http://www.nofluffjuststuff.com/blog/ted_neward/2007/10/a_conversation_on_architecture.html
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Do many/most developers at F500 companies not go to events like local JUGs or conferences like NFJS?
Unfortunately, far too many developers don’t treat their careers as a work-in-progress, but believe that once they’ve landed the job, they’re on a track to moderate financial success for life. In fact, lots of developers fit the demographic of “male, 18-30, and single”, which is the absolute worst demographic for future planning. Lots of these guys think that “Hey, I’m smart, the money will always flow in, right? Java/.NET/C++/COBOL will always be the tool of choice, right? What, me worry?”
Unfortunately, it’s my experience that it doesn’t get better with age. Developers in the age range of 31 and up have seen one (or two) generations of languages/platforms go by, and have had to re-tool themselves, and are still pissed about it. The ones who realize that no matter how much they learn, there’s still a lot more to take on, those are the ones going to JUGs and NFJS and TechEd and JavaOne and whatever else comes their way. Those are the same ones who see training classes as opportunities for advancement, not opportunities to play 8 hours of uninterrupted Solitaire. And, unfortunately, those developers are the exception, not the rule, it seems.
Which means, if you take the time to invest in yourself, you will never be in the bottom of the candidate pool for your next job. Period.
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Well said. Many moons ago, Frau Reinke, the CFO of our partnership, “decided” that I should have a budget for training and toys. Now bear in mind that she has no use for this “technology stuff”, is a tight with “wasting” money as I have ever seen, (She’ll spend it like water; just never “waste” a drop), so I had a budget. And, I HAD to spend it. I was figuring a $100. What do I know? She allocated 1% of my annual gross to training and 1% to “technology toys”. Wow!
So, I got a lesson in investing in your self.
How do you invest in yourself?
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Reinke Faces Life 