Web development isn’t a career for people who dislike change, says Susan Cole, instructor at Southern Polytechnic State University and a senior computer architect/developer.
“I tell my computer students that they need to learn one or two new technologies a year. The industry is moving that fast,” Cole said.
Developers who already work in Java can enhance their skills this summer with a course in Google Web Toolkit (GWT), a development toolkit for building and optimizing complex, browser-based applications.
“Google Web Toolkit has been around for about three years and it has taken awhile to catch on, but demand for these skills is growing as Web-based applications become more popular,” Cole said.
One of GWT’s advantages is that it solves the problem of browser compatibility and removes the need for multiple languages by allowing the user interface and server components to be written in Java.
“It’s a perfect program for companies who want to modernize and update their Web presence, especially if they already have Java developers in-house,” Cole said.
Cole has seen hundreds of postings nationwide for GWT developers, especially by companies with extensive online reservation systems (like Delta and the Intercontinental Hotels Group) or online purchasing systems (eBay).
“You can definitely find jobs using this technology,” she said.
The average annual salary for junior programmers is about $50,000, but midlevel developers with additional skills can earn between $70,000 and $90,000, Cole said.
Corporations often pay for their employees to take the GWT course at Southern Polytechnic, but independent contractors and anyone who wants to upgrade their skills also take the course, which is limited to 10 students.
The course is taught through lectures and hands-on computer labs. Students may bring their own laptops, but it’s not required.
“Programming is not a spectator sport. People have to practice it, and they often learn more by things that went wrong than what went right. Completing the labs is mandatory for the certification,” Cole said.
Students learn the concepts behind GWT and the integral steps to using the program, including Eclipse, an integrated development environment that allows users to write and test code as they go.
Course topics include user interface components, layout managers, event handling, connectivity to remote resources, browser history management, image management and internationalization.
“They will learn how to layout projects and use the technology by building a four-page application of their own,” Cole said. “The idea is that they could receive specs for a Web page from an employer, listen to what it needs to do and build it.”
The course, which is offered through the school’s Continuing Education Center, will be held on three Saturdays (July 7, 14, 21) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cost is $995.
For information, call 678-915-7240 or go to www.spsu.edu/cec.
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