Greetings,
I am an unemployed, 25 year veteran of IBM midrange systems, most recently on the AS/400 using RPG/ILE. Because the job market has evaporated for midrange warhorses like me, I am currently considering other IT career paths to pursue with state retraining dollars in hand.
So far, I’ve looked at MCAD certification (VB expertise apparently required as a prerequisite to even starting the coursework), and the MCSE (employers only seem to want MCSE’s with years of networking experience already).
One avenue that seems encouraging is SQL server 2000 with SQL programming expertise. The vast majority of want ads from small businesses I’ve seen in the paper specify this technology. I am told that the SQL training is also a gateway to eventual MCAD to MCSE certs. I am currently reading several huge technical manuals from the library on VB6 and SQL, and there are training firms in the area that offer SQL training. They offer courses available in configuration, setup, administration, programming in T-SQL, and maintenance.
IT is all I know (and ever done), and I have to eat, so SQL is pretty much my last hope for survival.
Could anyone offer opinions, tips, suggestions, etc? Thanks.