As someone who works in IT (specifically programming), it is always necessary that I always remain flexible when it comes to what technologies I know about. For the most part that has always meant that I had to learn to do something different with PHP.

In the workplace, I have used PHP/MySQL almost exclusively (I have had to do a few small C# utilities here and there, nothing major though). However, my work life has provided me an opportunity to do something in a completely new programming language (and really I could not be more excited about it). The project is not going to gear up until toward the end of this year so I have decided to take the initiative and start learning the in’s out of the programming language so I can dive in head first once the project starts.  What is cool is that I will be able to take this opportunity to blog about another new topic (which will reinforce even more my technology A.D.D).

The language is Python and the project is implementing a new ERP system. The ERP system has not been nailed down 100% (which means Python is not 100% but the other contenders are Java based and I already have a good handle on Java), but the ERP we are looking at with a close eye is OpenERP. The initial looks so how that it will fit in nicely with our business flow plus it is open source. Open source is pretty much required because the budget for this kind of project is almost $0.

So now that you have some background on where this is going, let me first talk a little bit about how I am planning on learning Python. I have picked up Beginning Python: From Novice To Professional Second Edition. So far this book is a very good introduction to the language and I have enjoyed reading it so far.

What I discovered last night was astounding and excited me greatly. Apparently Google has something called Google Code University. It is basically a place to learn to code in different languages. Very exciting. To get to Google Code University you simple go to:

http://code.google.com/edu/

From there pick what you want to learn and you start learning. As someone who attended college, I am used to learning by demonstration and discussion and they have Google Talks recorded on YouTube so that I can follow along and learn that way. Incredibly convenient. I hope to crank through the videos over the next few days.

Overall I am very excited to have the opportunity to learn more about a new language and to add another marketable skill to my resume. I am also excited to see what new blog posts I can come up with to share with all of you.