Never More than a Beginning Developer
Today, I reflected on some of the notes I gathered during
PDC, then while reading some blogs, I came across
someone advertising a job back in February for an intermediate developer.
- Ideally someone with .Net experience, but I'll consider people with Java experience (who are willing to learn .Net).
- Ideally someone with SQL Server experience, but I'll consider someone with relational database experience.
- Ideally someone with ASP.Net experience, but I'll consider someone with a demonstratable understanding of usability.
- Ideally someone with O/R Mapping experience, but I'll consider someone who knows how code should be layered.
- CSS knowledge is a plus.
- Analysis and design patterns knowledge is a plus.
- Experience with a source control tool is a plus.
- Unit testing skills are a plus.
- DotNetNuke experience is a plus.
- Code generation experience is a plus.
- An interest (self study) in software architecture is a plus
This is an Intermediate Developer? Going over this list of qualifications, I began to take a personal inventory. I reflected on my experiences at PDC and some of the work I have on my plate for the next year. Then I began thinking about some of my other responsibilities, more around running the business-- doing more "business analyst" like things. It occurred to me that with the breathtaking pace of change in .NET development (my platform of choice), I feel like a beginner once again… first, a few years ago, it was XML/XSL, then it was the .NET framework, now its new versions of Windows Mobile, ASP.NET 2.0, LINQ, VSTO, Office XML and the list goes on.
How do others keep up? Funny thing is, for all the fantastic/helpful blogs that people maintain, they all seem to be experts… isn't there anyone else out there that still feels like a little less "expert" sometimes like me? Or is it just that the "beginner to intermediates" are too intimidated to blog. Maybe these feelings will pass…
UPDATE - Monday Morning: Indeed, the feelings of inadequacy have passed, but I still wonder where all the intermediate developer bloggers are...