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I am to old to be in IT. 58
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Current technical skills are not the current. No C++, C#, Java, or .Net
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Credit rating shot from 2 years of unemployment
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No recent employer over the last two years
I am 58 and have been unemployed for 2 years. Although I have just barely been able to keep up with my bills between unemployment and some contract work I still have been late in paying some bill thus redit rating is not great. For the past 10 to 15 years I have worked in IT as a working project manager and small IT department manager for a small auto insurance company in Chicago. By working manager I mean I still get my hands dirty with code.
Although I have passable skills in such things as Ruby, Python, and can read X(HTML), CSS, and XML I really haven't done much in the way of Web programming. Most of my work has been in creating custom desktop applications for small insurance companies. By creating I mean designing the applications and databases (SQL) coding, testing, installing, and training usually with a small team of programmer being brought on-board at the coding phase. Most of this work has been done using a product called Clarion Topspeed which is a unique OOP/procedural compiled language with a framework development environment for doing CRUD type systems. This framework has fallen out of favor over the last 3-4 years do to the companies decision to create a .NET equivalent. (Why buy Topspeed .Net when you can buy the original MS .Net products - makes sense to me.)
Generally most of the work environment over the past 20 - 25 years has been with small to medium companies or software consulting firms requiring me to wear many different hats and required being flexible in seeking out cheap non traditional solutions to problems. Examples;
Small manufacturing company whose accounting, invoicing, and inventory where highly customized packages written in Cobol and ran on old outdated Wang VS hardware. The company could not afford to purchase new packages, up-to date hardware, and re-implement all of their custom changes.
Solution, purchase a Virtual Machine software package which allows the new Dell server to run the old Wang OS and modified Cobol packages. Proceed with additional enhancements in the Linux environment using simple transfer programs written in python to move data from the proprietary Wang ISAM type files to MySql databases running on a second server.
Cage cashiers at a local casino where manually recording all transactions and doing mid and end of shift balancing all by hand which was error prone and time consuming (overtime). When the casino went coinless on the slot machines each cashier window was required to have a PC with scanner to read bar coded slot machine slips for redemption. This offered the opportunity to create an entire cage cashiering system in Excel VBA (do to allowable corporate standard). Cut overtime by half and transcription/calculation errors by 50%. System was so intuitive each cashier only require 30-40 min. training.
Installed several custom systems with stringent time and cost budgets using the unique features of the Clarion Topspeed product think Ruby on Rails for desktop applications.
Created custom system to read through printed image files of HCFA (hospital claim forms) to create custom data conversion programs requiring minimal tweaking where as before programmer would have to sit with a print ruler and create custom conversion table containing X,Y coordinates.
I love computers and technology and what it can do for individuals and companies but never really became a fanboy of any particular programming language, hardware, or operating system. I have coded in everything from IBM assembler and Cobol to Cobol on mini's and PC, I have written code in Topspeed, Perl, Python, Ruby, FoxPro, C, and even some Basic and VB. I have created systems on IBM DEC, Wang, and PC's. I have run systems on IBM 360/370, Unix, MS DOS through XP, as well as various flavors of Linux. I have created, enhanced, or maintained software for accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, general ledger, inventory, bill of material, invoicing, claim processing, policy management, travel agency, catering, and physician office. I have worked for large fortune 500 companies, big 8 accounting firms, and small software/consulting companies. I have traveled from the east to the west coast in these endeavor as well a London and the Bahamas. I have trained individuals as well as classes with 15 to 20 clients. I have worked various trade shows and been extensively involved presales implementation and post sales.
I apologize for the rant just feeling a little frustrated today.
