Subj : Re: Software Job Market Myths
To   : comp.programming,comp.software-eng
From : CTips
Date : Wed Jun 29 2005 10:12 am

Terry wrote:
> The following myths are misconceptions that are hurting the U.S. and
> European software industries. These misconceptions are reducing employment
> in the software job market. They are hurting the lives of programmers. There
> may be misinformation spread by companies that profit from outsourcing, by
> established "big-business" software consultants, or recruiters. There is
> just plain ignorance and false beliefs held over from the 1990s bubble.
> Sadly, some software engineers continue to believe and propagate these
> myths.
> 
> Many of you will take exception to the list below because it threatens your
> salary. If you are a software engineer and still make $70,000 per year, feel
> lucky, but don't feel entitled. Some engineers have out-of-this-world
> talent, and deserve even higher salaries. If this is you, good for you. This
> list is not about the few super-talented engineers.
> 
> 
> Misconceptions:
> 
> 
> 1. Any good programmer requires $60,000 to $90,000 per year or more.
> (Wrong. They may only require $40,000, or less, depending on the job. Entry
> level programmers just out of college, many of whom are very capable, can be
> hired for $30,000. It's not the 1990s anymore. There are many unemployed
> engineers. The crazed demand for programmers is gone. Programmers require no
> more pay than intelligent, educated, skilled workers in other professions.)

Ummm...any good programmer will *start* at $80k+. In our company, I 
don't think we would hire anyone who didn't want at least that much. And 
based on the competition we've been having for these people, I suspect 
that there are a lot of people who think exactly like us.

Of course, this does depend on what you mean by *good* programmer. For 
entry level (at our company) I'm talking about C.S. Ph.D.s or M.S. + 5 
yrs experience, a considerable amount of background knowledge (knowing 
Knuth cold helps), and a decent amount of programming expertise (say, 
about a 50kloc solo systems project).

The difference between programming and other fields is that the 
productivity between a good programmer and an average one is order(s) of 
magnitude, which doesn't show up in the salary differential. Example: A 
$100k programmer will outproduce 10 $40k programmers. Therefore its 
cheaper to hire the best programmers one can find.

.