Re: Tony seeks direction (sigh)
Tony Jones (LHL0047@UABDPO.DPO.UAB.EDU)
Wed, 3 Jan 1996 11:03:05 CST
Nope, I'm not a computer programmer, although my current job
(medical library paraprofessional) has lots of computer operations
types of tasks, & I consider myself a quick learner. So, I hope
you're wrong about CIS being a "start as a teen" thing,
although I've wondered the same thing myself.
Anyway, your question kinda points to the heart of the whole
enterprise I've undertaken. I asked myself, "What creative, decently
paying jobs with a future are out there that *stimulate & challenge*
the intellect (a prerequisite for me)?" Also, I wanted
a field that needs a *lot* of people (librarianship already
fulfils all but this last crucial criterion, although the pay is
only fair to middling). I reasoned that, with high demand, there might
be more chance of hiring/promotion opportunities based on merit rather
than non-merit-related factors, although in the public sector, I may
be deluding myself about this, so I'm trying to be ideologically
flexible. Your comment re: Unix is appreciated, though. Tony
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Bill, your comment "don't bother with dbase, Novell" <paraphrase>
>is *precisely* the kind of info I need. Any others? Is there a book or
>books with this kind of info? I thought I'd start out with a C
>programming class (after I get the prerequisites, Intro to Computing
>& Trig :( , the former one I have my first class in *today*). Is that
>a safe bet? Thanx, Tony
FWIW, programming i think is pretty hard. ie, I don't really know if it's
something you can learn in a class. Most cutters i know learned as 10 - 15
yr olds and a couple of yrs of college courses was mainly a formality, or
an introduction to a few groovy acronyms like LIFO <; Are you already a
programmer per se, Tony?
Re which fields are popular, isn't Tony's decision to work for the
government significant? Doesn't the gov't lean heavily towards unix as a
sort of standard (disavowing say MPEix etc) ... ???? Hence would dictate
your options, Ton. (?)
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