Do you program for a living

I just want to know if anyone here programs for a living. Do you use VBA?

Define "program". I'm IT Manager,responsible for everything, but around 50-75% of my time is building/maintaining Access applications. That is by and large what gives me the most value to the company. I use VBA extensively.

Well I'm an electrical engineer but have been a "programmer" since my first Sinclair ZX80 and have created databases for pretty much every company I have worked for... to be honest its only lately I've taken myself seriously as a developer because some of the databases I've left "in the field" I've been asked to improve on and maintain

pbaldy said:

Define "program".

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LOL!!!! Need Paul say more? This just screams the answer "DUH".


As far as what I do, I know a he** of a lot about programming, but I've never had the opportunity to use my skills in a work setting unfortunately. So no, I don't.

I think I should change my major to IT. I like working on db too much.

Since about September last year I moved to selling what I could make in Access and also some Excel plus a lot with file management via VBA, backup systems, email and similar.

I did it part time for several years while I was in insurance and to other insurance people. But last September I decided to have a go at it full time.

Not that different to insurance. You gather a list of prospects and go for it. The average sale is less money than insurance but much easier and generates referrals very easy.

But in my limited experience doing it for a living (only about 6 months) the money is not in full DBs. They take too long and it is an ongoing thing, never stops.
Very easy, quick and good money converting Excel stuff to Access. Lots of small businesses have an xls file for every month. They think you are a miracle worker.

In short, the opportunities with stuff are unreal. And when you canvass for your business you only wind up with the areas you can do or want to do.

speakers_86 said:

Do you use VBA?

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Missed that part. Both yes and no. For some things you have to use VBA. But I use macros a lot and for speed in making plus some other reasons. But if it is to be an MDE then no macos because you can get to them.

It used to be "Other duties as applied" for my last job.

I'm so glad it's not the case anymore.

I made a db for a water damage company a while ago. I posted a video in a post called "see my db". I really think I could sell that to restoration companies, but no one has any work right now. I called many different restoration companies today, no one is hiring. I did met with the owner of a local Serv-Pro. I could tell I impressed him, but they already have a full staff (only 2 techs!). One of those techs is new, so if he doesn't work out, I expect them to call me. I digress.

@ Mike-how do you handle integrating accounting software with your databases? This is the problem with my water damage software. It tracks work orders, equipment, and creates invoices, but is not a full fledge accounting db. I am now looking at the quickbooks SDK, but I am not sure if that is the best method to use (not all companies use quickbooks, each year the software is different, etc.). I do not want to make my db a full fledge accounting db, though I am kicking the idea around.

i program access most times, as the oracle programmers take months to do what i can do in access in a few hours for data analysis and reporting. VBA is a requirement for custom data transformations due to the multi dimensional data sets. . I also write scripts in Hyperion Essbase as I designed a forecasting system in Essbase for 12,000 employees, almost to the employee level, with all the revenue and cost of sales and expense drivers. . . took six months to design and about 6 months to implement cleanly. . .

but i work for a large, intl life safety company. . .

speakers_86 said:

@ Mike-how do you handle integrating accounting software with your databases? This is the problem with my water damage software. It tracks work orders, equipment, and creates invoices, but is not a full fledge accounting db. I am now looking at the quickbooks SDK, but I am not sure if that is the best method to use (not all companies use quickbooks, each year the software is different, etc.). I do not want to make my db a full fledge accounting db, though I am kicking the idea around.

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In Australia the main one is called MYOB (and short for Mind Your Own Business)

Most of my prospects are small businesses and If I have success then MYOB is dumped. But I am not selling a DB as such. I did do that in the insurance business, I sold what I had with some changes etc. But not now.

Accountants in Australia are geared for either MYOB or Excel. When I dump MYOB and replace with Access I have it so it will output to Excel. Most people I see with MYOB do double entries. They produce and invoice, either hand written or in Word and then enter details in MYOB. I eliminate that problem. A lot of what I make is based on Access to Word.

But I don't take on challenges, don't have to as there are millions of prospects and even with our small population.

There are two ways to make a living with the keyboard. One of course is to have a job. The other is to be self employed and they are two different things in regards to knowledge. Having the job requires a much broader knowledge. Being self employed is more about a narrower knowledge but it might run deeper, if you know what I mean.

