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So You Want Be A SharePoint Developer

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One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is “How do I become a SharePoint developer?” and the answer I usually give is “One unknown error at a time”. After almost 4 years of SharePoint development I still do not know everything there is to know. SharePoint is a huge product and it is hard to know where to start.

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The way I began to learn about SharePoint was watching online presentations and listening to podcasts. As you watch or listen to the presenter you want to get an overview of the subject, understand the terminology and concepts, and watch the demos to see where the presenter goes to find certain functionality. Below are links to video and audio resources you can watch to bring yourself up to speed about SharePoint 2010:

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Attending Microsoft events or going to user group meetings is another wonderful way to learn a wide variety of topics. The benefit of going to events and meetings is you get to meet other people who share your interest, you can ask questions to experts (They love that. Specially the hard ones.), and you get the latest news sometimes even before it is made public. Below are links you may be interested in for SharePoint events and user groups:

and Whitepapers

Books and whitepapers are great ways to build a solid foundation of knowledge to help begin developing in SharePoint. Below are links to whitepapers and books to help prepare you for Microsoft SharePoint 2010:

Don’t forget to check out the “Books” and “ & Exams” tabs on the right side of the screen for an up to date list of SharePoint 2010 books.

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Blogs and forums are the most practical ways to learn. There are a lot of SharePoint blogs and forums out there supplying developers with all the latest information, tips, and tricks of the trade. The wonderful thing about blogs and forums is that they are written by people who work everyday in the trenches of SharePoint using their own blood, sweat, and tears to supply you with simple answers. Blogs and forums have certainly saved my butt when I have run into trouble. The following are some links to my favourite blogs and forums:

Microsoft and Resources

SharePoint documentation over the years has been unfortunately sparse and developers largely had to rely on each other through blogs and forums. In the last year or so Microsoft pushed out a lot of content for the SharePoint community to read and explore. Documentation on the Microsoft sites are much more technical and goes into a lot of depth. When you are ready to the take the next step and want more detailed information you should check out the links below for great SharePoint 2010 information:

and Virtual Labs

The best way I learn is from hands on experience. Virtual labs allow you to test drive Microsoft software in a virtual environment displayed through your web browser. You can run through tutorials, which are step-by-step guides, to learn certain functionality to use within SharePoint. Tutorials are a great way to start coding when you have no clue what to do. Unfortunately since SharePoint 2010 just started its public Beta their are no virtual labs and only a few tutorials. The following are links to Microsoft virtual labs and to few SharePoint 2010 tutorials:

Training and Certification

In June 2010, Microsoft be offering “70-667 TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Configuring”, “70-668 PRO: SharePoint 2010 Administrator”, “70-573 TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Application Development”, and “70-576 PRO: Designing and Developing Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Applications” exams for IT professionals and developers. I would suspect that Microsoft certified trainers will offering courses around May 2010. The following are links to training and certification information:

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About Author

Christine Weaver has been the technical lead on projects designing, developing, deploying, supporting, and delivering solutions for SharePoint since 2003. Christine’s knowledge and experience leans heavily on her 10+ years as a software consultant and from being a Microsoft certified professional. Christine has been a regular presenter at TechDays Canada and runs the Halifax SharePoint User Group.

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