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Where Do I Start?

Diagram showing the relationship of various Visual Studio Editions If you are new to .NET programming, here is the path you should take (note: most of the videos in these two beginning video series refer to 2005 editions, but 2008/2010 is current and you should install that instead – the core concepts have remained the same over the last five years):

  1. SQL Server 2005 Express (8 hours)
  2. ASP.NET: Soup To Nuts (26 hours)
  3. Install 2008 Express Editions of:
    1. SQL Server
    2. SQL Server Management Studio
    3. Visual Web Developer 2010
  4. Use Starter Kits to Jump-Start Your Progress
  5. Use DiscountAsp to create a portfolio of websites that you can use to demonstrate your skills to others

Software 100% Free and Most of the Videos are Free The good news is that all of the software you will download to do the coding is 100% free! The great news is that most of the videos are also free (with the exception of 150+ hours of premium tutorials from Learn Visual Studio). Microsoft does require that you register with them to view their webcasts and you also have to use Internet Explorer browser, instead of Firefox, Safari, etc., but it is totally free. Watching the 100+ Hour Streamlined Syllabus once, may lead to a jr. programming position; and twice, will put you ahead of the "curve."

 

 

Simple 5-Step Plan

 

1. Model Ourselves After the Ideal. We should model ourselves after the best "ideals" we can find. In the dotNET world, those ideal teachers are found at Microsoft. The best teachers are the ones that know the material backwards and forwards so that they can present it in a streamlined manner – these instructors do just that. We need to learn the material backwards and forwards too.

2. Take Massive Action to Transform Self to Ideal Anyone can take some action to become more like the ideal. What we want to do is take massive action. Just any random action will not do! It must be highly focused, intelligent, and organized action that is executed according to a plan.

3. Use Progress Monitor to Track Your Progress Progress Monitor gives you an easy way to keep track of the videos as you watch them.

4. De-Couple Yourself From Your Desktop Computer You need to de-couple yourself from your desktop computer so that you can watch videos anywhere and anytime. The best way to do this is through using a laptop, as this allows you to avoid the hassles of burning DVDs by just downloading the videos to your hard-drive. However, if you can not afford a laptop right now, you can burn DVDs. Burn Microsoft Webcasts to DVD for free – This link shows you how to burn webcasts to DVD in 3 easy steps for free. This allows you to learn anywhere by using a portable DVD player or the DVD player attached to your TV!

5. Use DiscountASP Hosting when Ready to "Go-Live" DiscountAsp is the best hosting company that I have found for .NET applications. They provide many SQL tools that make it easy to remotely manage your sql database directly from your computer that other hosting companies like GoDaddy do not. Please watch the video below or click the following link to get a list of the steps involved in "going live" with DiscountASP: "GoLive" – How to Use DiscountASP to Connect Web Site to Database (Hint: When using DiscountASP to build a portfolio of web sites to demonstrate your skills, you can use starter kits to jump-start your progress.)

 

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