I’m spoiled when it comes to working with SQL relational databases. I say spoiled because it is quite amazing how transportable the SQL language is. When you have learned the basics of the SQL Language you can apply it to just about any implementation of an SQL Engine due to the tendency to adopt ANSI standards in the implementation of an engine. Let?s face it, that is a lot of power that can be used in a large number of environments. Because we learn best by using a language you will have different areas of expertise that transport from one engine to another.
A large number of programming environments utilize some form of an SQL database. That being the case, as you are building your software development skills, SQL has been a top required skill for much longer than just about any other language. As more and more applications are moving off the mainframe platforms this trend continues to increase. Even with the adoption of NoSQL data engines, SQL still continues to have a high degree of adoption for new and existing applications.
If you are a new developer trying to build skills you can spend a lot of time learning how to program using current languages. Most of the languages and frameworks will be obsolete within a few years. However, if things continue to follow the trend of the last two+ decades, SQL will continue to be a required skill set for just about any job for which you may wish to apply.
For example, you’ll see jobs with Java, PHP or ASP.Net programming. Within in those jobs you?ll probably see different frameworks that are the current fad, or support the latest clients. You may even see some thick client type applications. However, one thing that is common across nearly all of these job opportunities is SQL.
If you haven’t understood my point yet, I suggest that if you are building your skills to enter or continue in the job market, time spent learning SQL will have the broadest value.
Cheers,
Ben