For Your Career, Start Here

Join the Web Dev Network

As a developer, I have seen so many new developers come to my field. And what is the first question they usually ask? Where do I begin? There are two things I can guarantee. The first is that nobody will agree about the right place to start. The second is that many may tell you, that I’m not the best person to ask.

I beg to differ right here and now. I am the best person to ask. Why? Because, right now, I am more like you than anyone else that can provide you with direction. I have not made it big. Simply put, I don’t have a success story. But that’s just it. When you are starting out, you are not expected to have a success story. You are expected to learn. If I know so much, why don’t I have a success story? I don’t know if I should say that it is a simple or complex reason, but I will tell you what I think.

First, I started late in the game. I have only programmed since about 1999. And some professionals will tell you that I have not been doing it that long, because I am including Microsoft Access Visual Basic for Applications. More on that some other time.

I am not going to go into the details. That will suffice for now. There is one thing that you want to achieve starting, and I have that. You want to obtain employment in GIS programming. You don’t have to be top dog as soon as you start programming, but you do need to know where the pack is.

Finding your path to learn and is what I will help you do. I have had to hunt for knowledge for years, and now I want to show you how you can get around any barrier that may prevent you from learning.  With me; you will have the chance to learn, but if you want to move ahead of your peers, you should contribute and participate.

So, you may have a B.A. in Psychology. And maybe you won't win the Grand Prize for beta testing GIS software and get published in ESRI's International Publication, ArcUser. But those were my qualifications, and that is exactly what I did. I want to share with you how you can achieve your goals through knowledge even if you don't have what others would consider to be qualifications.

Here is your first task to become a professional programmer in web, mobile or GIS; join my group on LinkedIn called the Web Dev Network and get used to hearing; “I’ll talk to you soon.”

Want To See And Hear From Me Now?

ESRI has been hosting something called Dev Meet Ups all over the United States. We had one in Decatur, Illinois and another in Champaign, Illinois on the first night of the 2011 Spring ILGISA conference. Developers were in for a treat as Joe Stagner of Microsoft, also know as the MisfitGeek who you can follow on Twitter worked with Jim Barry of ESRI, to put together the first ever Dev Meet Up Remote Keynote through Skype. Joe presented jQuery integration with Visual Studio 2010. All attendees were able to enjoy live Q & A with Joe. And to tweet about the Meet Up to keep everybody up to date about the events, we had an enthusiastic Amy Niessen of ESRI, also in attendance working at the Champaign Meet Up. Eventually everyone wants to see fly over country first hand.

Now, I would like the developer community to consider having something that I call a Meet Up Mashup. Maybe you are tired of reading. Let me explain...