Career ideas.... (Full Version)

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Twopigs -> Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 12:20:49)

[8|] Hello, everyone has always been so helpful here and I figured why not ask here!

I have recently been laid off due to our industry taking a hit. I worked for a family business and we ended up in the red zone and my uncle had to layoff. Well, I took on building and maintaining our website Logistar- Distribution/Computer EXPO I started with Frontpage and it ended up getting so big I had a developer build our basic pages in ASP. From that point i've been copying, pasting and editing code and now have a pretty robust site. Well, being that I don't have formal training or the "ground up" knowledge of ASP i'm trying to find out the best route to learning it.

I see most jobs want proficiency in .NET and usually Visual Studio. I currently use Homesite to edit code, and just getting into SQL as our databases have just been Access 2000.

Ok, without getting winded....I'll take any suggestions on pathways? Thanks in Advance![:D]
Scott Phillips



Tailslide -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 12:35:14)

My 2ps worth:

I was talking to a woman who was quite high up in a big London design firm recently. She'd heard me said that I'm a designer and was nodding politely until I mentioned that I specialised in doing accessible (hopefully) CSS layouts and all of a sudden she was very interested and offered me a job!! Apparently there are loads of people claiming CSS and accessibility knowledge around but very few who actually know anything at all - so that'd be my advice - see if you can gen up a bit on CSS and accessibility issues.



Twopigs -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 12:47:10)

Thank you very much! Sounds good, I will dig into that as well! I really appreciate you thoughts tailslide! [;)]



Tailslide -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 12:55:44)

I'm not suggesting abandoning what you know already by the way - but if you can possibly combine your knowledge of ASP or ASP.net with CSS and accessibility then I think you might be on to a winner.



Twopigs -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 12:58:42)

I agree! I see alot of that in the job listings too.



Mojo -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 13:34:47)

ASP.net is a career decision in the U.S.. If you have experience you can get a job in a snap here in Chicago. Most CSS/Designers around here have accessibility skills - they just don't know it.

Classic ASP skills are great for your own work or client work, but you'll find if difficult to get full-time employment with just classic ASP, CSS and SQL Server.

I suggest rebuilding your site in ASP.NET and SQL Server. Move as much as possible to triggers and stored procedures and crack the .NET books. When you're ready - fabricate a resume. I come from a technical recruiting background (chemistry degree - what a waste) - most employers will look over your resume and then give you a test of some sort. If you pass the test they won't look too closely at the resume. I still dabble in headhunting as the money is great.

Heck, you can say you worked for me... I have several businesses that would pad a resume.



Tailslide -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 13:42:33)

Mojo as an Ex HR person I'm shocked!

One thing I agree with - pass the test and talk the talk (ASP.net, CSS, Accessibility or all three preferably!) and they probably won't look too hard at your resume. I can't say that lying on your resume is a good idea. You'd probably get sacked if you happened to pick the one company that did check (I used to...)



Twopigs -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 13:57:14)

Nice, I love Chicago too... I have alot to learn first. :(

Actually our Tradeshow is at the Navy Pier every year and our headquater hotel is the Hyatt on Wacker.

That is my favorite town!

You hit the nail on the head and that's what i'm doing, rebuilding my sites in .net and sql. I have to have working examples for it to sink in my thick skull...LOL.

I did have a phone interview and they asked me to give an example of an XML object oriented session that I created. I haven't had any XML experience so I was dumbfounded.

Well, I thank you for the insight! [:)]



Mojo -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 14:59:11)

quote:

Mojo as an Ex HR person I'm shocked!


Most HR types are. I have never been HR, but I've done a lot of work for HR departments. Some of the requirements for candidates are just silly. How often are you asked to present 3 references? What a joke. If someone can't find 3 friends to lie for them then they're a looser who probably shouldn't be hired in the first place.

Anyhow, most of my headhunting days are behind me, but I still keep up with the market as I have an upcoming project within the HR community.

quote:

XML object oriented session


Go to www.4guysfromrolla.com and look for the latest buzzwords and focus on them. Start doing the most technically difficult things first. Don't build up to it, but just jump in and start swinging. You will be lost, but if you use good books and online material you will start being able to replicate the difficult things. You'll pick up the simple day to day chores through osmosis. Within 6 months you shoud be able to pass yourself off as an ASP.NET/CSS/SQL Server/XML professional. Knowing where to look up answers is one of the best skills you can develop.



Twopigs -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 15:32:41)

quote:

Go to www.4guysfromrolla.com


Yep, I frequent their site often.... good call.

That's funny because that's how I do everything, jump into the hard stuff and try to get the easy stuff later. Although it's killin me, for example i'm a drummer, and i've been in bands since post high school (going aways back!) but I never took lessons and I can't do some of the simple drum rudiments and stuff... I think it's harder going backwards in that because i've learned all the bad habits.. :(



spitfire -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 15:50:01)

Twopigs,
Blimey this takes me back a bit.

It may be worth bearing in mind that recruiting agencies and many employers also discount technical CVs and references. But at least in the UK they have become savvy enough when dealing with IT-types to ask which fora applicants frequent and their screen name(s). They are also very adept at online searching terms/items/hints in the application and are usually delighted to be able to track a job applicant's growing expertise in their particular field. Very revealing as to breadth and depth of current knowledge.

Try searching "twopigs". Over 500 results on google. One is what looks like a lively English country pub[:D] But several of them are you, if I'm not mistaken.

This is not to discourage forum participation, quite the reverse, it is to encourage positive forum participation at all levels and most particularly for people who are looking for a technical career.

