Rich Rodecker’s blog on flash, flex, actionscript, javascript, and php, with a dash of randomness
FlashApe » 10 Programming Languages You Should Learn Right Now
10 Programming Languages You Should Learn Right NowFunny, last week there was a good discussion on Flashcoders about the general lack of solid actionscripters out there despite the fact that the market for Flash is really booming. Then this article on eWeek suggests some programming languages to add to your resume:
By picking the brains of Web developers and IT recruiters, eWEEK selected 10 programming languages that are a bonus for developers to add to their resumes.
They go on to list C and AJAX, but no mention of Actionscript…wow.
I’ve said this a million times - no matter how great and powerful (hello AS3) we know Actionscript is, having ’script’ in the name makes it sound like ‘Programming Language Junior’. If they called it AS+ or pretty much anything else that didn’t have ’script’ in the name it would get taken more seriously.
Yeah, but …
It is, in part, a numbers game. Note that the eWEEK article includes for each of the 10 languages “Job availabilities” “pulled from nationwide queries on Dice.com”.
If you are a core language taught in university Computer Science departments (e.g. Java, C, C++), you are sure to have big numbers.
And then too, ActionScript is fragmented to also include Flash and Flex. Here are some Dice.com numbers for each:
212 ActionScript
59 Action Script (yes, >20% of total between the 2 spellings actually uses two words with a blank space in the middle of the name. lol. … stupid head hunters 
39 Adobe Flex (just Flex is too ambiguous, as in flex benefits, flex time, etc.)
33 Macromedia Flex
1084 Flash (no qualifier so may include flash RAM)
1427 TOTAL
So taking the total (ignoring possible repeats), compared to the eWEEK list the Flash Platform ActionScript related jobs only beat PHP, AJAX, Ruby and Python. Still, that would have put AS at number 6 on the list.
And besides, I think “Computer Science” types have a hard time getting their mind around what is going on around here. Nigel Pegg delivered the classic characterization of this in the section of the following article under the heading “We Call This ‘The Timeline.’ No, Wait, Come Back!”
http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flex/articles/flash_perspective.html
So you know ActionScript/Flash/Flex/Action Script is hot. I know it is hot. Nick Vellof sure as hell knows that it is hot:
http://www.velloff.com/?p=13
Just so long as we keep enjoying higher rates, and the joy that comes from kicking butt building great apps, who cares how many jobs are going begging in other languages. lol.
P.S. Think about how bad the SQL guys must feel. They are THE backbone of every enterprise application on earth but somehow nobody every considers SQL a programming language
P.P.S. SQL “Job availabilities†on Dice.com: 19,745
Per the numbers in the eWEEK article, that is 137% of Java, 175% of C/C# combined (11,275).
Some list.
But hey, the Oracle guys aren’t complaining! lol.
Just so long as we keep enjoying higher rates, and the joy that comes from kicking butt building great apps, who cares how many jobs are going begging in other languages. lol.
yeah, that’s defintely how I feel too…Flash is so hot I can focut strictly on Flash development and not even think about taking on any ajax, php or any other type of work (though I usually window up combining them in some way anyway).
Rich,
Yeah, and if you want to do video on the web FLASH RULES!!!
From nowhere in Flash 5 to total web domination with the On2 codec in Flash 8! Bye, bye Quicktime/Windows Media/RealPlayer.
lol
g
the problem is that people coding in ActionScript, JavaScript, AJAX, etc…
should define themselves as ECMAScript programmer
but apparently they are so narow-minded on their own community that they focus only on the host they are using instead of the language they are using
all this result in fragmented communities, someone can not be at the same time an AJAX programmer and an ActionScript programmer,
someone can even go as far as fighting with someone else that do use the same language standard
classic AJAX vs Flash fight
classic AS1 vs AS2 fight
etc…
even the eweek article put in 2 different categories JavaScript and AJAX…utter nonsens
for me it’s not the ’script’ part that may make it sound like a ‘programming language junior’, it’s the programmer itself
because you may find an excuse to not code in C#/Java/PHP/whatever but if you are indeed programming ActionScript you have no excuses ignoring what are the real roots of your language and the different implementations existing out there
zwetan,
I don’t believe that “ECMAScript programmer” is the best title. I can code Actionscript all day and night and have a grand old time, but if you put me in a browser with Javascript, I won’t be able to code anything without loads of frustration. They’re really two different worlds.
Yeah, but …
I like java or C++
9??
No.
While ActionScript may (now more than ever) be a robust programming language, and heavily sought, there is much more to being a good freelance Flash developer than learning ActionScript. I’m sure the writers of the article did not really think this through when writing the article, but being a successful contract Flash developer takes more than an in depth understanding of ActionScript.
The truth is, most agencies that will contract you as a Flash developer will expect you to have a good visual sense, among other things. If you are a great coder, and are not confident in the visual aspect of Flash, then it may possibly be better to look at the full time agency position route. This is simply because at an agency you will have a team to supplement the animation and artistic aspect of the Flash content creation. Attempting to find contract positions as a Flash developer lends itself more to the developer confident in both sides.
All that said, I recently hired a contract developer strictly for his excellent ActionScript skills… but this may be the exception to the norm.
funny you should say that, nick…ALL of my business is strictly for my actionscript coding, I generally don’t handle one bit of design. and that’s how it’s been for the last few years. The separation of flash programmer and flash designer has been happening for a while, and I think it’s becoming more accepted in the ‘business’ word, even more so when you looks at RIA’s and Flex and the like.
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He, he… Love your comment at eWeek
Gotta agree with you - really odd to see a list as that with no mention of Actionscript.
J