Hot & Useful software skills for novice converts?
pj: Okay, so here again is an opportunity for me to talk about my company, but I will try to avoid it.Here's the deal.  The web is the future.  So for application domain -- the web is where it is at.  And the web includes mobile.  Mobile devices are web devices.  The whole point of the web was to enable mobility in a standard protocol -- mobility of information, digestion of information and communication of information between any device, whether that device is a computer with a browser, or a cell phone, or a car, or a refrigerator.So, that is the main issue.  If you except that premise, the premise that the web is the future, then I can't help but recommend you learn technologies that are fundamental to the future of the web: the technologies that are part of almost any web application.  Those technologies are: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SQL.  XML is good too.The problem here is that it is difficult to start in the web domain, because in order to really create anything of value, you have to learn more than one technology.  HTML by itself is just a flat web page.  To be awesome you have to create that HTML dynamically and in order to do that you have to learn a lower level language like .NET, PHP, Java, or an opinionated platform like Ruby on Rails, or mine: Qrimp.Then, to use whatever programming language, or platform you choose, you also need to power it with a database, so you have to learn SQL.  Then you need to make that web page do cool things in the browser, so you have to learn JavaScript.So I would recommend, if you are going to start somewhere to program choose either SQL or JavaScript.  You are going to need those, regardless of whether you ultimately go with Ruby on Rails, Qrimp, PHP, .NET or J2EE.So, to narrow it down even more, go with JavaScript. It's a lot like Java, which is a lot like C# (.NET).  Reasoning: Keep your doors open. Start with the broadest technology that can be applicable in the most places, then narrow yourself down toward rock-stardom in your niche.That being said, SQL is part of almost any information system, even outside the web domain.  It's also one of the most difficult to wrap your mind around, so go there.  You can actually create HTML with SQL if you want to.  Most veterans don't recommend it because you are mixing the presentation layer and the data layer, but the point remains...If you look at this breakdown: http://demo.qrimp.com/TechJobsCharts  You'll see that the most requested skill set among technology jobs are HTML and SQL -- for good reason -- the reasons I listed above.