During the “great recession” of 2008 I kind of backed into “teaching.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The small company where I was the “network technician” for 9+ years wasn’t dying so much as “winding down.” I had ample notice that I was becoming “redundant” – in fact the owner PROBABLY should have “let me go” sooner than he did.
When I was laid off in 2008 I had been actively searching\/”looking for work” for 6+ months – certainly didn’t think I would unemployed for an extended period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
… and a year later I had gone from “applying at companies I want to work for” to “applying to everything I heard about.” When I was offered an “adjunct instructor” position with a “for profit” school in June 2009 – I accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That first term I taught a “keyboarding class” – which boiled down to watching students follow the programmed instruction. The class was “required” and to be honest there wasn’t any “teaching” involved.
To be even MORE honest, I probably wasn’t qualified to teach the class – I have an MBA and had multiple CompTIA certs at the time (A+, Network+) – but “keyboarding” at an advanced level isn’t in my skill set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
BUT I turned in the grades on time, that “1 keyboarding class” grew into teaching CompTIA A+ and Network+ classes (and eventually Security+, and the Microsoft client and server classes at the time). fwiw: I taught the Network+ so many times during that 6 years that I have parts of the book memorized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before I started teaching I had spent 15 years “in the field” – which means I had done the job the students were learning. I was a “computer industry professional teaching adults changing careers how to be ‘computer industry professionals'”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My FIRST “a ha!” moment was that I was “learning” along with the students. The students were (hopefully) going from “entry level” to “professional” and I was going from “working professional” to “whatever comes next.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knowing “how” to do something will get you a job, but knowing “why” something works is required for “mastery.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
fwiw: I think this same idea applied to “diagramming sentences” in middle school – to use the language properly it helps to understand what each part does. The fact I don’t remember how to diagram a sentence doesn’t matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The “computer networking” equivalent to “diagramming sentences” is learning the OSI model – i.e. not something you actually use in the real world, but a good way to learn the theory of “computer networking.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I started teaching I was probably at level 7.5 of 10 on my “OSI model” comprehension – after teaching for 6 years I was at a level 9.5 of 10 (10 of 10 would involve having things deeply committed to memory which I do not). All of which is completely useless outside of a classroom …<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course most students were coming into the networking class with a “0 of 10” understanding of the OSI model BUT had probably setup their home network\/Wi-Fi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same as above applies to my understanding of “TCP\/IP networking” and “Cyber Security” in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I jumped ship at the “for profit school” I was teaching in 2015 for a number of reasons. MOSTLY it was because of “organizational issues.” I always enjoyed teaching\/working with students, but the “writing was on the wall” so to speak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had moved from “adjunct instructor” to “full time director” – but it was painfully obvious I didn’t have a future with the organization. e.g. During my 6 years with the organization we had 4 “campus directors” and 5 “regional directors” — and most of those were “replaced” for reasons OTHER than “promotion.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What the “powers the be” were most concerned with was “enrollment numbers” – not education. I appreciate the business side – but when “educated professionals” (i.e. the faculty) are treated like “itinerate labor”, well, the “writing is on the wall.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2014 “the school” spent a lot of money setting up fiber optic connections and a “teleconferencing room” — which they assured the faculty was for OUR benefit.
Ok, reality check – yes I understand that “instructors” were their biggest expense. I dealt with other “small colleges” in the last 9 years that were trying to get by with fewer and fewer “full time faculty” – SOME of them ran into “accreditation problems” because of an over reliance on “adjuncts” – I’m not criticizing so much as explaining what the “writing on the wall” said …<\/p>\n\n\n\n
oh, and that writing was probably also saying “get a PhD if you want a full time teaching position” — if “school” would have paid me to continue my education or even just to keep my skills up to date, I might have been interested in staying longer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just in general – an organization’s “employees” are either their “biggest asset” OR their “biggest fixed cost.” From an accounting standpoint both are (probably) true (unless you are “Ivy League” school with a huge endowment). From an “administration” point of view dealing with faculty as “asset” or “fixed cost” says a LOT about the organization — after 6 years it was VERY clear that the “for profit” school looked at instructors as “expensive necessary evils.”
