Course Completed!!!!!!!!!! Final Projects live.....check it out!

Tech Support Tracker Project

Screen Shot of the Full Resolution Home Page

Student Admin Tool

Screen shot of the Original Home Page.

Wooooo.  I made it.  Project weeks were a true test.  I was stressed, frustrated, and worried that I wouldn't be able to do the projects.  Up until the moment we presented I was having technical issues.  

I was so excited to present these projects.....I think I presented well.  

I'm off to have cake with my family.......we've missed each other these last few months.  This weekend soak up my kiddos.  Monday....MTA....JOB.

Wrapping Up-----MVC---Lightbulbs

Long time no blog.

Back in the thick of the .Net Developer track.  Last Week I got into MVC with Neil Horton.

Head Instructor
Centriq

I think that the true power of the Centriq business model is it's Instruction. I'm impressed with the quality and care of the entire staff.  Centriq has a great "Synergy" of corporate & raw talent going through the school.  Granted, it 's  positioned perfectly in the Kansas City Market during one of the biggest technology booms of any Metropolitan City in America.

http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/blog/bizventures-kc/2014/05/10-high-tech-cities-you-want-to-call-home.html

I'm glad I've gotten to be a part of the program.

As I post this blog I'm down to three weeks before the July 18th project presentation.  Tick Tock..... I'm feeling pretty good.  I've begun to have those lightbulbs go off.  FINALLY!

                     I was really getting tired of getting punched in the head by some of the concepts.

My instructor Chuck Wieners teaching me Details View in Webforms.
"Fresh Schema, Fresh Schema, Fresh Schema"  :)

Strangley, it really was the MVC class that really started making things clear.  When you compare the two

technologies (Web Forms vs MVC) it's much clearer how and why you do some of the processes.  I think I've been looking way too close at some of the code.  If you step back and look at it from a higher plain it starts making more logical sense.

In the market Webforms are still 70-80% of all Asp.net sites.   I personally like the Designer and the toolbox.  Drag and Drop never bothered me but I'm a visual person....that makes sense.  MVC is super cool and a simpler answer but the market demand isn't there yet.  MVC is just very "clean" in how you build it. It also doesn't have all the bloat of PageLifeCycle.  Speed and Simplicity...... It'll catch on.

I've built out two Projects...(Widgets and Gadgets for Webforms and Widgets and Gadgets for MVC) both were built out from my old Mo Wine Tours Menu.  Pretty cool.

So I'm gonna get back to working on my personal site.  I would like to relaunch it again.  Stay posted.....

Memorial Day Weekend.

Great three day weekend.  I wrapped up the ASP 3 with our instructor (The man, the myth the Legend) Chuck. The content was pretty intense.  We were tying SQL into our ASP.Net Websites.  We had a bunch of sample databases and actually built our own for practice.  The material wasn't necessarily too heavy but it is easy to get turned around when you are are doing data Binding and adding the multiple view types.

You have your grid view for the majority larger glimpse at the database.  Then we tied in a details view or a form view for the specific detailed view of each product and or category.  Now the cool part was when we added the functionality to the "admin" to change and modify the database from the client level.


Below is a screen shot of Widgets and Gadgets.  A website we built in ASP3 and added onto in ASP4

I have so much content from Mo Wine Tours that I built a database as a class project

For our widgets and gadgets class project.  Chuck told us to build our own database for something that we

care or are interested in.  I have so much content from UDA and Mo Wine Tours that It was very easy

for me to build it out using some of my own stuff.  

It really brought the material to life.  The power of this is incredible.  It is very dry to learn (for me at least) UNTIL you put in your own products or something that is relevant to business and real world. 

                                

I'm pretty burnt out right now.  I'm looking forward to next week.  It's a break week.  I'm gonna focus on the job hunt.  I'm gonna start throwing hooks out to see if  "Daddy" can get a job.  Sacrificing five and  half months of income to do this is risky business especially when you have three children and a wife at home.  I will continue to put in the hard work and keep the faith. I resolve to get through this school and find a new career.  It is easier for me to put it into perspective when I realize that this isn't for me.  It's for them.  

