The Spotlight is on Brad Wist. Mr. Wist wrote some of our Visual Basic 6 questions.

RN: Please tell us a little about yourself.

WIST: In 18 years working in software development and operations, I have specialized in design, development, tuning, and support of database applications. I have filled various roles on projects from project lead, technical lead, data modeler, to production DBA. Over the past few years I have been involved with the sales, new business development, the management of technical teams, database design, and system engineering

RN: Please tell us a little about yourself.

WIST: Hi. I am a Senior Applications Architect and a writer. I have spent the last decade architecting, designing, building, and deploying e-business applications for a variety of customers. I build these solutions using Microsoft technologies, and have specialized in Web and Win32 development using ASP, VB, SQL Server, Commerce Server, BizTalk and other back-office products.

I am also a writer. I’ve written a number of articles and have published Commerce Server 2000 Pocket Consultant with Microsoft Press. I’ve contributed to Microsoft Press’s Visual C# Core Reference, and am currently working on a Visual Basic.Net book for Prentice Hall.

And of course, I can’t pass through any introduction without acknowledging my wife and our two sons (including the one born just over a month ago). My family is certainly a central asset and core to who I am.

RN: What interested you in writing ReviewNet tests?

WIST: Over the past few years, I have interviewed a number of candidates for jobs. I’ve had to come up with a set of standard questions that I’ve asked many of these applicatants. So it seemed a natural extension to go ahead and write more questions for ReviewNet. Sure, the types of questions have changed a bit. But the same principle still applies.

RN: What did you enjoy most about writing your VB6 test?

WIST: By having to frame questions around the language, I was forced to look at the language and its capabilities differently. I tried to write questions that really would explore the test taker’s experience. At the time, I found myself applying those same questions to myself, to figure how I would answer them in terms of my own experience over the years. It was fun and challenging.

RN: How did you first get involved in writing technical books?

WIST: I have always enjoyed writing, and want to publish more as the years go by. A few years back, I realized that one way to work on my writing skills was to begin writing technical articles. I publish a dozen or so articles in a couple of technical magazines. Then, I made the next step into identifying a topic for a book for which I saw a need. And I wrote the book. It was a long process, but the experience was great.

RN: Outside of working with ReviewNet, what do you feel is your biggest professional accomplishment?

WIST: I have had the opportunity to work on a number of exciting projects over the course of my experience. However, I am probably most excited about the books and articles that I’ve written. I’d have to say that I’m most excited about the first book: Commerce Server 2000 Pocket Consultant, published by Microsoft Press. Prior to that, I’d written a number of articles, but this was my first foray into books. It was a great experience, and one I’m already repeating and planning for more in the future.

RN: Tell us about your latest book.

WIST: I am currently co-authoring a book on Visual Basic.Net that is to be published by Prentice Hall. The book examines the use of Visual Basic.Net and the .Net Framework as it is applied in building a real-world business application. It’s not just a reference for the language and technology. Rather, the book is focused on how to apply the many capabilities that .Net offers, putting together the pieces to build the application.

RN: How do you keep up with changing technologies and the latest trends in the IT industry?

WIST: I spend a lot of time reading and researching, trying out new technologies and languages in the evenings. I also am fortunate to work with some of the brightest and most talented people I have ever known. All of our experiences are in different areas, so we are constantly learning from each other and challenging each other.

RN: Tell us a little about your ReviewNet test.

WIST: The latest ReviewNet test questions that I’m writing are really designed to make the test-taker collapse in tears. Well, okay, just kidding. Microsoft .Net technologies really span a very large amount of knowledge. I would be surprised if that many people can really stand up currently and say that they have used all of the features and capabilities that .Net makes available. So I look at writing these questions as a way of identifying those areas where the test taker has the greatest amount of experience and knowledge. The questions that are being written are really designed to get into each area of the .Net Framework.

RN: What advice would you give to someone learning your discipline? Are there significant barriers to learning about this subject?

WIST: To really be a good programmer, you need to have a peculiar type of insanity. Seriously. Well, mostly. Being a good programmer is less about a particular language and is more about taking a logical approach and look at a problem, and being able to piece together the commands to perform a task. And then, you need to be able to put those tasks together in coherent form to build an application.

To really learn to be a good programmer, you have to practice in your mind, breaking down a problem into parts that you can handle. You also have to be able to think dynamically, to identify problems and determine which technologies can best be used to solve them.

The technology is moving so rapidly, it’s difficult to keep up. So you’ll definitely have to expect to spend a lot of time just trying to keep up, read, research, and try stuff out.

RN: What do you see as the future of Microsoft .Net and the .Net Framework? Where would you like to see it go?

WIST: Obviously, Microsoft has made a major strategic decision with the .Net Framework and related .Net technologies and languages as the approach to building applications in the future. I think that over the course of the next two to five years, you’ll see a large number of applications being rewritten in terms of .Net. And I think we’ve really only seen the tip of the iceberg. I think we’ll be seeing the technology evolve further to where applications will become even more interconnected. Web Services will begin to play a greater part in application design and deployment. Windows and Web applications will continue to be more and more blurred together. And we’ll be able to build them in a single framework: .Net.

RN: When did you decide to get into the Information Technology field?

WIST: Well, I graduated from Virginia Tech with an Aerospace Engineering degree, and immediately became a System Engineer working as a civilian for the US Navy. My job there, really entailed a lot of technical project management. However, as I worked there, the Navy was really deploying a lot of desktop computers to all of its workers. I discovered at the time, as databases and desktop applications began to become more common, that I really had an affinity for the computer. I took the opportunity at the time to jump careers and focus full time on computers and computer programming. I will say, though, that the time I spent in project management has certainly helped me to better approach each of the projects that I have worked on.

RN: Please share your thoughts with us on the role that ReviewNet evaluations play in hiring IT professionals.

WIST: I believe that the ReviewNet exams can be useful in helping to identify the strengths and experiences that a potential candidate has. With the movement and evolution of technology these days, most test takers won’t have a lot of experience in all technologies, or even all areas of a particular technology or programming language. This isn’t necessarily detrimental to the test taker. The exams are really intended to highlight the areas of strength and experience. It also gives a standard means of evaluating a number of candidates, and comparing their performances and strengths.

RN: How did you design your ReviewNet test to help eliminate IT hiring mistakes?

WIST: In building ReviewNet questions for the exam, I tried to write questions that really help to identify the test taker’s strengths and experiences. I have tried to write questions that allow users to take advantage of and show their experience in various areas. I want the test takers to think about the questions, to challenge them a bit and apply their own knowledge, rather than just recall memorized details from reference books.