4 ms·

This has sure been my experience. I graduated with a CS degree from a typical state school in May, with a couple internships under my belt, and have only had jo

This has sure been my experience. I graduated with a CS degree from a typical state school in May, with a couple internships under my belt, and have only had job offers so far have been less than half what is reported to be the median pay. Most places don't respond at all even to decline, I'm given no indication many times that they read my resume / cover letter. Is this what a 'industry that can't fill its positions' looks like? Is this what unemployment being 'too low!' looks like? All these indicators seem fraudulent, and the facts on the ground seem more akin to what this author is postulating. It is hard to imagine what the economy used to be like at its peak, where one could allegedly find a reasonable job at the median pay-rate for the industry, when you are pretty much qualified, without applying to several hundred places.

pbourke 7y ago
There are several on-ramps to higher paying positions in the industry: Location - the tier 1 or 2 metro areas will have more jobs available and they will pay much more than areas with lower demand. Skills - either really hot (today, JS/fullstack I suppose) or really niche (know COBOL?) skills will boost your chances at landing a good high paying job early in your career. Credentials - anything with gatekeeping such as a security clearance or tons of required certs will tend to pay well. There are probably others. Networking is a great way to get past HR goalkeeping and connect with people who are one or two degrees away from a hiring manager. Go to meetups!
gnusty_gnurc 7y ago
The SW market is saturated for entry-level positions and geography can change things drastically. I don't doubt your experience because I had a similar one that I managed to progress past. But the US is far from developing nation just based on anecdata from someone having a hard time finding a job in a field.

pbourke 7y ago

There are several on-ramps to higher paying positions in the industry: Location - the tier 1 or 2 metro areas will have more jobs available and they will pay much more than areas with lower demand. Skills - either really hot (today, JS/fullstack I suppose) or really niche (know COBOL?) skills will boost your chances at landing a good high paying job early in your career. Credentials - anything with gatekeeping such as a security clearance or tons of required certs will tend to pay well. There are probably others. Networking is a great way to get past HR goalkeeping and connect with people who are one or two degrees away from a hiring manager. Go to meetups!

gnusty_gnurc 7y ago

The SW market is saturated for entry-level positions and geography can change things drastically. I don't doubt your experience because I had a similar one that I managed to progress past. But the US is far from developing nation just based on anecdata from someone having a hard time finding a job in a field.