Who Should Read This Book

Demand for database applications seems to have no limits. There's not a corporation on this planet that couldn't make double or triple its initial investment in a database application that allowed their employees to work more efficiently . In some cases, applications of this type pay for themselves in a month! The average company considers itself lucky if a particular machine pays for itself in two years , but a 200% annual rate of return is easy to achieve in the database world. So when you walk into the office of a potential client or employer, you're selling something that pays for itself faster than just about any other investment the company could make. That's a pretty good resume.

Database development is fun, the pay is great, and you get to be a hero. We even get more credit than we deserve. For some reason, if a guy comes over and fixes your toilet , he's just a plumber; but when your cousin Danny, a 14-year-old with a bad complexion, gets an Internet connection working again, they call him a computer genius. Doesn't make much sense to me, but take advantage of it. What we do is cool .

Database application development is an excellent career choice. Many young people get an undergraduate degree in one of the soft sciences, like Sociology, Anthropology, or Economics, only to find out that the only jobs they qualify for are trainee jobs. But not everyone wants to get a job in Engineering or Pharmacy. And computer science departments seem determined to teach skills that are not in high demand ”compiler design and ray tracing graphics are important, but how many operating systems and graphics packages do we need?

I also recommend database development as a second career to professionals who have already achieved mastery of one set of skills, and are looking for something to integrate into their professional life and synthesize a new direction. I've known doctors , dentists, veterinarians, chemists, biologists, actors, teachers ”a variety of people who had a decade or two of successes under their belt, but who were still hungry for a new adventure ”and made the shift to database development. Databases go with everything.

If you think you missed the boat and lost your chance to prepare for a good career, you're dead wrong. I first saw FoxPro's predecessor, FoxBASE, in 1986, when I was 38 years old. That's when my database career started (unless you count a dozen years with COBOL, which I try to forget). So if you're 24 and think you're too old to start a career, don't make me laugh . (You might be too young, though. Sow those wild oats; then come see me when you're ready to get serious about your future.)

Go through this book and learn how the code works. Make the application work, understand what it's doing, and how it does it. When you're done, you'll have a real career ”the kind others dream of.

You can travel all around this little planet, meet other programmers, share your successes, pass on your discoveries, and generally have a wonderful time with this career. The languages change every few years, so you won't be bored. And you'll never, ever master database programming, because it's endless. There's always something more to learn, some new challenge to solve, and solutions to be found for your colleagues who think something can't be done. You can push the limits as far as you want. Database development can become the foundation for a successful life.