Java

Holy Lord, what have I gotten myself into?

I'm 50 years old. I grew up on COBOL, network databases, and text-based on-line applications. I moved OK to GUI (Windows) front-ends, relational databases, and interactive programming. Then I got waylaid into doing systems analysis and project management. In a seeming few years my skill set was hopelessly outdated.

So I asked to move to the web development team, got some training from one of those exorbitantly-priced off-site classrooms, and joined a small team working on enhancing an existing system.

Then it all fell apart.

I mean literally! They showed me the development tool (Eclipse). But wait! I need to load the Sun development kit! I need WebLogic. Oh - we have version 9 but I can only get 10. No problem, we will be aswitching to 10 soon. Oh, but current development is all 9, so I'm incompatible.

As we worked that out:

here's the java code
here's the JSP's
here's the custom tags
here's the oracle-stored procedures
here's the DAO's
here's the EJB's
here's the database

Huh?

me: OK - I need to change a screen message - where do I start?

mentor: Oh - you have to kind of figure that out

me: OK - I did - it isn't formatted right

mentor: check everywhere the table columns are defined

me: how do I do that?

mentor: Oh - you have to kind of figure that out

me: help, please

mentor: OK - (he searches) - done

me: why are the email addresses wrapping like that?

mentor: oh, that needs to be clipped, fixed, and put in a scroll-over

me: how do I do that?

mentor: I'll do it - you watch

me: OK

me: why do the fonts change like that?

mentor: I'll look into it

mentor: (phone conference with users) we're still trying to get the fonts right - it's being a pain in the butt...

and on, and on, and on it goes.

I am used to contributing, but folks I am out of my league here :)

I hope I can get up to speed, but the urgency of all the development makes that unlikely anytime soon, because we have to keep going back to the experts.

I am scratching my head and wondering how Java happened. Who was sleeping? Why does changing the heading on a screen take touching 7 different parts and redeploying an application?

Oh, and let's not even TALK about testing.

I just learned about something called J-Unit. I was frightened worse than when I snuck in to see "The Exorcist" at a tender young 13.

Realize please that I am ranting because I am scared.

I'll learn this stuff eventually, but this is the first time in my career that I've felt completely out of my depth.

Maybe I should ask for my old job back, instead, and wait 15 years 'til retirement