Your Valuable Opinion Needed - Thank You

Hi everyone

First of all I am glad that i found this forum...I would like to humbly request all the knowledgeable people here to express their views on this........

I am an accountant by profession and completely novice to the world of computers.All i know is how to check emails, surf websites and the like.....

However, I suffered a major medical setback 2 years ago and have undergone two major operations and have been confined to hosptial and my home from last 1 year and 6 months.Full recovery is still not appearing in near future and as a result I am unable to join any job because my medical condition prevents me from joining any job outside. So as a means of
earning some income i was surfing net a lot in order to know whether there is anywork which i can do from my room at home without requiring me to go anywhere.

In the process i see that "programming" is something which seems to be very prevalent on the internet and people program on net to make living.

I was really wondering whether a complete novice like me whose main field ia accounting can make a living in programming on net. I do not say that it has to be within few days or weeks but is it possible in few months.

I would really be thankful if someone can clarify me

(1) what exactly is programming,

(2) what exactly programmers do

(3) Is it possible for completely non computer persons like me who r from different background altogether(in my case accounting) to learn it within some time

(4) if yes what exactly to learn and what we should do

(5) how much time it can take to learn

(6) And can we work online in programming to make some money for living in the long run.

I know I might have asked some stupid questions and yes sorry for so long story of mine.

Hope you knowledgeable people will help me in deciding and taking the right course of action.

Any inputs, comments, suggestions, opinions or any reference to where i can get all relevant information from a laymans perspective will be more than welcome and highly appreciated.

thanks a lot in advance

I sincerely and eagerly look forward to replies...as i really need to do something soon to sustain my living and medical expenses as i cannot be any long dependent on my parents for day to day living and full recovery appears still distant.....

and yes if i have posted in the wrong place then sorry

sunando

(if possible do email me at sunandoghosh@rediffmail.com)

Originally Posted by sunandoghosh Hi everyone First of all I am glad that i found this forum...I would like to humbly request all the knowledgeable people here to express their views on this........ I am an accountant by profession and completely novice to the world of computers.All i know is how to check emails, surf websites and the like..... However, I suffered a major medical setback 2 years ago and have undergone two major operations and have been confined to hosptial and my home from last 1 year and 6 months.Full recovery is still not appearing in near future and as a result I am unable to join any job because my medical condition prevents me from joining any job outside. So as a means of earning some income i was surfing net a lot in order to know whether there is anywork which i can do from my room at home without requiring me to go anywhere. In the process i see that "programming" is something which seems to be very prevalent on the internet and people program on net to make living. I was really wondering whether a complete novice like me whose main field ia accounting can make a living in programming on net. I do not say that it has to be within few days or weeks but is it possible in few months. I would really be thankful if someone can clarify me (1) what exactly is programming, (2) what exactly programmers do (3) Is it possible for completely non computer persons like me who r from different background altogether(in my case accounting) to learn it within some time (4) if yes what exactly to learn and what we should do (5) how much time it can take to learn (6) And can we work online in programming to make some money for living in the long run. I know I might have asked some stupid questions and yes sorry for so long story of mine. Hope you knowledgeable people will help me in deciding and taking the right course of action. Any inputs, comments, suggestions, opinions or any reference to where i can get all relevant information from a laymans perspective will be more than welcome and highly appreciated. thanks a lot in advance I sincerely and eagerly look forward to replies...as i really need to do something soon to sustain my living and medical expenses as i cannot be any long dependent on my parents for day to day living and full recovery appears still distant..... and yes if i have posted in the wrong place then sorry sunando (if possible do email me at sunandoghosh@rediffmail.com)

(1) what exactly is programming?

Well programming by definition is the following: The designing, scheduling, or planning of a program, as in broadcasting. Or, The writing of a computer program.But basically, its the core part of anything you use, the backend.

(2) what exactly programmers do

Well programers (web programmers) basically code (program) the backend of a website, or an application (program). For instance, I am in the process of creating a CMS (Content Managment System) which allows for the user to manage his content (i.e. articles, users, system settings, modules, email, user groups, etc..). Once that is complete I will be releasing it, and the user of the CMS will most likely have a design that he would like the CMS implemented into. Once that is complete what the visitor see's is normally called the "frontend" and what the admin see's is the "backend".

So basically programmers, program applications.

(3) Is it possible for completely non computer persons like me who r from different background altogether(in my case accounting) to learn it within some time


I believe anything is possible, as long as you set your mind to it and continue to work hard on it, you'll definitely achieve this. I suggest checking out some classes at Zend (http://www.zend.com) They cost a bit of money but in the long-run, its well worth it.

(4) if yes what exactly to learn and what we should do

Well, I am a fan of PHP & mySQL so I suggest learning that. But your going to need to learn the basics of HTML first. So I suggest heading to the book store and picking up some books on the following:
- HTML/XHTML (if not XHTML, just get an HTML book)
- CSS
- PHP
- MySQL
Make sure you get beginner books, because a lot of them are for Advanced users.

(5) how much time it can take to learn

Well i've been doing it for about 4 years now. For a time scale I have no clue. Just go with the flow, At the beginning once you have the basics down start practicing, just create small, worthless applications and build up from there. Then go online and look for some open-source applications and read their code, and study it.

(6) And can we work online in programming to make some money for living in the long run.

Yes, I make a very decent amount of money doing what I am doing. If you get really into this, and get very good, become a Zend Certified Engineer (which i'm studying to do). You can make tons of money doing Web Development.

Well, I hope i've helped you out with your questions. If you ever want someone to talk to give me a shout on AIM or MSN. I'm always here.

Hopefully I helped, and I wish you the best of luck in your future and recovery.

Good response Mike, I was just getting to this

I would have to say the first thing you should do is visit the local library or book store and grab yourself a book on learning html. One of the best applications to use when starting out is a program called Macromedia dreamweaver.

This is definitly your first step, I wouldn't worry about anything else until you're confident with Html.

Originally Posted by Robson Good response Mike, I was just getting to this I would have to say the first thing you should do is visit the local library or book store and grab yourself a book on learning html. One of the best applications to use when starting out is a program called Macromedia dreamweaver. This is definitly your first step, I wouldn't worry about anything else until you're confident with Html.

Thanks! Like Robson said, HTML is your first step.