However, techie + no forum presence and/or a negative forum/web persona is unlikely to get the application any further than an enlightened employer's File 13 (garbage bin). [X(]



Twopigs -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 16:01:32)

Wow, didn't even think of that!... so I can add this up to one more "-" [:@]

I haven't heard of being asked which fourms I frequent but that is a good idea if your in HR.

Thanks for the advice Spitfire!



spitfire -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 16:10:25)

[img]http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/froehlich/d055.gif[/img]



Mojo -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 16:36:24)

That's a great idea, but HR people in the U.S. don't ask it (yet) and wouldn't know what to do with the information if they did have it. Also, I guessing the majority of tech people in the U.S. don't frequent forums and even more just lurk.



spitfire -> RE: Career ideas.... (2/2/2006 16:43:40)

Then again, you could be seriously under-estimating the grokking skills of your Fellow Americans. I know and have consulted with/for a number of pretty serious US corporations or organisations - let's start with MIT[;)]



carrie -> RE: Career ideas.... (4/23/2007 9:38:55)

I found this post very interesting, as I'm finding myself on the same path.
What do you mean by 'accessibility'?
Does it mean providing a way for the client to modify content on website?

Carrie



caz -> RE: Career ideas.... (4/23/2007 10:13:58)

quote:

What do you mean by 'accessibility'?


Had you noticed that this thread is over a year old?

In short, accessibility is designing web sites so that they can be used successfully by everyone, including those with some form of disability - sight, hearing, dexterity or comprehension problems. It's a wide field and you will find lots of information on the web, in books and in the Accessibility forum on here.



jaybee -> RE: Career ideas.... (4/23/2007 11:02:32)

Accessibility basics
quote:


What is web accessibility & why is it important?

Web accessibility is about making your website accessible to all Internet users (both disabled and non-disabled), regardless of what browsing technology they're using. In addition to complying with the law, an accessible website can reap huge benefits on to your website and your business.

Your website must be able to function with all different browsing technologies

The first and perhaps the most important rule of web accessibility. Not everyone is using the latest version of Internet Explorer, with all the plug-ins and programs that you may require them to have for your website. Different browsing technologies, each with their own accessibility requirements, can include:

* Lynx browser - Text-only browser with no support for tables, CSS, images, JavaScript, Flash or audio and video content
* WebTV - 560px in width with horizontal scrolling not available
* Screen reader - Page content read aloud in the order it appears in the HTML document
* Handheld device - Very small screen with limited support for JavaScript and large images
* Screen magnifier - As few as three to four words may be able to appear on the screen at any one time
* Slow connection (below 56kb) - Users may turn off images to enable a faster download time
* 1600px screen width - Very wide screen

This basically means that to ensure your website is accessible to everyone you must provide alternatives to:

* Images - in the form of ALT text
* JavaScript - through the <noscript> tag
* Flash - with HTML equivalents
* Audio & video - by using subtitles or written transcripts

For enhanced website accessibility you must also be careful how your pages look when support for CSS and/or tables has been removed.

There are two good ways you can check your website is accessible for all these:

* Download the Opera browser and read this article on checking web accessibility with Opera
* Download the Lynx browser and see if you can successfully access every part of your website

Forms need to be accessible to all web users

When a web user fills out a form it's a great thing. People fill out forms to:

* Buy a product
* Sign up to a newsletter
* Ask a question

These are the goals of your website! A site visitor may look through your site, decides he likes what he sees and tries to sign up to your newsletter.

...But the form isn't accessible to him so he clicks away and you lose a potential customer. Most forms on the web suffer from accessibility issues. The two main reasons for this are:

* Prompt text is incorrectly positioned
* Prompt text is unassigned to form items

(Prompt text is the text that appears next to each form item, for example, ‘name’, ‘e-mail’, ‘comments’)

To find out more please read this article about making your forms accessible.
It should be easy for all users to quickly process the content on your website

We generally don't read web pages. We scan, trying to find what we're looking for as quickly as possible. On a regular monitor, we scroll down the page looking at the items that stand out from the rest of the text: headings, links, bold text and bullet points. Non-keyboard and visually impaired users often scan pages by tabbing between headings or links.

To ensure the accessibility of your website, use headings, links, bold text and bullet points and make sure they contain descriptive text. For example, never use ‘click here’ for link text.
Structure and presentation should be completely separated

By separating structure and presentation your website will be accessible to and ready for the future of the Internet: PDAs, mobile phones, in-car browsers, WebTV and 1600px screens.

The structure of a document is how it is organised, usually with navigational menu items, headings, sub-headings, paragraphs, lists, and links. The presentation of a document is how these words and images are presented to the end user.

The main principle behind this accessibility guideline is to use CSS and not tables to lay out your web pages. Check out the excellent tutorials over at HTML Dog for how to use CSS to increase your website's accessibility.

There's more to separating structure and presentation than just laying your web pages out with CSS. Have a look at this HTML element list that tells you which elements are structural and which are presentational. For optimal web accessibility, you can, and should, avoid using presentational elements as they may cause your website to become less accessible to certain users.
The end user should have control over your web pages

All web users have unique requirements for how they use the Internet, depending on the kind of browser they're using or any kind of handicap or disability they may have. By handing control back to your users you'll enhance your website's accessibility and you site visitors will be able to use your website in the way that best suits them.

This accessibility guideline could mean allowing users to resize text, warning them when links are going to open in a new window, or providing a link at the top of the screen that takes the user directly to the page content.

Contributed by Trenton Moss, Webcredible. Article originally published February 2004.



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