Yep, Becky is right ... you are not alone. I am two years older than you Rick, and I just got into software development 4 1/2 years ago. I came from a mechanical design background (with a BS in Civil Engineering). I get great support from my fellow developers here, but more often than not I feel very much behind the 8-ball.
Susan Bradeen [EMAIL PROTECTED] On 03/31/2003 08:03:22 AM Becky Norum wrote: > On Sun, 2003-03-30 at 23:44, Rick Reumann wrote: > > Does anyone else ever wake up going "Man, I feel overwhelmed. Too much > > too learn, not enough time." I started this computer stuff rather late > > in life and find it very difficult trying to pick out what to try > > concentrate my learning in. Bottom line is I have to put food on the > > table for the family so I have to concentrate in skill sets that are > > valuable (and not just fun:). I started this computer stuff rather late > > in life (4 years ago and I'm 33 now) and constantly wonder "What should > > I concentrate on learning next?" When you spend too much time learning > > one area you fall behind in another. That's what I find so amazing about > > some of these job applications- is they put down tons of skill sets and, > > sure there might be a few that truly 'know' all of the skill sets > > listed, but rarely have I come across that many people that can honestly > > say they are proficient in all of them. Then it's also the Catch-22 of > > if you diverse too much you end up being "ok" at a lot of stuff but not > > really "good" at any one skill. It seems like in this market it's best > > to just concentrate on being very good at a few skill sets vs trying to > > learn everything, but I could be totally wrong there. All and all it's > > just very frustrating:) Ehhh I'm just venting... just ignore me. Wish I > > could just start over and be a farmer in some little rural ho-dunk town > > where my greatest concerns would be whether God was going to provide > > enough rain for the crops. > > Rick, > > I often feel the way you do. I didn't get into programming until I was > 24. (28 now..). Although I don't have children of my own, I also > greatly value my time with my nephew, family and friends, and won't give > that up to cram more knowledge into my head. It's also important to me > to spend time exercising and pursuing non-computer hobbies. > > I've accepted that I can't compete with the 16-year old hacker who lives > for his/her computer. Heck, my little (23-yo) brother has started being > the one I ask about many things, not the other way around. ;) > > You've got to keep your strengths in mind in order to stay positive. > What were you doing those years before you started working with > computers? I studied Biochemistry and worked a diverse range of jobs. > What are your interests outside of computers? If you end up doing > consulting, relating to clients is very important. > > A close friend of mine a year older than you works as a specialized O/S > customer support professional. She started programming, etc. when she > was 29. She took a position that allows her to use her technical degree > yet emphasizes her "people" skills. Consistently, she receives very > positive feedback from Fortune 500 companies, feedback that some of her > more "techie" coworkers do not, because they don't share her ability to > talk to individuals less technically savvy than themselves. > > I guess all I'm saying is that you're not alone, and don't get > discouraged. I can speak only for myself, but I have a lot of those > moments. =) > > -- > Becky Norum > Database Administrator > Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems (CenSSIS) > Northeastern University > http://www.censsis.neu.edu > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