COVID-19 was the last straw for the campus where I worked. The school still exits but appears to be totally “online” – <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I left “for profit school” to go to teach at a “tech bootcamp” — which was jumping from “bad situation to worse situation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fact I was commuting an hour and a half and was becoming more and more aware of chronic pain in my leg certainly didn’t help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
fwiw: I will tell anyone that asks that a $20 foam roller changed my life — e.g. “self myofascial release<\/a>” has general fitness applications<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I was also a certified “strength conditioning professional” (CSCS) in a different life – so I had a long history of trying to figure out “why I had chronic pain down the side of my leg” – when there was no indication of injury\/limit on range of motion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, and the “root cause” was tied into that “long commute” – the human body isn’t designed for long periods of “inaction.” The body adapts to the demands\/stress placed on it – so if it is “immobile” for long periods of time – it becomes better at being “immobile.” For me that ended up being a constant dull pain down my left leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being more active and five minutes with the foam roller after my “workout” keeps me relatively pain free (“it isn’t the years, it’s the mileage”). I started my “I.T. career” as a “pc repair technician.” The job of “personal computer technician” is going (has gone?) the way of “television repair.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which isn’t good or bad – e.g. “personal computers” aren’t going away anymore than “televisions” have gone away. BUT if you paid “$X” for something you aren’t going to pay “$X” to have it repaired – this is just the old “fix” vs “replace” idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cell phone as 21st Century “dumb terminal” is becoming reality. BUT the “personal computer” is a general purpose device that can be “office work” machine, “gaming” machine, “audiovisual content creation” machine, or “whatever someone can program it to do” machine. The “primary communication device” might be a cell phone, but there are things a cell phone just doesn’t do very well … <\/p>\n\n\n\n I updated my “tech skill set” from “A+ Certified PC repair tech” to “networking technician” in the 1990s. Being able to make Cat 5\/6 twisted pair patch cables still comes in handy when I’m working on the home network but no one has asked me to install a Novell Netware server recently (or Windows Active Directory for that matter).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back before the “world wide web” stand alone applications were the flavor of the week. e.g. If you bought a new PC in 1990 it probably came with an integrated “modem” but not a “network card.” That new PC in 1990 probably also came with some form of “office” software – providing word processing and spreadsheet functions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those “office” apps would have been “stand alone” instances – which needed to be installed and maintained individually on each PC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in 1990 that application might have been written in C or C++. I taught myself “introductory programming” using Pascal mostly because “Turbo Pascal” came packaged with tools to create “windows” and mouse control. “Pascal” was designed as a “learning language” so it was a little less threatening than C\/C++ back in the day … <\/p>\n\n\n\n random thought: If you wanted “graphical user interface” (GUI) functionality in 1990 you had to write it yourself. One of the big deals with “Microsoft Windows” was that it provided a uniform platform for developers – i.e. developers didn’t have to worry about writing the “GUI operating system hooks” they could just reference the Windows OS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Apple Computers also had “developers” for their OS – but philosophically “Apple Computers” sold “hardware with an operating system included” while Microsoft sold “an operating system that would run on x86 hardware” – since x86 hardware was kind of a commodity (read that as MUCH less expensive than “Apple Computers”). The “IBM PC” story that ended up making Microsoft, inc a lot of money. — which was a fun documentary to show students bored of listening to me lecture …<\/p>\n\n\n\n What users care about is applications\/”getting work done” not the underlying operating system. Microsoft also understood the importance of developers creating applications for their platform<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n fwiw: “Microsoft, Inc” started out selling programming\/development tools and “backed into” the OS market – which is a different story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of “business reference applications” in the early 1990s looked like Microsoft Encarta<\/a> — they had a “user interface” providing access to a “local database.” — again, one machine, one user at a time, one application. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Originally the “PC” was called a “micro computer” – the fact that it was self contained\/stand alone was a positive selling point. BEFORE the “PC” a larger organization might have had a “terminal” system where a “dumb terminal” allowed access to a “mainframe”\/mini computer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n SO when the “world wide web” happened and “client server” computing became mainstream the concept of “N tier” computing model as a concept became popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n N-tier might be a the “presentation” layer\/web server, the “business logic” layer\/a programming language, and then the “data” layer\/a database management system <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 21st Century “stand alone” applications are the exception – and “web applications” the standard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Note that applications that allow you to download and install files on a personal computer are better called “subscription verification” applications rather than “N Tier.