I have been programming for many years now, and have undergone the often painful process of re-tooling from a Clipper DOS background to the VFP environment. I did this re-tooling on my own with three books and (God bless 'em), with help from lots of folks on this very forum and some very patient support from Tom O'Hare.

I am now comfortable with the basics, but there is a lot that I am missing. I would like to become much more proficient with those elements of VFP that were either not available or not very useful in Clipper: queries, views, classes, etc. I feel like I could pick things up pretty quickly if I could work with someone who knows this stuff inside out and who could show me how these things apply in the real-world situation of the projects I am currently working on.

So here's the pitch: I am looking for a VFP whiz who would be willing to trade out some personal assistance in VFP for a vacation to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Some specifics about myself: I am married, 55 yrs. old, and have been living on St. Croix for ten years. I operate a one-person, independent programming shop, so I really can't afford to shut down for a week, travel to the States, pay tuition, and pay room & board while receiving formal training.

I would be willing to pay for your flight from the east coast to St. Croix and back, provide room and board, show you around the island, teach/take you snorkeling, etc. in exchange for a few hours every day of VFP assistance (in my office with a SPECTACULAR view of Buck Island and the Caribbean). If you are qualified and interested, please reply or e-mail me at vicrow@viaccess.net.