I'm primarily a VBA/VB3-6/VB.Net developer of 15+ years with several years of C# experience. Myself and another developer (a seasoned senior level java developer) were hired on at this new company at the same time. Our goal is to replace an internal web application built (in flash) by a third party. Since my coworker is at a higher level and has more knowledge overall for all the moving parts required for this project, the decision has been made to go with java for everything. I have very little java experience. Any recommendations for surviving the transition and not being a total ball and chain on this new project? Should I take a class? Buy a book (which one(s))? Watch youtube video tutorials? Does anyone recommend I look for a .NET shop job instead? I like this company a lot and would rather stay but I'm a huge Visual Studio/.NET fan. Thanks in advance!
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A. Do you want to become a Java developer? Yes. B. Do you love this place enough to leave .NET behind? Yes C. Will the company switch back to .NET soon or otherwise provide .NET maintenance? Yes If you answered no to all three questions then consider a new position. Otherwise, no one can better judge what you should do than you. Hopefully I offered something worthwhile to ponder. |
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C# is a different way of spelling Java (Not quite, but pretty much). If you know C# you won't have too much of a hard time going for Java. I had the opposite experience. Was big on Java but had to learn .Net. Thank God for C# which made the transition a breeze. There are, ofcourse some specifics you will need to wrap your head around, but It will be familiar coming from C#. As for books on the subject, I am a big fan of the Head First series. Check this one out: Head First Java. |
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I'd not think it'd be especially difficult to transition over. It's only another technology stack. This question covers the gotchas and what nots. I don't recommend Head Start Java if you are already a programmer. I do recommend something like Java in a Nutshell or Oracle's online Java tutorials. Fundamentally, you like where you work. That is priceless. We are programmers, retraining is cheap but a good job is forever. I'd say stay and adapt rather than running for the hills. You could always do side projects involving C# and what not. |
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With your years of experience, especially with c#, I don't think you will have any trouble transitioning. I would not recommend looking for a new job with a .Net shop instead just because Java was chosen. Look at this as a great opportunity to learn something new. When you are done you will be that much more knowledgeable and have Java experience to sell yourself with as well. |
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With 15+ years of experience I don't see how the transition would be difficult. However, you might get frustrated with Java here and there as .NET has some modern constructs which Java doesn't have. Probably the best way to get started is start developing and look for help where you need it. Be prepared to listen to your more experienced colleague for pointers on conventions, etc ... Last time I had to develop in Java it was a pain in the ass. No proper generics, no events, no lambdas, ... :-( On the other hand it does have a few things out of the box which .NET hasn't got (by default) like dynamic proxies. It is definitely worthwhile getting some hands on experience with Java so you can decide for yourself. The most important factor should be whether you like the product you would be working on more than some other .NET job. I wouldn't pass the opportunity for an interesting project just because it's in Java. |
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