Today

Are you the type of person that lives of today

Loving and laughing in every way

For every moment our lives shorten and decay

When it's all over what'll you have to say

Were you happy with the person you became

Does the world around you fell the same

Don't you wish you were happier rather that meaner

Yet, the grass is always greener

As we look back to the other side of the fence

Today is when the change should commence

Tomorrow is just an excuse away

Live now, for this might be your last today.

JTP

ASP2

My Instructor this week is Chuck Weiners.  His dry sense of humor is a riot.  He was also really patient with me.  I (might have, accidentally) asked him to fix my code at least 5-10 times a day.

Well I'm officially into uncharted territory.  Last week was all about Master Pages and controls.  The ease and ability to use the same format and elements across pages is amazing.  This week is all about membership and how to authenticate.  We defined roles and access  to our sites and our SQL data bases.  We are building to the final project.  It's starting to become clear the path to graduation.  I've now seen two classes present final projects and there will be my original class in June.

I thnk membership was  cool, but as a student it was heavy.  As always, I felt like I didn't get the content as well as I should have.  I'm coming to the conclusion that maybe it is my own standard that I hold for myself.  I am consciously trying to stop beating up on myself.  This track is not a competition.  I have to stop judging myself on the progress of others.

Each person comes with unique gifts and weaknesses.  I understand my strengths.....more over, I am familiar with my weaknesses as well.  I will continue to use two of my main strengths:

1. Work ethic
2.  Passion.

Petetllc.com second edition is almost ready for launch.  I want to add two more pieces to it.  I hope to have it launched.  Although I'm not going to drive myself into the ground getting it perfect.  I already know that I want to change three things on it before I even launch.  (Is this the way all developers are?)

I'm off to study SQL with Chris Byram.  Should be an entertaining week.

Long time no blog.....

The break week was great.    I forced my self to study but I made sure to step away.  My website is not really working correctly. RRRRRRR .  No worries, a master page through the ASP.net help me fix most of it's quirks.  I hope to have it  up by next week.

Last week was ASP 1.  Introduction to the ASP.NET server.  This is really cool stuff.  I love how you can dynamically make a site responsive.

(Quick shout out to my friend and instructor Keith Smith.  ..enjoy your classes)

The drop and drag controls are versatile and so easy to put in.  I still get a little twisted on the code behind (aspx.cs),  I will say that the syntax is similar but it gets a little confusing when talking about stateless protocol, post back and control, CrossPagePost back etc.

This is me an my tater-tot at the library.  She's so funny.  She tells me that I spend more time with my classmates than I do with them.  True. Can't really deny that.  

I find it ironic. I've spent almost three years at home with my children.  Everyday we did homework and I'd harp on them.....

"It's important to do your homework first...."

"If you set your mind to something......"

"Hard work pays off......"

"Just Show up.....the rest is details......"

"Have FUN but be responsible."  

Wooooooo  I talk a mean game don't I.  If any of you reading this know me at all.....you'll recognize my sarcasm.  If you don't know me......than don't believe anybody that say I'm a smarty pants.  It's a vicious rumor.

  

 So I'm trying to walk the path that I've been on a soap box about.  They see me struggling through this.  Children are very smart and aware.  Much more than we give them credit for.

Now when my children ask me why I'm doing homework.....why are you always studying?

"It's important to do your homework first....you have to put the time in"

Now when they ask me if this computer stuff is it hard?  

" YES,.....but if you set your mind to something....and you just show up everyday and work hard..it will pay off.."

When they ask me......"Daddy, why are you screaming at your computer?"

"Ya Know what's fun kids.. I.D.10 T errors. My code blowing up with errors that APPARENTLY are Illogical....that's really fun........Having a semi colon or typo steal hours of my life.........it's a blast!"

Spoken like a true Griswold.......:)

Welcome to the Blog

Class has been going great. I must admit I was really burnt out by late last Thursday. The weather has been slowly getting warmer and nice. Thursday, Friday and Saturday's conditions were perfect.   Last Friday I was jumping out of my skin (spring fever).

 I'm feeling pretty confident about C#.  It definitely took me a little time to get my brain around it.  I see now that I was looking for a deeper understanding of the syntax. I needed to understand the "why". (Maybe that's just how my mind works.....I ask "Why" alot.)  

