need your recommendations

[S Shehab]

Hi Guys ,,

I want to take your opinion in this issue, I'm senior java developer in my company ,they offer me lately to give me a training in IBM MQ series administration , to be MQ administrator beside my basic job , they picked me because i got some background about MQ product , the question is do you think this is a good opportunity for me or i refuse this ...

PS: they are waiting for my decision as soon as possible .. , What do you do if you were me ??

[W. Joe Smith]

I'm the kind of guy that can never turn down an opportunity, especially FREE opportunity, to learn something new. I would go for it, as it never hurts to know about other technologies outside your baisc work area. Just makes you that much more versatile within the company.

[Jimmy Clark]

There are a few different ways of looking at this. If your software development skills are not strong or if you have difficulty with programming/design, then your employer might want to use you for administration tasks and shift the development work to other resources. If they offer training, you should participate as this is a sign of a good employer.

If you are an expert and truly "Senior" software developer and are not interested in helping out with the admistrative tasks, then you should start looking for a new position at a different company.

Aside, "Java" is a name, so in English, the first character of a name is always capitalized.

[S Shehab]

I totally agree with you guys , but my question do you think learning and being professional in MQ administration in general will add value to me regarding i'm good or bad in programming?

[arulk pillai]

If I were you, I would take it, as it will give me an additional skill. I am always for learning new things.

But, I will get back to Java when I think that I have learnt enough about MQ Series (e.g 6 months to 1 year). If one of your goals is to get into architecture, then gaining wider skills is highly recommended, especially in sought after middleware and integration technologies like ESBs, MOMs, BPMs, etc

You can always horn your skills in Java in parrallel through self-taught projects, tutorials, open-source contributions, etc. Opportunities to work with commercial

products like MQSeries, Oracle Service Bus, etc don't come your way that often, especially with training. These additional skills will also look good on your

resume.

This is my personal opinion. Your career goals and interests may be different. Work out the pros and cons and see how it aligns with your careere goals and aspirations.

[Jimmy Clark]

I totally agree with you guys , but my question do you think learning and being professional in MQ administration in general will add value to me regarding i'm good or bad in programming?

Sounds good. Since you claim to be a "senior java developer", what do you think? Will it "add value" to you or not? Are you proficient in Crystal Reports development and do you understand XML basics?

Its not so much about how "good" your resume looks, its more about how valuable you become to your employer (s) while you grow professionally. You don't want to be jumping around changing jobs every year, always looking for work and always worried about your resume. If you can become a valuable resource in your company and become an expert MQ Administrator, then this is excellent and you can forget all about Java. In my opinion, this is a better path for you and most likely whoever is supervising you knows it too. The key thing here is that they are willing to help you. Good luck!

[arulk pillai]

If you can become a valuable resource in your company and become an expert MQ Administrator, then this is excellent and you can forget all about Java. In my opinion, this is a better path for you and most likely whoever is supervising you knows it too.

I only partially agree with this. If you want be a valuable contributor, you should have a passion for what you are doing. Firstly, give it a go and see if you really like it? If the answer is yes, you know what path to take. After a while, if you realize that Java is where your interest is, then there are jobs requiring both Java and MQSeries skills. For example, A Java/JEE based online application retrieving data from a mainframe system via MQSeries. Now a days companies are demanding Java/JEE + something else like TIBCO, webMethods, MQSeries, jBPM, Mule, etc. So you need to work out

a) If you want to do it?
b) How long do you want to do it?
c? What you really enjoy doing?

The key thing here is that they are willing to help you

Yes. You don't get these opportunities very often.