Member Avatar for killer2021

I constantly read slashdot/craigslist forums/digg.com and the people on there tend to ALWAYS make the cs/it field out to be as if it is extremely difficult to get a job in the field. Im quite confused on what to believe at this point. Heres why

1) These salary surveys predict that IT/CS related fields are, "booming" with growth rates for software enginners at 46% over 10 years...

2) The average salary of a software engineer in 80k/yr...

3) The computer science degree is in the top ten most lucrative degrees...

4) We are coming off of a dot com boom. (meaning alot of people are leaving the field?)

5) The number of computer science graduates is decreasing (possibly from the surge of people going during the dot com boom?)

6) People make it out as if tons of jobs are being shipped off to India.

7) Reports say that only, "5%" of IT jobs are going overseas

8) The number of lay offs in the IT field is decreasing. Something along the lines (sorry I read this like 5 months ago on slashdot) that the number of lay offs was at like 80k/yr and now it is 40k/yr.

9) Most employers want 2-3 years experience MINMUM when hiring IT/CS employees (even "entry-level" positions!)

10) Employers say that they are in need of, "qualified" individuals.

I really don't know how to look at this situation. There is good evidence from both sides of the situation, but looking at the overall picture is hard to make out. Is the IT/CS market in scambles and flooded? It is lacking qualified indivduals? Is the IT/CS market dead and just going to be eventually offshored? Will the CS/IT market rebound? Is there a future lack of CS/IT people brewing in the near future (low # of ppl pursing CS in college)?

I would really like to hear from other people who are in the field or planning on going into the field.

  • 3 Contributors
  • 3 Replies
  • 197 Views
  • 2 Weeks Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by GriffIT34

Dani AI

Generated

Short answer: “flooded” is an oversimplification. The tech labor market is uneven — some roles and skills are in high demand while others face downward pressure from automation, offshoring, or changing employer needs. That split explains the mixed signals in this thread and why forum posts can sound so different from headline statistics. CompTIA’s State of the Tech Workforce 2024. (comptia.org) O*NET / BLS projections for software developers (2024–34). (onetonline.org)

It helps to separate occupations. “Software developers” (broader product- and systems-focused roles) show healthy projected growth and many openings, while the narrower occupation labeled “computer programmers” is projected to decline as routine coding gets automated or reorganized. Recent reporting also shows generative-AI tools have accelerated change in programming work. BLS: computer programmers outlook. (bls.gov) . ()

Offshoring created real shifts but was never a single, totalizing force — it tended to hit task-based roles more and produced modest annual displacement rates relative to overall turnover. Roles that require close product ownership, domain knowledge, or client interaction have been harder to move offshore. Research summary: how offshoring affects IT workers (CACM). (cacm.acm.org)

Practical takeaway tied to comments from , , and : focus on fundamentals (algorithms, systems, debugging), build a short portfolio of real projects (hosted, documented), get any relevant professional experience (internships, freelance, open-source contributions, short contracts), and invest in modern, in-demand stacks (cloud, security, data, DevOps/infra, ML tooling). Community involvement and demonstrable work often beat listings that demand “2–3 years experience.” Stack Overflow developer insights (2024). (stackoverflow.co)

Recommended Answers

All 3 Replies

Member Avatar for PJans

As a graduating CS Student in a community College in Alberta, I can say that I am one of only 4 students to complete this program at this college. I only hope that I can find a rewarding career in my field that has a wage of more that $9.00/hour, which is what I have been offered so far. I've found tons of postings, but a lot of them want full degrees and Experience. I want to complete my degree, but as a married mother, I need to pay down the debt accumulated by this round of schooling first.

Good luck in your search.

PJ

Member Avatar for killer2021

Hehe, yes I understand what you are going through. I often browse the ads to see what employers are looking for (and hopefully atempt to get those skills - im only 17 now). I will be going down the same path as you (cc then transfer). The hardest part seems to be getting those first 2-3 years of experience then you will have something valuable to sell to an employer. I guess we can just see what happens...and hope it turns out in our favor.

Member Avatar for GriffIT34

I just entered the field, and there's alot of talk of how bad it was, after 2001 alot of ppl lost there jobs and the market was hard to get into. Now its supposedly coming back up(as long as ur qualified and willing to work). In1999-2001 anyone who could turn on a comp got a job (Y2K) and even in 2001 they still had inflated budgets, then budgets got cut and so did ppl. I don't know but I beleive and have to cause i've chosen this career that its on the rebound

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.