Friday, January 18, 2013

It's time for yet another change...


I started out programming ~13 years ago, when I was only 12 years old. The first language I learned was VB. I was building some small winforms utilities for myself. Then (about a year after) I started learning php and went into web development, building some dynamic websites (mostly php & MySQL) for the next 6-7 years...

Once I drafted to the military (mandatory in Israel), I did some programming for the Air Force. It was then when I got into the .net world, and was doing most of the programming in C#. I got used to it really fast, and learned to like it, so after the military (~3.5 years), I went on to work for ICC (the Israeli VISA company) as a .net programmer for 2 and a half years. After that I immediately got a job for Sears Israel, mostly developing in C# but also doing some java.

The past couple of years I learned a lot of new technologies and new programming paradigms, but it was mostly using the Microsoft platform. I didn't get to work with other programming languages, not to mention working on Linux platforms...

So... I think it's time for yet another change... :)
I'm not talking about quiting my job (note to my employer: no need to worry yet), but I'm talking about learning some new languages and technologies on my own. I'm not kidding anyone here - I've been programming since a young age and have been loving every moment of it. I do it a lot at home and a lot in my spare time just for fun!
I recently decided that I will dedicate my spare time to learning some new technologies and new languages. I'm sure, even this won't pay off immediately at work, the knowledge I will be gaining will still be priceless and will definitely help me in the future, possible even at my current work place.

First step - A couple of weeks ago I installed Linux on my home computer. I went for the Ubuntu distribution, since I heard it's the most user-friendly, and this way I could hit the ground running.
It's only been a couple of weeks, and I already know how to do everything I need from the terminal. Manage my files, install new packages and even work with vim. Seriously, if I didn't need a web browser, I would be installing the server version. Now, I started copying all my old files I want to backup from my Windows installation, and planning on removing Windows all together.

Next steps - I decided I need to learn new technologies as well. Recently reading about nodejs a lot got me really excited and so I started learning it. I also figured it would be easy for me to get into, since after years of web development I can say I know a fair amount of javascript.
I'm already working on a small project just for myself which is coming out really cool (might blog about this soon). I'm working with the expressjs mvc framework, jade view engines, stylus and even implementing OpenId in javascript!

I'm always thinking about how I can use this information to leverage some utilities we have at work... :) Every programming language has its strengths and it's all about choosing the right tool for the job.

What's next ? Well, I think after I finish my project in nodejs I'll go onto learning python which has also been interesting me for a quite a while now...
I already read a lot about it, and now I just need to get my hands dirty a bit too.

In conclusion I will say that learning new technologies is always a good idea, can always be a lot of fun, will always give you new tools to deal with everyday problems and put you ahead of many other programmers that are 'stuck with the same technology for years'. I already feel I have quite the experience - programming in VB, php, C#, javascript, using MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, (and many frameworks within each language) and having at least a couple of years of experience with each of these. I really believe this puts me ahead of most, especially when it comes to solving new problems - I have a better point of view then others and a lot of experience to lean on.

2 comments:

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