Ask HN: .NET or not .NET...

[acron0]

...THAT is the question. Well, kinda.

I am a mid-20s programmer, in the UK. I've spent 5 years in the games industry and enjoyed it but didn't really settle. I've been neck-deep in C/C++ since Uni and also done a fair amount of C# (desktop, not web). I also do a lot of Python in my spare time and that includes some web programming. I consider myself to be a good 'all rounder' and that seems to be part of the problem.

Being unable to settle at my last couple of jobs, I have been punting my CV about and I keep on getting the same feedback; it's not specific enough. As far as the recruiters are concerned, it seems like to get a job you need to commit to ONE language and framework combination. And lets be honest, 80% of jobs are .NET/ASP.NET.

Besides the fact that what I'd REALLY like to do is find a start-up to join - Birmingham start-up scene is meager - I guess the question is, is it worth my while getting to know ASP.NET in the hope that I'll find a decent, stimulating, well-paid job? Or should I hold out for that dream role in a start up that might never come along?

Thanks for any guidance anyone can give.

[zappan]

Let me give my thoughts on this, being a .Net developer and running a company in Croatia. A bit of background on me first, to understand my thougts better - as Croatian economy is structurally in a really bad condition for IT, I've been trying to join some company/project on a telecommuting basis.

Now, this is where I'm having a problem - as most companies that would consider remote workers are startups unable to find enough local talent, I've noticed that there really aren't any/much startups running on .Net stack.

Which I find a bit unfair, as .Net ecosystem has a lot to offer, if you just look out of the walls of Microsoft a little bit. And with the raise of cloud platforms, the license price difference will be a less of an issue than before. For development tools, there are programs within MS where a development company gets all the tools for a negligible amount of money. Still, it seems it's not enough for most of the startups to adopt that technology.

On the other hand, I've gotten into Rails lately and I find it really interesting platform to work on, so I'm expanding my skills in that space trying to reach companies willing to have remote workers on that stack. I haven't fixed any deals yet, but I've had several contacts compared to literally none in the .Net ecosystem.

You've said you're into Python, if you look this month's "who's hiring" theme, you'll notice a bit of a rise for Python. So, if you're targeting startups, Ruby and Python may seem better opportunities than .Net. If you're targetting getting a job in some (stable) company outside of the lights of the startup scene, that's where you've said .Net is in demand. After all, it's mostly what are your goals.

Hope it helps...

[acron0]

Thanks Zappan, glad to hear it's not just me struggling :P

[trussi]

Doing a .Net startup myself, I'd like to think I'm not the only one. I'd surmise that there's actually quite a few people using a Microsoft stack in the startup community. They just don't talk about it much.

Obviously, if you choose the .Net path, getting a developer job at a WAMP/RoR/Python/etc startup won't really be feasible.

But if you are a good developer, I would advise you NOT to join a startup that's already established. Why invest your heart and soul in somebody else's vision/company for a paltry equity percentage? It just doesn't add up in my mind.

Instead, start your own. Go find a hustler to partner with or just build your own product. If you get into a startup pre-development phase and you're the hacker on the team, then the technology you use is irrelevant. The only relevant thing is that you can deliver.