I'm putting this one out to the crowd. I've been avoiding the painfully obvious for a long time, and I don't think I can anymore. I've been specializing in ColdFusion development since 1997. I've been certified by Adobe as a developer for CF three different times. I love ColdFusion.

But I no longer live in a ColdFusion hotbed and within the next 12 months I may be needing to find a new job (contract expiring and future of my position is unclear at this time). I work remotely full time, and would be open to a CF position in a similar capacity, but I know those are rare. So I'm starting to think ahead. And part of that is thinking about becoming proficient enough in a second language that I could sell myself as a senior developer.

In addition to CF, I have fairly strong jQuery skills, and am a good front-end developer as well IMO. I hold my own in the SQL world, but am not a DBA by any definition. Due to the nature of my current position, getting into HTML5 and mobile has been nigh on impossible, as much as I'd like to go there.

I'm not a programmer in the true sense of the word. I don't have a background in O-O programming, though I try and use O-O principles in my CF work where I can. I have a solid sense of business skills. I can design a good program that makes good sense. I try to be mindful of performance in my work. I do what is needed, not what's the latest or flashiest.

I've tried a couple of times to hitch on the PHP bandwagon and that language has just left a bad taste in my mouth each time.

I work mainly on OS X, host my own work in Unix, but do have access to a Win7 computer if needed.

Ultimately my goal is to get into an architect or management spot. I've been a lead developer/technical lead for years now, but don't have the experience needed to go after things like PMP training and the like. So development is in my near-term future while I continue to build those skills.

So, with all that being said, I'm looking for some guidance from the crowd. What would you suggest, or what have you picked up as a new language to use as an alternative to CF?Something in demand obviously, and something where my skillsets could give me a head start in tackling the learning curve.

Thanks.

This entry was posted on July 25, 2012 at 9:39 PM and has received 1893 views. There are currently 6 comments. Print this entry.