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n e.g. Adobe allows folks to download their “Creative Suite” and run the applications on local machines using computing resources from the local machine – BUT when the application starts it verifies that the user has a valid subscription.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An “N tier” application doesn’t get installed locally – think Instagram or X\/Twitter …<\/p>\n\n\n\n For most “business applications” designing an “N tier” app using “web technologies” is a workable long term solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we divided the application functionality the “developer” job also differentiated – “front end” for the user facing aspects and “back end” for the database\/logic aspects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The actual tools\/technologies continue to develop – in “general” the “front end” will involve HTML\/CSS\/JavaScript and the “back end” involves a combination of “server language” and “database management system.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Java (the language maintained by Oracle not “JavaScript” also known as ECMAscript) has provided “full stack development” tools for almost 30 years. The future of Java is tied into Oracle, Inc but neither is gonna be “obsolete” anytime soon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n BUT if someone is competent with Java – then they will describe themselves as a “Java developer” – Oracle has respected industry certifications<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n I am NOT a “Java developer” – but I don’t come to “bury Java” – if you are a computer science major looking to go work for “large corporation” then learning Java (and picking up a Java certification) is worth your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Microsoft never stopped making “developer tools” – “Visual Studio<\/a>” is still their flagship product BUT Visual Studio Code<\/a> is my “go to” (free, multi-platform) programming editor in 2024)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course Microsoft wants developers to develop “Azure applications” in 2024 – C# provides easy access to a lot of those “full stack” features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n … and I am ALSO not a C# programmer – but there are a lot of C# jobs out there as well (I see C# and other Microsoft ‘full stack’ tech specifically mentioned with Major League Baseball ‘analytics’ jobs and the NFL – so I’m sure the “larger corporate” world has also embraced them)<\/p>\n\n\n\n JavaScript on the server side has also become popular – Node.js<\/a> — so it is possible to use JavaScript on the front and back end of an application. opportunities abound<\/p>\n\n\n\n My first exposure to “server side” programming was PHP<\/a> – I had read some “C” programming books before stumbling upon PHP, and my first thought was that it looked a lot like “C” – but then MOST computer languages look a lot like “C.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n PHP tends to be the “P” part of the LAMP stack acronym (“Linux OS, Apache web server, MySQL database, and PHP scripting language”). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Laravel<\/a> as a framework is popular in 2024 …<\/p>\n\n\n\n … for what it is worth MOST of the “web” is probably powered by a combination of JavaScript and PHP – but a lot of the folks using PHP are unaware they are using PHP, i.e. 40%+ of the web is “powered by WordPress.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve installed the LAMP stack more times than I can remember – but I don’t do much with PHP except keep it updated … but again, opportunities abound<\/p>\n\n\n\n Python<\/a> on the other hand is where I spend a lot of time – I find Django<\/a> a little irritating, but it is popular. I prefer flask<\/a> or pyramid<\/a> for the “back end” and then select a JavaScript front end as needed<\/p>\n\n\n\n e.g. since I prefer “simplicity” I used “mustache<\/a>” for template presentation with my “Dad joke<\/a>” and “Ancient Quote<\/a>” demo applications <\/p>\n\n\n\n Python was invented with “ease of learning” as a goal – and for the most part it succeeds. The fact that it can also do everything I need it to do (and more) is also nice \ud83d\ude09 – and yes, jobs, jobs, jobs …<\/p>\n\n\n\n IBM Db2, Oracle, Microsoft SQL server are in the category of “database management system royalty” – obviously they have a vast installation base and “large corporate” customers galore. The folks in charge of those systems tend to call themselves “database managers.” Those database managers probably work with a team of Java developers …<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the other end of the spectrum the open source project MySQL was “acquired” by Sun Microsystems in 2008 which was then acquired by Oracle in 2010. Both “MySQL” and “Oracle” are popular database system back ends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n MySQL is an open source project that has been “forked” into the “MariaDB foundation.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n PostgreSQL is a little more “enterprise database” like – also a popular open source project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n MongoDB has become popular and is part of its own “full stack” acronym MEAN (MongoDB, Express, Angular, and Node) – MongoDB is a “NoSQL” database which means it is “philosophically” different than the other databases mentioned – making it a great choice for some applications, and not so great for other applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be honest I’m not REALLY sure if there is a big performance difference between database management back ends. Hardware and storage space are going to matter much more than the database engine itself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “Big Corporate Enterprise Computing” users aren’t as concerned with the price of the database system they want rock solid dependability – if there was a Mount Rushmore of database management systems – DB2, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL server would be there …<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ANYWAY – more itinerate level “teaching” gave me time to work on “new skills.”<\/p>\n\n\n\nMeanwhile …<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
N-tier<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Full Stack Developer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Languages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Databases<\/h2>\n\n\n\n