Advice on returning to development work

Bert Halligan

I am looking to return to software development after nearly a 7 year break. Unfortunately even 7 years ago what I was doing was probably pretty outdated. I was programming in MUMPS on a unix server for a builders providers. All software was in-house. I worked for 4 years between 1998 and 2002 and then for a little over a year 2005-2006. I was involved with fixing the Y2K bug, adding handling dual currencies to the system for the euro changeover, adding and updating stock control syatems and barcoding along with general maintenance of the systems.

Anyway I contacted a recruitment agency here in Galway to see what my options were but the woman I was talking to was fairly dismissive just saying that my experience was outdated and of no real benefit to me. I was hoping someone here could give me advice on the best/quickest route back into development work. I have started messing around with c# which seems like a nice language. (I learned c++ as a hobby years ago when I was a nerdy teenager. ) Would I need to return to college or is there a quicker more intensive way? I was thinking of maybe getting either microsoft or oracle certification but would that be of any real benefit?

Oh, by the way, I have not been in a technical role while away from development. I have mainly been doing care work, a bit of overseas work and got an arts degree. Not really of any direct benefit unfortunately.

amen

Do you have any third level qualifications in Computer Sciene, Engineering, Maths or Physics ?

Without one you will find it hard to get an interview.

Bert Halligan

amen wrote: »

Do you have any third level qualifications in Computer Sciene, Engineering, Maths or Physics ?

Without one you will find it hard to get an interview.

No unfortunately not. The only degree I have is an arts one which obviously isn't going to be much use. If I was to do a masters would that be enough do you think?

I was hoping to avoid going back to college full time but if that is what it takes I'll just have to bite the bullet and find a course. I definitely don't want to do a full degree anyway.

conor.hogan.2

I would recommend doing a conversion MSc in CS* then (or one of the other more specialized ones if you really want to)


* My BA was in Arts.

smcelhinney

First off, welcome back to the dark side

Without jumping straight in, I'd suggest you familiarise yourself with programming concepts for newer (web-based) technologies, there's definitely a move away from the clunky client-side GUI applications. Get involved in a hackerspace (http://www.tog.ie/ is a good one) where you can hone skills, even do some weekend courses (they run some adult CoderDojo's from time to time teaching everything from basic HTML to Python).

If you dont want to go down the formal college route, there are plenty of ways of improving skills. You might have to bite the bullet and take an unpaid internship (or even a JobBridge one) to improve your practical programming skills.

Take on some of your own projects, but the best advice I can give you in this context is to start a project with an end goal in mind. Its all very well and good "playing around" with concepts and techniques, but if there is nothing tangible at the end, its hard to gauge the level of expertise you're at. My own personal pet project at the moment is mastering NodeJS.

All in all, its an exciting area to be getting into, so well played.

Edit: Sorry just noticed you're in Galway, tog.ie is in Dublin, but there may be one in Galway.

jimmycrackcorm

Certainly do a masters, part time even. If you have a natural ability in programming then the news is good as IT changes so much that even seasoned hands get out of date.

So pick a specialism. For example there is a fair demand for Sharepoint customization. Even the vast majority of C# developers do not do anything with Sharepoint, so, becoming an expert in this area would be relatively easier than general development.

This is just one example, but the point is that once you can demonstrate your skills and sell yourself, you can get opportunities and once you have a job you can migrate to other areas.

moycullen14

Good for you and you're not alone.

I recently returned to development, working in an office for the first time in nearly 10 years!

I guess I was lucky in that I was doing webservices work back in the early 00's and it really hasn't changed that much. J2EE, MySQL, TomCat, struts was around then and the only changes I've had to cope with are the spring/hibernate frameworks.

People here are fascinated by me as I do all my development work on a linux box, I know how to configure servers & systems from scratch, how to optimize SQL, write scripts and all the other stuff that kids who grew up in a more cossetted environment never learned. For example, no-one here knows how to drive svn from a command line - it's Tortoise or bust.

The point is that while technology and 'fads' change, the core principles of software & system design remain very much the same. Any experience you have is valuable - although MUMPS/UNIX is stretching a point!

Don't pay any attention to recruitment agents. All they are looking for is an easy fit - which you are not.

Maybe try and approach some companies directly, tell them your story - someone may be willing to help - even the dreaded Jobbridge. I would say 6 months work experience in your chosen area would be WAY more useful than a Masters.

Once you have a bit of relevant experience under your belt, lots of opportunities will open up for you.

Oh and look out for the changes in the office. Wher I am the phone never rings. It's weird.

Good luck (from an almost 50 year old!)