Friday's class was all about the object oriented programing, inheritance and polymorphism.Chris Byram (our instructor) does a great job of teaching the subject matter.  I've come to truly enjoy him as an instructor and a person. I didn't get as much out of the class as I wanted.  I needed to stare at some trees....... When I left Friday I shut the computer off and stepped out of code. My brain officially was turning into spaghetti. 

Besides.......I've been missing out on spending time with my babies. The twins and I had a camp fire, smores.  Movie night.  Catherine and I saw each other but she's a teenager.....too busy to have smores. I actually got out on the golf course hit the golf ball on Saturday as well.  WOW!!!

TNT--(Tim and Tatem)

Catherine Petet

Tatem Petet

Jude Petet

Man I needed it.  The kids have been patient....but they really aren't  fans of my new schedule.  I keep telling them its four months.  In the bigger scheme of things that's nothing.  Oh then there's my little man.........mini-me.  He and I had so much fun at the campfire.  That boy does make me laugh. (it's a good thing cause I'd have killed by now if he weren't)

Came to school this Monday morning energized and fresh.  Like the Sun is to Superman....they are the source of my power.   This weekend  was a great reminder of  "WHY"  I'm doing this.  

Hello World......

I'm pleased with my decision to re-take C#.  I've stayed dedicated to studying and working through all the material.  I'm much more secure in the code this time around.  Visual Studios doesn't overwhelm me as much either.  Like any tool, you must get familiar with it.  Over the last 6 weeks I've crashed, broken, lost and been through Visual Studios and back again.

Dealing with Branching,(switches and if trees) and Loops.  I'm really working as hard as I can on these concepts.  I understand why they work. That doesn't mean I can get them to work for me yet.


Although the code becomes clearer as I continue to re-do the homework and actually use it.  I need my hands in it to learn it. My new classmates are good.  There is definitely some personality in this group.  We're just now starting to get know one another.

Chris Byram is my instructor for this track and he's really energetic and passionate.  I enjoy his personality and tempo in the class room.  I do find one thing interesting.  We are covering the same material yet it's from a slightly different perspective.

All my instructors have been great. Yet I'm noticing how they all look at the same problems and have a different perspective.This is the silver lining in being a computer programmer. There isn't one right answer.  There could be multiple ways to come to the same solution.

Love that.

As of this post it'll be 101 days till the end of classes.  Then I'll take the Microsoft Certification test.  With a little luck and some hard work I'll get through it.  I think Old Thomas Jefferson has the right idea.

The Re-boot

Hello world.......

I haven't blogged in a week or so. Nicole Trendel (Office Manager) Came to me on Monday and said that there was a spot open in the new .Net Developers Track.  It would set me back 6 weeks.   It would allow me to go through C# a second time.

The truth is that I don't want to just get through this program........I want to get it and be good at this.  After all, this is a professional re-boot.  Although I was feeling confident with HTML and CSS, When we started going in to the ASP we went back to C# and I was not comprehending.

I jumped on it.   My new graduation date is July 20th.  That's alright.  I just don't want to be that character in the "kid snippet" video.  There's nothing wrong with that.......I just want more.

ASP 1

If I were to rate class on a scale of 1-10.

I guess you could say......8.  Web forms are cool.  The drop and click functionality and the ability to just add buttons is cool.  I still really enjoy HTML and CSS.  I can't quite get to JQUERY yet.  I'll use some of it when I can.  That is an area that I want to explore in depth though.

I am being visited by my old friend C# though.  Hmmm  Ya know I'm not as blown away by the code......Yet there is much work to be done on that end for me.  I have begun to understand it's repetition......that doesn't mean I can effectively write it alone.  

We were using a lot of switches and for loops today.

I've noticed this week that I've settled in a bit.  I'm growing familiar with the amount of information coming at me.  That doesn't mean that I retain it all.   Yet I see the pattern in the instruction here at Centriq.  There is quite a bit of review and then we have now begun to do labs.  That is the cool part.  We gotta just build it.

I'm pretty bad. I think its super cool though.   The power and freedom you have to build and collect data is this easily is cool.  My business mind is a buzz with the possibilities for doing surveys, market research, you name it.  

I can't wait to get a little more confident.  Till then....all I can do is study and put the time in.