If you are self employed you graviate to what you like. For me, I have always liked a real lot the Access to Word and to a lesser extent Access to Excel and Access to Email. You then prospect and canvass in areas where that will be appreciated. Basically, my prospect is a business where each of their customers means a lot. My stuff is of no use to the retail type outlet as they would be doing well to even know the first name of 1% of their customers. They are into inventory, scanning items etc.

Another interest of mine is fixing shit data. Lots of stuff in one column and phone numbers in all sorts of formats etc. My interest in that area came from fixing name lists we would buy for canvassing for insurance. The sort of prospect I see often have that issue.

Self employed is where you will make the money. However, your real business will be salesman and what you make is the product. Actually, you are the product. The prospect buys you.

Decide what you like about Access and what can be done. Where forums like this are very good is the fact that scenarios are put up by people and in most cases they don't have much of an idea. I pick different ones and then see if I can solve the problem. That does not mean posting the solution but just solving it.

what is a hot industry to be in, is Hyperion Essbase and Planning, which is much cooler than sql tables. . . and working in an external hosting and maintenance facility. . . Alot of mid size companies don't want to internally staff the resources to operate and maintain specialty software when experts can be used with a service contract.

just a thought.

I have never even heard of MYOB stateside.

I take it you don't do much to streamline or automate the synchronization between access db and accounting software.

speakers_86 said:

I have never even heard of MYOB stateside.

I take it you don't do much to streamline or automate the synchronization between access db and accounting software.

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No, just dump MYOB or have nothing to do with it. It is the same type of program you have in the US. You can buy at different levels to suit different business sizes and then pay to go to a course on what you bought.

A lot of small business is happy to leave it and spend the money on other things. For example, tomorrow morning (Saturday here) I am delivering some Access to Word stuff and also file management. This small business uses MYOB but the owner said "he was happy in spite of limitations BUT a problem I do have is etc and etc."

In short, I don't sell a basic DB that is in place and then adapt it etc. About the best your own DB can do is to be your instruction manual as you will have done a lot to get it running.

But bear in mind that my views are framed from being a salesman with two salesman working for me. If my knowledge was at the level of some of the other members it would probably mean we would only need to make 80 calls instead of 100. But the time and energy to get that knowledge would mean no calls were made for a couple of years

Hey Mick is your db normalised yet?

Mike375 said:

No, just dump MYOB or have nothing to do with it. It is the same type of program you have in the US. You can buy at different levels to suit different business sizes and then pay to go to a course on what you bought.

A lot of small business is happy to leave it and spend the money on other things. For example, tomorrow morning (Saturday here) I am delivering some Access to Word stuff and also file management. This small business uses MYOB but the owner said "he was happy in spite of limitations BUT a problem I do have is etc and etc."

In short, I don't sell a basic DB that is in place and then adapt it etc. About the best your own DB can do is to be your instruction manual as you will have done a lot to get it running.

But bear in mind that my views are framed from being a salesman with two salesman working for me. If my knowledge was at the level of some of the other members it would probably mean we would only need to make 80 calls instead of 100. But the time and energy to get that knowledge would mean no calls were made for a couple of years

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Are you saying what you supply replaces the biggest selling accounts software in Oz? Accountants use Excel in Oz? They do here - but its not where the real accounts are kept?I am a little confused with what you are saying.

I build applications in Access for living.... until next friday that is when I become redundant.

Then I am a retired programmer

L

JamesLast99 said:

Are you saying what you supply replaces the biggest selling accounts software in Oz? Accountants use Excel in Oz? They do here - but its not where the real accounts are kept?I am a little confused with what you are saying.

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A lot of small businesses will use Excel instead of MYOB. In fact they don't really do much more than what amounts to an electronic cheque book. So I don't make something that is another version of MYOB I make something that replaces what they do in MYOB, which is never very much.

One of the pluses for them in having Access is they can launch into whatever from a single screen. In other words they can do Word, email etc plus any account type stuff.

Accountants themselves will use Excel, the small suburban accountants.

Most one man shows and other small businesses only use MYOB because they can't do anything in Excel, MYOB is cheap and the accountant recommends it.

Rich said:

Hey Mick is your db normalised yet?

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My own or what I make.

Actually the answer is the same for both. Not fully normalised but basically the One to Many tables. But I will have some fields/data in a table that if fully normalised would go into another table or tables. And I always add some blank fields and include those in queries. Makes it real easy a bit further down the track.

Mike375 said:

A lot of small businesses will use Excel instead of MYOB..

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Well that's odd because I moved my accounts from Excel into Access when I discovered just what Access can do