Help an old developer catch up

Hello there, I will try to keep it as short as possible.

Basically trying to build some sort of picture to see how my skills and experience have become outdated and what i can do to bring them up to date.
Also to find out if its even worth updating or just getting a quick computer cert and do desk support.

Brief history.
I used to work for a wall street consulting company around 2000/2001.
Was A+ certified and one exam short of full MCSD.

Basically i used, vb6, sql server, along with tools like crystal reports, IIS, asp, source safe, etc.
I started learning vb.net but did not get good practice in it.
The job market got pretty harsh after 9/11 so i had to leave developing for a while.


So basically my question is how is the current job market for developers? are things a bit better?
Been reading these forums and of course opinions vary on whats good to learn and what not, some people say that vb.net is suicide others say its all good.

Is it possible for me to update my skill set and be somewhat competitive?

Which technologies are being used more now?
asp.net, vb.net, c#, sql server, iis?
should i just focus on web developing now?

is it better to learn php/mysql, oracle, java, sap, html or anything else out there.
or is it easier just to get something like A+, or net+ certificate and work on desk support?
sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance.

p.s. will i have to redo everything for vista or am i coming in at the right time?

In your shoes, I would definitely learn C#. It's one of the 'hot' languages at the moment and seems to command a higher pay than its sibling, VB.NET; not that there's anything 'wrong' with VB.

Web technologies in general are definitely very popular. I would say ASP.NET is probably the platform that most corporate intranet development takes place on; but if you want to try something fresh, you can always learn Ruby, which is another 'hot' language at the moment. I'm not sure how long it will last though; it might burn out within a few years. .NET, on the other hand, is definitely a future-proof option. So is PHP; although you probably couldn't get as well-paid a job coding in that alone, it always helps to have a decent, varied skill-set.

Of course no matter what server-side language you use, it's very important to know client-side languages, such as [X]HTML, CSS, and Javascript just to name a few. XML is a must, simple to grasp and used in a huge variety of situations.

C++ is also a secure option, as it has been and will be around for a long time and is a benchmark against which many other languages are compared to. It's not the easiest of languages to become competent in, but you will be well compensated for your efforts. C++ can also be put to use in many situations, both client-side and server-side.

Unless you wish to specialise in database administration, I wouldn't say in-depth knowledge of any database server software is particularly important. SQL knowledge is pretty much a must, though.

You do not need to learn anything for Vista.

So, in conclusion: what you learn out of those options is up to you, and what particular area you wish to develop in.

asp.net, vb.net, c#, sql server are all core compitencies. Throw in your VB 6 experience and you make a well rounded developer. And yes you are just in time for Vista development.

Easiest way to determine the market is to do a few job searches on some job websites. It would be tailored to your location so you can see just how many jobs are out there and in what technologies.

Any other the core .NET languages are great to know and are all hot. VB.NET is not suicide as if you learn the framework then it is so much easier to learn any of the .NET languages.