Moving from useful computer geek to a programmer

[lykaon78]

So I'm the resident computer geek at work and I've received recognition and promotions for my work in MS Access as data mining and building tools to help regular users find data on the fly is important in my job. Along the way I've picked up/self taught myself some descent VBA skills.

But... I'm bored. How do I take this to the next level? How do I learn to be an even more effective programmer? What is a good next step? Is there a particular skill that would be complimentary to my current skills and perhaps even marketable?

 

[Markbnj]

A good next step would be to make the jump to a mainstream production language. Since you're already working in Microsoft technologies I'd suggest grabbing Visual Studio Express for C# and diving in. Write some simple console programs to begin with, and then try some GUI development using WPF. I'd avoid web development at first just because there are too many moving parts.

 

[Bulldog13]

Like Markbnj said, grab a copy of VS Express and start playing.

Recently, I decided to start learning Delphi for work and as a proficient C# programmer I really didn't know where to start. I knew I didn't want to go buy some 700 page Delphi tome because I just wanted to get familiar with the syntax. I also knew I didn't want to start at 'Hello World'. I did some googling and found http://www.spoj.pl/problems/classical/ which are programming problems from simple to advanced with apparently an online judging system to tell you if you got it right. My plan is to start grinding through these until I get familiar enough with the Delphi syntax and the programming constructs I generally use (interfaces and generic lists).

This might be a good step for you.

 

[Dagorim]

I'm in a somewhat similar situation. I've found learning Powershell to be extremely advantageous, especially as someone who comes from a strong VB background.

Once I began to appreciate the strong integration with .NET that Powershell has, I was blown away. A fun task I came up with was to write a Powershell admin function library that would handle all sorts of tasks such as enumerating shares on remote hosts, printing active TCP/UDP connections (ala Netstat), etc, using .NET classes where applicable.

These are some decent sites I've used:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/scriptcenter/dd772285
http://blog.commandlinekungfu.com/
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/scriptcenter/bb410849

And good 'ol google "Powershell" + topic

I still can't seem to get completely away from WMI though...:whiste:

 

[beginner99]

If it is just for you I would start learning either Java or C#. I would tend to Java because it can be used on any platform but more importantly is that you read a book or tutorial about Object Oriented Programming (OOP).

After you get that, I suggest you move to web development, meaning HTML, CSS and a server-side language (can be c# or Java again but I would suggest PHP).
I suggest not to start with PHP because it makes doing things "wrong" a little too easy.

Personally I would not invest too much in specific MS technologies such as WPF. Why? Not really reusable elsewhere and in general I would avoid doing any GUI stuff because you can waste so much time on design and certain minor details which won't improve your programming skills.

 

[PricklyPete]

C# and Java are both very useful and there is a ton of opportunities out there. That being said, I would looke into programming an iOS program using Objective C. It is easy/fun and very marketable these days.

 

[Net]

here is a quick start to improving your skills.

1. pick an OO language that your excited about.
2. pick up a copy of Heads First Design Patterns http://www.amazon.com/First-Design-P...3646301&sr=8-1
3. use the above when making a program you're are excited about.