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The demand for software developers and experts is a bottomless well right now in EVERY country. Hiring everywhere is a challenge. The problem is that software d

by foxyv 5y ago

The demand for software developers and experts is a bottomless well right now in EVERY country. Hiring everywhere is a challenge. The problem is that software development is genuinely challenging. Training is a huge problem because programs can't keep up with the new technology. In the past 10 years there have been 3 separate revolutions in our technology stack and 2 in our project management. Everything is moving at a lightning pace. The US doesn't really have a monopoly on global talent, we just pay the most for it wherever and whenever we can get a hold of it. We import talent at huge rates and we act as an education and training center for the world. One thing I've seen with remote work is that wages have gone up. All of a sudden, developers that were making $60k in some sleepy town are getting hired by huge software companies for sometimes two to three times as much and they are still making less than their in-office counterparts.

alistairSH 5y ago
It's not just the $60k developer in Sleepville, USA. Salaries in Bangalore have literally sky-rocketed.
- anon-686876876 5y ago
  Launching money into space is unlikely to help the situation.
  - alistairSH 5y ago
    That's about what it feels like dealing with comp over there. It's really insane. Great for the locals. Frustrating trying to hire and retain them from the US.
- bcg361 5y ago
  How high are they?
  - alistairSH 5y ago
    I haven't hired a developer in Bangalore in a few years now, but talking to colleagues, salaries are up 30% or more in the last 18 months. Enough so that our comp charts are way off and unusable.
danvonk 5y ago
If it really is a bottomless well everywhere, I must be doing something wrong...I just graduated from a well-regarded university in Germany with a degree in computer science and to be honest, it's not all that easy to get a job. For example, in London, as someone with no experience, you'll probably have to go with a graduate scheme--mostly at tech companies and banks. But when you apply, you'll be barraged first by cognitive aptitude tests, followed by situational judgement tests, then a LeetCode/HackerRank test. Deutsche Bank additionally requires you to pre-record answers to interview questions that they pose in an e-mail. Perhaps afterwards you'll be invited to an on-site interview where you can repeat the process. All of this machinery to filter out candidates doesn't scream out that they are that short on candidates.
- initplus 5y ago
  There is a shortage of people - with experience. A side effect of this is employers are less willing to take on less experienced staff as they lack the employees to act as mentors. Getting my first job in tech was the hardest - but since it has been smooth sailing as I have a track record of experience & war stories to tell.
- moooo99 5y ago
  Interesting, my experience was the exact opposite. I recently got my bachelors in business information systems and finding a well paid job turned out to be fairly easy (although my working student relationship with my current company certainly contributed to the easy hiring process). This seems to be a fairly common experience, at least among my peers.
- jahnu 5y ago
  That's institutional inertia and bureaucracy. Don't mistake it for the typical case. First job out of uni and can handle a lowerish salary? Find the startup scene in your area and network like crazy.
- i_have_an_idea 5y ago
  > All of this machinery to filter out candidates That's because most of the people that graduate with a CS degree can't code and, what is worse, can't be taught how to code. As an employer, it is also very expensive and time consuming to hire someone like that, since you're not just wasting money by paying someone who's non-productive, but you're also wasting the productive time of the team (or whoever is in charge of mentoring you) in a potentially fruitless attempt to teach you how to code. Unless you have work experience, there's no quick way to tell if you'll be able to learn or not. Faced with that problem, a lot of big companies just throw all the cognitive tests they can find at you and hope for the best.

by foxyv 5y ago

alistairSH 5y ago

It's not just the $60k developer in Sleepville, USA. Salaries in Bangalore have literally sky-rocketed.

anon-686876876 5y ago
Launching money into space is unlikely to help the situation.
- alistairSH 5y ago
  That's about what it feels like dealing with comp over there. It's really insane. Great for the locals. Frustrating trying to hire and retain them from the US.
bcg361 5y ago
How high are they?
- alistairSH 5y ago
  I haven't hired a developer in Bangalore in a few years now, but talking to colleagues, salaries are up 30% or more in the last 18 months. Enough so that our comp charts are way off and unusable.

danvonk 5y ago

If it really is a bottomless well everywhere, I must be doing something wrong...I just graduated from a well-regarded university in Germany with a degree in computer science and to be honest, it's not all that easy to get a job. For example, in London, as someone with no experience, you'll probably have to go with a graduate scheme--mostly at tech companies and banks. But when you apply, you'll be barraged first by cognitive aptitude tests, followed by situational judgement tests, then a LeetCode/HackerRank test. Deutsche Bank additionally requires you to pre-record answers to interview questions that they pose in an e-mail. Perhaps afterwards you'll be invited to an on-site interview where you can repeat the process. All of this machinery to filter out candidates doesn't scream out that they are that short on candidates.

initplus 5y ago
There is a shortage of people - with experience. A side effect of this is employers are less willing to take on less experienced staff as they lack the employees to act as mentors. Getting my first job in tech was the hardest - but since it has been smooth sailing as I have a track record of experience & war stories to tell.
moooo99 5y ago
Interesting, my experience was the exact opposite. I recently got my bachelors in business information systems and finding a well paid job turned out to be fairly easy (although my working student relationship with my current company certainly contributed to the easy hiring process). This seems to be a fairly common experience, at least among my peers.
jahnu 5y ago
That's institutional inertia and bureaucracy. Don't mistake it for the typical case. First job out of uni and can handle a lowerish salary? Find the startup scene in your area and network like crazy.
i_have_an_idea 5y ago
> All of this machinery to filter out candidates That's because most of the people that graduate with a CS degree can't code and, what is worse, can't be taught how to code. As an employer, it is also very expensive and time consuming to hire someone like that, since you're not just wasting money by paying someone who's non-productive, but you're also wasting the productive time of the team (or whoever is in charge of mentoring you) in a potentially fruitless attempt to teach you how to code. Unless you have work experience, there's no quick way to tell if you'll be able to learn or not. Faced with that problem, a lot of big companies just throw all the cognitive tests they can find at you and hope for the best.