I need suggestions on what to study for.

[Young Padawan]

Hi, I started using Filemaker 7 back in December 2004. I work in a machine shop and the manager at the time wasn't happy with the system they were using (it's part of a larger system used by a half a dozen companies that the owner of the machine shop has). The manager started me off creating a quote database and from there it kept growing and soon began to take on a life of it's own and eventually included tracking jobs, inventory, shift production, etc. To make a long story short, after a presentation I did last week some of the people higher up were furious that we weren't using their software (even though the software I created was superior - at least I feel it is and the users have given very positive comments on it). The reasons were the fact they spent tens of thousands if not hundreds on theirs (they didn't say this but it could be easily seen), that I wasn't a certified developer, and that my program wasn't integrated with theirs. I offered to integrate it but one of the accountants laughed at the comment and said they'd sooner hire outside professionals to do it (the particular accountant who said that has no people skills and of course made me fill like dirt ). Needless to say my boss has left the company because of another matter and I was told to simply document everything I did, file it away, and they would enforce that everyone use the system they bought and switch anyone over that is using mine.

Now after gaining experience from working with Filemaker 7 I'd like to get a career in software development and I'm asking any professionals here for their opinions on what to take. Basically I now realize that without degrees or paper backing me up it seems some people won't take a person seriously when it comes to developing software. If you'e reading this and are a developer could you please offer me suggestions on what to take? I'm thinking of studying for the Microsoft Certified Application Developer certification and/or the Microsoft Certified Database Administrator certification. I'm also wondering if a certification for Filemaker would be better or good to have in conjuction with one of the previous to certifications. I took two and a half years of Electrical Engineering and two years of Computer Science in university but left due to being immature at the time and just wanting to enter the workforce. I did learn a lot of computer programming including C, Assembly, and some Java.

Anyways thanks for any input, it would be greatly appreciated. I feel I have a lot to offer and love this stuff, so much so that I was taking it home and working on it in my free time. Thanks.

[Ender]

If you're trying to get hired in-house somewhere, then it helps to have some sort of degree. It shows you can stick things out. But that's not the only thing that counts. Development experience is very important.

Of course, this need for experience to get hired brings up a "chicken or the egg" type dilemma. You can't get hired without experience, and you can't get experience if you can't get hired. It's not necessarily this bad, though. You may have to start off with smaller, lower paying gigs to get yourself some experience.

Whether you're looking for an in-house position or marketing yourself as a consultant, having the FileMaker Developer Certification will help a lot (especially if you lack years of experience.) I don't see that the Microsoft certification will help much (you might find yourself doing Access instead.)

[stanley]

I agree with Mike - the FileMaker Developer certification would be excellent for you to have. It shows that you've got at the very least a certain skill set. I'd say that it sounds like you know your way around FileMaker pretty well, from what you've already designed. You might want to look into getting some small contract gigs - there are still loads of companies switching to FMP7, and they always need a hand from someone who is not just an IT guy, but who knows FMP inside and out. It would be especially helpful as far as getting your confidence level up to a point where you KNOW you can do whatever job you end up trying to get.

The Microsoft certifications can be useful in a corporate environment, where the personnel staff doing the hiring don't know jack about computers, so they just want to see pieces of paper, but other than that I don't see the use of them.

I think all of us who are developers have encountered the same kind of resistance you describe, especially when it comes to legacy systems which someone has spent a fortune on. It's part of the job, unfortunately, and it is never easy to convince people that your solution is a better one.

Good Luck.

-Stanley