Forum Moderators: coopster
- what other skill set comes in most handy? When you're not doing one of those, what job-related/computer-related skill are you using?
- alternatively, what job-related/computer-related skill are you learning/trying to learn?
I was going to learn JSP until I saw how easy it is [webmasterworld.com] and decided not to bother.
So really
- PERL
- JSP
- XML
- MLM ;-)
For the record.
- most used job-related skill: paleographie francaise [mapage.noos.fr] - that constitutes my main work. Sorry for the url - not personal, just an example. Delete if necessary.
- skill I'm planning to learn next: probably whatever some project demands, but lacking that, that's why I ask.
Ooops. I meant to throw the first two into my list of "basic" skills:
PHP, MySQL, (X)HTML, CSS, Javascript.
I was betting on shell scripting coming up a lot as well as the sorts of skills that RonPK mentioned. I guess in a sense, the question is designed to see whether most people here are all-around webmasters, programmers, designers, all of the above.
I'll be curious to see what other responses come in. If I posted the same question over in the HTML forum (minus the php/mysql part), I bet there would be many who would say their next most important skill is Photoshop/graphic design. I'm not expecting many of those here.
As RonPK said, mod_rewrite (and anything else involving .htaccess) should definately be on the list, plus any sysadmin functions you can assimilate (virtusertable/aliases, bind, vhosts, cron, ...).
I've never got my head around procmail so that's one of the things on my to-learn list. And I've never set up a web-server from scratch...
just learn anything and everything about Apache, which includes the above
shell scripting is a good one, fairly straight forward
I try to learn as much as I can about all aspects of our site we use
FreeBSD/Solaris
Oracle/MySQL
Apache
CVS
php/perl/shell scripts
xml
css/html/js
We have
qmail/sendmail/spamassassin/clamav/horde
dns
radware load balancers
ssl accelerators
soon oracle raq
We do in depth log analysis
have tons of crons running for automating all types of jobs
we have client tools
we have internal tools
I imagine there are more things as well but you can see my point, with all that to learn there isn't much room left in my head. I don't know if that answers your question though.
I spend a lot of time figuring out which tool, or combination there of, will best suit each individual new feature/request. With out an in depth knowledge of the capabilities and reach of each individual tool at my disposal it would be difficult to make good decisions. I also could never do this by myself. The sysadmin, who happens to be a very good friend of mine, and I compliment each other in our experience and between the two of us we figure it all out. ;)
I guess I need a project that combines log analysis and xml. Don't see that on the horizon.
I don't know if that answers your question though.
It's really just a fishing/curiousity/free association question to see which skills come to mind immediately for people. So yes, your list is great.
The sysadmin... and I compliment each other
That must make for a friendly workplace, but I think it would be more effecient if you complemented each other ;-)
drcrombie:
Photoshop is definately handy, but I think graphic design and programming skills are mutually exclusive ;)
Aren't you also one of those design-impaired colorblind types? Hey, I can adjust the contrast on photos with photoshop. That's what it's for isn't it?
hehe, I am a dyslexic typer at best and often have to edit posts a lot because of those small letter changes
I guess we do both :) and yes it is a friendly workplace.
Actually you can add
photoshop
acrobat
fireworks
even some illustrator to the things I use
I don't want to actually design the graphics but I do need to change/slice/edit them whenever I want.
- what other skill set comes in most handy? When you're not doing one of those, what job-related/computer-related skill are you using?
I heard somewhere that the classes you'll find yourself using the most in real life 10 years after being out of college are the classes that have no relation to your chosen field. I haven't been out for 10 years but I am starting to see why. Outside of computer classes I took a couple civil law classes, accounting, economics, and business.
The things that have been handy in knowing outside of programming is hardware related. For example, you don't have to take the test but reading a book on the A+ cert exam can really be handy if you don't know anything about how the computers actually work. I don't think the MSCE is necessary since half the tests are related to things that most programmers would never encounter. Unless you want to know how to set up domain forests, trees, and bushes between computers in Chili and Japan it's probably a little out of the scope of what most web programmers would need to know.
- alternatively, what job-related/computer-related skill are you learning/trying to learn?
I want to learn linux, apache, gimp, and pretty much any open-source software. I really hate paying for software. Actually paying $800 for StudioMX isn't really that hard to swallow, it's when they upgrade it with 3 or 4 new really useful features in 2 years and want another $400 for these 3 new features.
I heard somewhere that the classes you'll find yourself using the most in real life 10 years after being out of college are the classes that have no relation to your chosen field.
God help me! I'm not planning to take any classes. It's hard enough for me to show up at school on those rare occasions when I play teacher. The one really useful thing getting a PhD taught me is often your chosen field has no relation to your chosen field.
Jatar_K,
Is Acrobat a skill or a tool? I mean, you could spend a lifetime honing your Photoshop skills (i.e. your computer graphics skills), just like you could spend a lifetime honing your oil painting skills, but do you have to get good at Acrobat? Is there that much to using it (I never have, so it's not a rhetorical question)?
[edited by: ergophobe at 8:17 pm (utc) on April 9, 2004]
php/perl/shell scripts
Let me add python (just as a preference), but let me say something else: With perl/python/shell scripting, it's important to learn how to use these quickly. They're great for parsing out data. If you can learn to do common things quickly, these tools can be your right arm.
Also, learn to use Excel. Don't laugh - Excel is one of the most powerful data manipulation tools ever created, and is amazing for quick data analysis and automation.
Is Acrobat a skill or a tool?
As far as I know, Acrobat is just a program that allows you to create vector images/documents as opposed to raster. It has a few security features like password protection and some tools to edit your documents. You can also do batch conversions of other formats. I created a resume in acrobat just to learn how to use it. Only took a couple hours to get the basics down.
God help me! I'm not planning to take any classes.
I wasn't saying that you should go back to school. I didn't know if you were 16 or 61. You just said, "what other skill set comes in most handy?" I was just making a point that I find some of the things I learned that seemed unrelated to computers to help me with computers. For example, the law classes I took let me know enough to know when it's time to get a lawyer and when I can handle a situation on my own.
You have to learn not to let it annoy you, which takes a little dedication ;)
