Feedback Please

[Hank Stalica]

I am planning on beginning work this summer designing Microsoft Access
databases. I was hoping I could get some feedback from those already
working in the field.

To prepare, I am taking courses as well as reading several books.
Please let me know what you think.

So far, I've completed the following courses:

Access 2003 (Begin-level 1)
Access 2003 (Interm-level 2)

Next semester, I am enrolled in the following courses:

Access 2003 (Adv-level 3)
MOS Access 2003 (This course prepares you for the Microsoft
Certification Exam)

In addition, I have read the following books:

Access 2000 Visual Basic for Access Fundamentals
Database Design for Mere Mortals

I have also read several online articles, too many to list at this point.

Next on my reading list include:

SQL Queries for Mere Mortals, and possibly
Access 2002 Visual Basic for Applications Fundamentals

I am also a Computer Science major and will have completed an AS degree
in Computer Science after next fall.

I have helped some people with their database problems and I have
designed databases for my own use so I have a little experience.

In my opinion, I have a good understanding of the fundamentals and it
seemed I knew a bit more than my teachers from time to time.

If I have a weak spot, I think it's in terms of UI design - I would
appreciate any recommendations for books on that subject.

So what do you think? Am I adequately prepared? Is there anything else
I need? Where am I weak? Any and all feedback on my skill set is
appreciated.

Please feel free to e-mail me at:

hstalicax at comcast dot net

Best Regards,

--Hank

 

[Sergey Poberezovskiy]

You need a real life project - I think you have spend
quite some time with books and other resources to be able
to start.

Happy coding!

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

The main thing to work on is learning about design skills.

Don't get too caught up in leaning ms-access, or java or the latest new
tools.

The best thing you can work on is learning about how to build and design
applications. This is process is much the same regardless of what tools you
use.

I would spend extra effort on learning about normalizing data, and how to
design the data structures. (again, this applies if you are using ms-access,
or using oracle).

I have helped some people with their database problems and I have designed
databases for my own use so I have a little experience.

You will want to get some where you can work with other experienced
developers.

Even if you have to take a pay cut, take a job where you MUST work with
other developers. (you will learn the most that way).

A good rule of thumb in terms of experience for a project and using some
tools are:

Stage 1 Innocent (never heard of the product)

Stage 2 Aware (Has read an article about X)

Stage 3 Apprentice (has attended a three-day seminar)

Stage 4 Practitioner (ready to use X on a real project)

Stage 5 Journeyman (uses X naturally and automatically in his job)

Stage 6 Master (has internalized X, knows when to break the rules)

Stage 7 Expert (writes books, gives lectures, looks for ways to extend x)


One should NEVER attempt a project with a team consisting with Stage 3 or
lower people. Remember, we are talking about particular tool in the above
advice (most of my advice up to this point has been to not concentrate
on a particular software tool!). And, I suppose if it is simple easy
project,
then you can be at stage 3 or less with the particular tools. And, if
perhaps
you have a larger lead time, then you can waste a few months learning
the tools (often, the time needed to learn the tools is GREATER then
the time of the project!!).

And, the weird problem today is that most projects and work
left over is actually hard!! (all the easy projects have been plucked off
the trees..and we only got hard ones left!!). Anyway, lack of knowing
of the tools, and anything less then 4 is a sure fire formula for failure
(or, you have lots of extra time on your hands!!)..

The team can consist of stage 4's, but they should have at least have
Stage 5, or 6 people available.

You can read about a project I did where I converted a system
to ms-access. This type of project is typical of many ms-access
projects. You can read about what I went through, and some
things I learned about doing a project in ms-access.

You can find this article here:

http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/Articles/fog0000000003.html

If I have a weak spot, I think it's in terms of UI design - I would
appreciate any recommendations for books on that subject.

Good UI design again is usually NOT about using particular tools. Here is
great on line book about UI design:

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.html

So what do you think? Am I adequately prepared? Is there anything else I
need? Where am I weak? Any and all feedback on my skill set is
appreciated.

Do you know how to gather requirements for a project and the write a
functional spec? Can you take that functional spec, and then write a
technical spec for the developers? I would expect that you being so green
that it is too much to expect you could write a good technical spec, but you
should be able to at least write a decent functional spec before any coding
occurs. And, if you are good, then you can turn that functional spec into a
technical spec for the particular platform that the developers who are going
code the software.

And, don't get caught up in just one tool. The market is not very good right
now for developers, and many are still leaving the industry (you have picked
a bad time to become a developer).

You can read the following thoughts of mine on jobs and ms-access (I wrote
this 3 years ago..but it still rings true today).

So, just remember ms-access is not the problem, nor is it the solution!!

http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal/Articles/fog0000000004.html

Last, but least, if you don't love to code and write software..then stay in
school and do something else!