>>This isn't really chatter but I don't see a category which fits exactly, so here goes. I am looking at an opportunity which involves intensive (3 month) training in either C# or SQL Server. After that the company which offers the training assists you in finding a job. I am trying to decide which technology I want to pursue. From the POV of personal preference I could go either way, with maybe a slight edge to C#. Another factor, obviously, will be employment and salary prospects. I have looked on dice.com and there are 200+ openings for both in my area. (Boy, is that refreshing). Am interested to hear from anyone who thinks one or the other has a better job market, both now and going forward. I am also looking for a good reference for salary information. My googling must not be quite up to speed because so far I have not found anything very specific. Maybe I need a better methodology for finding salary data?
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>>Anything I should also be considering?
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>>Thanks in advance for any input!
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>3 Months of training? Seems like an awful lot of training!
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>Knowing VFP you have (or should have) a solid foundation in OOP. C# is OOP on steroids, and the .NET framework is just a zillion classes.
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>I took an instructor led weeklong course on C# and ASP.NET and have had no problems getting contracts (although my current contract is VFP, VB.NET, and SQL).
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>As far as SQL or C#, I'd say do both. They should be used together.


It is a lot of training. And not cheap, either. The way it works is you pay nothing up front, then begin paying it back in monthly installments a year later, like a student loan. It is an amount I would gladly pay to make a successful transition to something that is marketable these days.

There are cheaper options, of course, and lots of information and resources on the net. I am weighing the learn-it-yourself option as well (already doing some of it, in fact). I just think making that kind of training commitment would differentiate me in a market where many people already have experience with these skills.

I don't have an employer who will train me for free. As it happens, I have been hired by three different companies who said they would let me do .NET work, then used me like a ho -- supporting their legacy VFP apps only. At this point I am ready to try a different approach.

The reason for having to "choose" C# or SQL Server is those are separate training curricula.