Learning coding (for a new career) on MorphOS

[dandelion]

Hi all,

I'm a long time geek, long time minority operating enthusiast, and recent convert to the idea that maybe working in the IT industry might be a good option. I mean, I love computers, I love to learn, I love to keep learning, and the money's good! That's my logic!

I've been dabbling in Python and R - have written some machine learning script stuff via a data science course for some massive datasets. Sort of excited about this, but really like the idea of developing deep mastery of applications/OS programming.

As an Amiga/minority OS geek - would MorphOS/AmigaOS provide a useful platform to hone my development skills? Is C++ still worth learning? Would I spend most of my time mastering the MorphOS API instead of learning industry-relevant Linux/Windows APIs? Or is the API issue small fry compared to understanding how C++ works?

You see, I'm thinking this might provide a nice additional motivation boost to learn to code. On the other hand, the thought of spending lots of time learning the MUI API might be a bit de-motivating, knowing it won't be directly benefiting my CV (probably even something to keep quiet about!)

Any thoughts, advice greatly appreciated!  

ps. In the very short term, I need to get paid. What's the best way to start earning money with a very slender IT-specific CV? (I have a biochem PhD, teaching qualifications - but my relevant IT stuff is at best 6 months old, and most employers are slightly dubious). Software testing? But even here experience is required! Aghh!

[dandelion]

Thank you for those replies.

I've spend a lot of years using RISC OS as my main operating system at home. It's been a lot of fun, but I've started to think how nice it would have been to have spent that time really getting to know Linux - again, career wise.

I'm in London. A little search of jobs by language in London gives:

C++ - 197
Java - 560
C# - 467
Asp.net - 271
Objective C - 53
Python - 191
Javascript - 609
PHP - 238
SQL - 851
HTML5 - 577
LAMP - 65

The local industry is very finance orientated, with a fairly healthy amount of start up activity.

This seems to point the way most clearly to web stuff (javascript, HTML5 numbers) and also Java or C#. Perhaps these stats make the MorphOS/C++ question redundant.

I've been  learning programming concepts through Python, which has been an enjoyable start. I've heard good things about C#, less good things about Java. Is it time I dropped my anti-Microsoft stance??

[dandelion]

While usually true, attempting to master anything is a big investment/risk if it isn't in line with the opportunities in your area. For me, it's such an important time to be going off on tangents. There are huge differences between disciplines so you might as well get on the right track as early as possible, THEN play!

This sounds like a sensible philosophy...especially for me on career shift/life catch-up!

[dandelion]

You can't be a flexible, modern software engineer without mastering programming, and because that'the bads a process that takes several years, I wouldn't worry about what platform you use to learn it. What you should do is try to master programming using languages that allow you to do everything properly, so that you don't get into bad habits and learn nothing useful.

Some very useful comments here. Thank you.  Out of Java, C# and C++, would you say they all help you learn to code without developing the bad habits you refer to?

[dandelion]

You should stick to your current job field until you have more knowledge and experience in IT, or programming, so you can afford to pay the bills while you are learning how to become a programmer.  Don't make the mistake of trying to switch careers too early and put yourself in a financial bind that makes everything harder to accomplish.

I understand the education system in the UK is very different (and frankly so much better) than here in the USA, but for the most part, having a job that pays well is still important while you are preparing yourself for a career change.


Good Luck!

I definitely agree with this.  Unfortunately it is a bit too late, as I've already made my move and am now newly unemployed. Still, my old job as a teacher made it near impossible to do ANYTHING outside of teachng for the majority of the year...so that would have made it difficult.

So  now I'm looking for work where a) they pay me and train me (e.g. grad schemes). b) allied  roles like support/networking which  will allow  me to get a job more quickly and study coding in my own time c) payi g for a SQL server course  - expensive but lots of jobs. Then doing that whilst learning coding.
D) Getting a job in data science...but my shaky stats knowledge makes me worry here.

Perhaps the grad scheme is the best bet as I can get paid and learn the it industry and coding skills during ghe day, instead of what I can manage in the evenings.

If anyone can think of other options I haven't considered, I'd be very interested to read them!

[dandelion]

Something I've seen coming along nicely, in addition to the ones mentioned, is Node.JS.  That's server-side JavaScript.  If you want to learn JavaScript and some of the OOP frameworks for the client-side in the web browser, then Node.JS should be a comfortable addition as well.  (Before I get any farther, note that it doesn't run on MorphOS yet.)

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Interestingly, you're the second person to recommend node.js. The first was a French web entrepreneur who had run a very (financially) successful website for the last 10 years, built largely on LAMP and Javascript, but now being reworked with node.js I believe.

Hadn't heard of the MEAN stack or the MongoDB University training - will check that out. Certainly, SQL seems to still be very much in demand - but it's also nice to be ahead of the curve a bit!

[dandelion]

Those seem fine to me. Just steer clear of things like Pascal, and crusty BASIC interpreters. Also, don't even think about assembly language. While assembly language allows you to do things properly, it's not very practical, and isn't used in many jobs.

Great. Thanks Thorham