Why a survey project?

Before I explain the survey project challenge, let’s talk about the best way to learn any new skill or technology.

What is the best way to learn?

The best way to learn how to build apps and services with .NET is to work on real projects that you would use yourself or that at least spark an interest in you.

If you are a student, or a professional developer who has no choice over the projects or technologies that you implement, how can you work on a real project that needs the technologies you are interested in learning about?

In this chapter, I will introduce my idea for how to achieve that goal.

Attributes of a good learning project

To help us learn all the different technologies that .NET developers need to know these days, we need a project that:

• Genuinely needs a mix of technologies and skills.
• Is cool, fun, and practical, so it will stretch our skills both from an engineering perspective as well as creatively...