application, adding layers of irritation to any kind of straightforward web development. I'd want an extra amount added to the standard rate just to cover the cost of tranquilisers.

I spent a week or so creating a couple of webparts for Sharepoint in this contract, I dont think it's worthy of mention on the CV for the same reasons. There is no way on this earth that I'd like to work extensively with that framework. That said, it was possible to almost completely abstract the sharepoint side of things when developing the parts and just work as per usual.

[BoredBloke]

Bugger - I've spent the last week learning the ins and outs of edlin

[VectraMan]

No VB6 option, I thought there were still a gazillion VB6 apps out there even in big companies.

Still loads of C++/MFC apps out there too.