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Ok, so it seems these days everyone's job is at risk of being offshored to a cheap labor market. One of the career fields I hear about that is most at risk is computer programming. Now, I've always had a passion for computers and learning how they work. I took courses at a vocational school that helped me learn some basic programming skills and web design skills. I even started my degree in computer science before I learned about how so many programming jobs were being shipped overseas.
I would like to know from anyone who is in the field now (preferrably someone relatively new to it) if I should bother learning programming. I have a bachelor's degree already, and before I make the mistake of investing in another education that is hardly worth anything to employers, I want to know how lucrative these skills would be in the present job market. I have a pretty concrete understanding of C++ and basic programming algorithms. I would like to advance these skills by pursuing a certification of some sort.
First, is this a dying career field in the US? Is it true that it's extremely difficult to compete with the cheap labor from India? Secondly, if you still consider it a lucrative career field, where would someone who's relatively new to the field start? Most job postings I see in IT require some ridiculous amount of experience (10+ years, etc.) Thirdly, which languages/concepts would a beginner need to pick up immediately? I'm considering an A+ Certification as well as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer Cert. Would these provide a good starting point or be a waste of time to pursue?
Any advice on breaking into this field would be extremely helpful. Thanks in advance.
Some I/T careers are still in very strong demand. Get into high level network security--that's never getting outsourced to India.
It has with some companies that hire an Indian contractor (even the very large ones like Infosys, Tata, etc.) and don't know it's being outsourced behind their backs. They also will bring their Indian employees in on L visas to do it.
I dunno, I've been slowly trying to get out of it... sure there are jobs... but ...yeah the outlook is getting worse, and pay isn't what it used to be...
do it if you love it... i would absolutely not do it though if you are in it for the $...
If you do database or network engineering/security.. be aware that many companies only have ONE position for this... and multiple programmers/qa/pm/etc. etc.
They don't require that experience b/c it takes 10 years to learn it... it is just a saturated job market and they know they can get somebody relatively overqualified for it. So why take the risk on a newb?
My brother in law was hired at a defense contracting firm right out of college making $80k/yr. They even paid for his security clearance. Seems to me that is the area to get into.
so far, from all of your stories, it seems like it's give or take with this field.
Yeesh, are there any career fields besides engineering, nursing and accounting that are worthwhile anymore? i hear more and more these days how even MBAs are losing their value. What else is there?
I just read an article not too long ago about the commercial plane that crashed in Buffalo, NY last year. The article highlighted that the 24 year old co-pilot who died in the crash was making $16,000/yr and had to live with her parents in Seattle.
Plus you need stellar vision, and I'm near-sighted.
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So why take the risk on a newb?
