Gary,

You ask a difficult, albeit intelligent question; and one whose answer has to be, "It depends".

We are certain that you have considered all this carefully in a mature manner, although the circumstances are trying.

As painful as it is, as you already know, you may have to consider other programming languages, unless you are fortunate enough to find another MPE environment.

The main issue is going to be that, even though you are undoubtedly proficient in what are now considered legacy languages, having all that marvelous technology may be less than helpful in many new environments: Potential employers have certain requirements, and though you may have potential as an employee, most businesses (and yes, government is business, too), will be looking to fill an immediate need.

It is important for you to do a survey of what kinds of openings there may be when you are ready to change jobs. If the work you are seeking requires Object Oriented Programming, then you will be faced with becoming proficient in languages such as C++ and Java; and, thus, you will have need for a substantial education to form the proper foundation.

This is a tough road to hoe. I've spent the last two years, sort of, mostly, learning Java. I have not found a background in COBOL, FORTRAN, IBM Basic Assembly Language, TRANSACT, etc, etc, all that helpful. While it may be argued successfully that I just don't "have the right stuff" (I've never liked TRANSACT, sorry), it could also be argued that Java, and by way of implication, C++, may not be all that simple, given their Object Orientation.

It's easy to write small, simple programs that don't do much. A simple text editor, a few lines of code, and you're ready to rock and roll.

However, when getting to the more complex stuff, with tons of classes working behind the scenes no one even sees, the need for tools, education, and resources escalates exponentially--at least in my experience. I've spent over $1,200 (US) on books and manuals alone. This does not include buying JBuilder from Borland for lots of bucks (for the professional version--and a few months later, the upgrade to 4.0!), nor does include the hours, days, and weeks, downloading samples from the Internet, cross-referencing materials from the purchased books and the internet, and spending many fruitless hours experimenting with consistently failing code until the "Aha!" occurs. [I frankly think that C++ is easier.] This is coupled with trying to get obscure classes to paint screens properly--especially when it is not intended as an applet. For me, I am also going to be faced with using IBM's WebSphere Software because of our environment.

Of course, there are applets too, and you aren't going to do much useful stuff until you have a JDBC or an ODBC-JDBC bridge to access databases. While much of the processing is straightforward, it can be a difficult transition. Actually, TRANSACT programmers have an easier time with this than most COBOL type programmers.

The first question I would ask is, "Is this really what I want to do? What DO I want to do?". In the final analysis, maybe you want to do something else entirely, and this is an opportunity for a transition. If this is what you really, really, really find most enjoyable, then fine--this is a great opportunity. If not, you can pursue something else that really gets you fired up. Personally, I'm finding that writing books is more enjoyable, and I should have "Assertive Incompetence--An Introduction to Management Malpractice" out within the next month.

You might also look at inherited aptitudes and other related factors (such as points of view). You can check this out initially at my site at http://www.assertiveincompetence.org/ and follow the links.

Best regards,
Douglas D. Becker

_________________________________________
Our good friend, Gary Nolan, wrote:

>>> Gary Nolan <[log in to unmask]> 01/25 9:14 AM >>>
Hi Folks,

I am currently working on my BTI (Bachelor of Technology Information) at my
local University. One of my professors thinks I should take a "newer"
programming language. I already know Fortran, Cobol, RPG, Transact, Basic,
and 17 years of 3000 experience. Do I really want to learn another language?
Like I need this on top of looking for a job!

What do you think I should take, Java, C++,,,,(etc)?
Any and all suggestions welcome.

Gary Nolan