The Pragmatic Craftsman :: Simplicity from complexity : by Stanley Kubasek ::

What do we — as developers — want more than money? Good question. I think there are a lot of things we care about more than money. We want a challenging environment, good management, ability to learn things, and more. The author of the article, below, has pointers like these, and others, that I believe we care about. Excellent article. We do care about these things, IMHO, more than money.

ReferenceNine Things Developers Want More Than Money, Software by Rob blog

How have things changed in a matter of a year or two. That’s music to my ears, , but these things change quickly. I do believe, however, that as software engineers we have a bright future ahead of us.

According to the latest U.S. government statistics, the future of the IT job market looks bright. As the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics points out, five of the top ten fastest growing jobs between 2004 and 2014 will be within the technology industry. In some cases, these jobs are growing at a pace of 40-55% over the next ten years, clearly outpacing the growth of jobs in other industries. The five fastest-growing IT jobs include: network systems and data communications analyst, computer applications software engineer, computer systems software engineer, network and computer systems administrator, and database administrator.

…fast growing IT job is computer applications software engineer, which has an expected growth rate of 48.4% over the next ten years. Firms of all sizes will require the services of developers who can write and customize software in response to constantly changing consumer and industrial needs.

ReferenceCareerNews entryTop Five Fastest Growing IT Jobs

I have been enjoying the CareerNews letter for some time. It is a newsletter (available to all) produced by the ACM organization. It focuses on, guess, IT career-related news. It does a nice job agreggating them from different sources. It also does a nice job providing concise comments. A lot of times I only read their comments, as the article itself is not as clear. They really do a great job.

The latest issue of the CareerNews newsletter is packed with excellent articles.

The article I like the most is “Young and Hungry“, which explains how you, as a young professional (and not only), should work towards going up in the corporate ladder.

Another article that I liked is “Enterprises Focus on Retaining Tech Talent” (the title says it all).

I recommend that you check out the newsletter and subscribe to it. It’s bi-weekly and every issue contains at least one good article. It is a good way to see what’s going on in the IT profession.

ReferenceCareerNews Newsletter, available for everyone

What’s the best job in America? If you asked me, I would say “software engineer.” But that’s just me… Hold on, it’s not only me. Money Magazine lists Software Engineer as the top job in America! Wow.

Here’s what they say about it:

Software EngineerWhy it’s great Software engineers are needed in virtually every part of the economy, making this one of the fastest-growing job titles in the U.S. Even so, it’s not for everybody.

Designing, developing and testing computer programs requires some pretty advanced math skills and creative problem-solving ability. If you’ve got them, though, you can work and live where you want: Telecommuting is quickly becoming widespread.

The profession skews young — the up-all-night-coding thing gets tired — but consulting and management positions aren’t hard to come by once you’re experienced.

What’s cool Cutting-edge projects, like designing a new video game or tweaking that military laser. Extra cash from freelance gigs. Plus, nothing says cool like great prospects.

What’s not Jobs at the biggest companies tend to be less creative (think Neo, pre-Matrix). Outsourcing is a worry. Eyestrain and back, hand and wrist problems are common.

Top-paying job Release engineers, who are responsible for the final version of any software product, earn six figures.

Education Bachelor’s degree, but moving up the ladder often requires a master’s.

ReferenceBest Jobs In America, Money Magazine

I am a software developer because that’s what I like to do, and because I think I’m decent at it. But I’m affected by the happenings in the software industry. Last couple of years, the news had been all negative. Recently, however, the tide has turned: I’ve been hearing a lot positive news. Companies are hiring again. It’s a joy to read an article like the following, Study says U.S. tech hiring grows.

the number of U.S.-based technology workers is higher today than it was at the peak of the Internet boom. Not only that, but also the U.S. tech sector is expected to post positive job gains for at least the next decade.

ReferenceStudy says U.S. tech hiring grows, CNN/Money article

It’s not for me. At least for now. I’ll reconsider after I’ve had 7-10 years of experience (I have 5 now). But it’s definitely something that’s on my mind. One of the ideas that I got from reading this article, is to consult when I’m nearing retirement (I would love to retire in my early 50s). I would be able to work part time, get some money, and do what I like to do. Not a bad idea. Hey, maybe I wouldn’t have to retire?

Anyway, the following is a very good article.

Considering a Consulting Career by Katherine Spencer Lee in CW.

I read a lot of Java books, articles, and blogs. The articles by Yakov Fain in JDJ are always interesting. The latest, How To Pass A Technical Job Interview With Flying Colors, is very good as well.

Are you looking for a job? Do you have a lot of knowledge? Oh, yeah? You can have a great success if you IPO. No, this is not a stock-market entry. It is a career entry. Yes, you can IPO – Get the Interview (I), Pass the interview (P), and Get the Offer (O). Treat these separately and do them one at a time, Yakov argues. He goes on to explain the IPO in detail.

He has some very good tips:- tailor your resume for each employer;- prepare by creating interesting stories about a challenging project you’ve been part of;- be energetic and show interest;- look for a job while you still have a job and accept it only when it is better.

“Take charge of your career and actively build it the way you want, ” Yakov ends. Mr. Fain is right on the ball with that article.

Reference:How To Pass A Technical Job Interview With Flying Colors by Yakov Fain, JDJ, July 2005

Related:Sample Java Interview Questions

We’re making more money in 2005 than in 2004. A quarter of us are unhappy with our jobs. We are scared of offshoring. But overall, things have turned around for the better: more opportunities, rising pay, less competition. You’ll find this and other details in this well-written report on InfoWorld.

2005 Compensation Survey by InfoWorld

Not now, of course. But in a couple of years, will there be a shortage of IT professionals? It’s hard to say. It definetely doesn’t look (and feel) like that right now. There are still a lot of IT guys unemployed. And even though there’s been a pickup in jobs recently, it is still fairly hard to find a good job. But things are changing…

Things are changing because there’s been a significant drop in number of students enrolling in the Computer Science major. That’s actually a big concern, especially for companies as IBM and Microsoft.

What’s the problem? The problem is, they say (see articles, below) is that there will not be enough students to fill the positions. Companies are either going to have to look overseas to bring people, or to offshore projects.

This is my take on the situation: if the situation improves — it is easy to find a good job — students will come. And we’ll be happy as well.

Related Articles[1] IBM, Colleges: More Top Students Needed[2] Fewer students major in computer

I liked this article, How to Position Yourself as the Top Candidate by Jeff Hocking. It probably gives you the information you heard somewhere else, but you choose to ignore it anyway. As the number of hiring companies increases, you’ll have more choices. Therefore, make sure you choose a company that fits your needs. Do your research. Not only will it help you get the job, but you will be happier because you found something that you wanted. Researching the company, finding out the company internal structure, finding out about company’s culture is a very important step. The article will give you a little bit more detailed information of what you should do.