In Job Postings, What Is .NET Programming?

Question

My latest contract project successfully concluded a couple of weeks ago, and I've been pounding the job sites looking for new work. It's been six or seven years since I last really looked at these sites, so maybe the phrase, ".NET Programmer," or variants, has come to mean something. But, danged if I know what!

My primary language is C#. When developing web functionality, I use that along with ASP.NET, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. So, from my perspective, I have over six years of experience as a ".NET Programmer." Employers, or at least their HR departments, however, don't see it that way.

During initial phone calls, in response to how much .NET experience I have, I'll say six years of C# and ASP.NET. In the majority of cases, the interviewer responds with, "Yeah, but how much direct .NET programming?" At that point, I know I'm not going to get a substantive interview, because the screener and I aren't speaking the same language.

To me, .NET comprises the Framework and the Common Language Runtime. I am doing .NET programming when I use some language, in my case C#, to make use of the Framework to create an application, utility, or some web-functionality. And, the code I write runs in the CLR. If ".NET programming" means something beyond that, then I think of developing/updating the Framework classes and the CLR. So far as I know, however, that work is MS's exclusive domain. (Not speaking, of course, of inheritance, extension, overriding, etc.)

So, if not C# (or VB, J#, etc.) and ASP.NET, what does ".NET Programming" mean?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

C# programming + asp.net is clearly part of .net programming.

What I don't get is why you are fighting the system, getting stuck at the wrong part of the process.

When they say "Yeah, but how much direct .NET programming?", given your experience you say: "I have over six years of experience in .Net Programming".

Update: If you keep getting that, why don't you say right from the first question "I have over six years of experience in .net programming", and if they ask which language(s) you tell "c#".

Answer 2

You're being more precise than they're asking for. They're requiring familiarity with a language or framework whereas you're focused on the purpose or task.

Look at it from another angle, "ANSI-C programming". All it means is that you've used the language, nothing more. Nothing's saying you did it in *nix or Windows, or that you wrote hardware controllers or business applications.

Human Resources typically have a checklist they're going through. They need (want) to hear the keywords that meets the items on that list. ".NET Programming? Check." It's once you're in the interview that you can elaborate.