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Big news headlines seem to be positioned in a way to scare people away from tech jobs right now, but the hard reality is that every organization relies tech peo

Big news headlines seem to be positioned in a way to scare people away from tech jobs right now, but the hard reality is that every organization relies tech people, not just those few big tech companies in Silicon Valley that over-hired during the pandemic.

Mordisquitos 3y ago
Plus, I would argue that any argument trying to scare people away from tech jobs based on the current economic circumstances is worthless if it does not suggest a more promising alternative. Will an individual who has the appropriate qualifications and experience find that tech jobs are harder to find, less stable, and less well compensated than they were 5 years ago? Yes, absolutely! But will that same individual find that tech jobs are harder to find, less stable, and less well compensated than jobs in another industry right now? If so, which industry?
- phreack 3y ago
  Absolutely, it feels like every industry is having a hard time, so focusing on tech seems to be nothing more than clickbait.
  - DoreenMichele 3y ago
    People focus on tech because it was previously seen as immune to such drama, a sure thing, the safe bet. When even "the rich people" with "all the right stuff" can get laid off, people have Big Feels.
    - Clubber 3y ago
      >People focus on tech because it was previously seen as immune to such drama, a sure thing, the safe bet. Whoever thought that didn't work during 2001 or 2008, or has a short memory.
      - DoreenMichele 3y ago
        "Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose your job." Lots of people have skewed perspectives.
blitzar 3y ago
The only thing they position for is clicks, the only real agenda is clicks. Industry / Company / Place where people make lots of money firing people = lots of clicks.
- 007asdflkjsfd 3y ago
  good systems have disconnected incentives and connected outcomes. the same way advertisement upholds political correctness and same-thinking and make criticism harder, based solely on self interest and "not being demonetized by youtube", a journalist having clicks as the only metric will benefit whoever can spend money not caring for clicks to push an agenda to select the click-driving crisis du jour.
spaceman_2020 3y ago
If you were an average engineer destined to work in cookie-cutter roles in tech consultancies, would you still pursue a tech career, knowing that your job will sooner or later be taken over by AI? Remember that careers last 30 years, and if you're the average engineer, you're more likely to fall into the 80% of the pareto half than the 20%. Can you be confident that AI won't displace you in 10, 15, or even 20 years? This doesn't apply to Stanford grads destined for high-tech roles in FAANG tier companies. I'm taling about the Idaho State grads who will work for IBM and Accenture and likely won't make the $500k salaries to retire from their tech roles in 10 years.
- JKCalhoun 3y ago
  > Can you be confident that AI won't displace you in 10, 15, or even 20 years? 1) No, but I am nonetheless skeptical of AI-takeover in general — I'm in the wait-and-see camp and so wouldn't be put off by the might-happens. 2) If one were AI-alarmist, is there any profession you can be confident will not be displaced by AI in 10, 15, or even 20 years? 3) Confession: I'm retired and no longer have any skin in the game.
  - m_a_g 3y ago
    > 2) If one were AI-alarmist, is there any profession you can be confident will not be displaced by AI in 10, 15, or even 20 years? Many; Dentists, people that fix your AC, electricians, etc, etc.
    - post-it 3y ago
      If AI becomes capable of replacing the bulk of software developers, many trades will be replaced by a guy earning a little over minimum wage wearing AR goggles with an AI showing+telling them what to do and correcting their mistakes.
      - VLM 3y ago
        No need for the AR goggles, just hire day labor to work for a skilled tradesman as a labor multiplier, or try the old fashioned "here's a mobile phone do what your boss says" In the trades themselves, we've been doing this for centuries... have a master mason supervise the journeyman masons supervising the manual day labor. AI will not be able to compete with experienced personnel. In that field they've already dumbed down the entry level requirement to "pick up a brick and move it there" and it can't go much lower. On the other hand, if I were manufacturing survey equipment I'd worry about AR goggles as the competition.
KoftaBob 3y ago
"Big news headlines seem to be positioned in a way to scare people" regardless of the topic.

Mordisquitos 3y ago

Plus, I would argue that any argument trying to scare people away from tech jobs based on the current economic circumstances is worthless if it does not suggest a more promising alternative. Will an individual who has the appropriate qualifications and experience find that tech jobs are harder to find, less stable, and less well compensated than they were 5 years ago? Yes, absolutely! But will that same individual find that tech jobs are harder to find, less stable, and less well compensated than jobs in another industry right now? If so, which industry?

phreack 3y ago
Absolutely, it feels like every industry is having a hard time, so focusing on tech seems to be nothing more than clickbait.
- DoreenMichele 3y ago
  People focus on tech because it was previously seen as immune to such drama, a sure thing, the safe bet. When even "the rich people" with "all the right stuff" can get laid off, people have Big Feels.
  - Clubber 3y ago
    >People focus on tech because it was previously seen as immune to such drama, a sure thing, the safe bet. Whoever thought that didn't work during 2001 or 2008, or has a short memory.
    - DoreenMichele 3y ago
      "Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose your job." Lots of people have skewed perspectives.

blitzar 3y ago

The only thing they position for is clicks, the only real agenda is clicks. Industry / Company / Place where people make lots of money firing people = lots of clicks.

007asdflkjsfd 3y ago
good systems have disconnected incentives and connected outcomes. the same way advertisement upholds political correctness and same-thinking and make criticism harder, based solely on self interest and "not being demonetized by youtube", a journalist having clicks as the only metric will benefit whoever can spend money not caring for clicks to push an agenda to select the click-driving crisis du jour.

spaceman_2020 3y ago

If you were an average engineer destined to work in cookie-cutter roles in tech consultancies, would you still pursue a tech career, knowing that your job will sooner or later be taken over by AI? Remember that careers last 30 years, and if you're the average engineer, you're more likely to fall into the 80% of the pareto half than the 20%. Can you be confident that AI won't displace you in 10, 15, or even 20 years? This doesn't apply to Stanford grads destined for high-tech roles in FAANG tier companies. I'm taling about the Idaho State grads who will work for IBM and Accenture and likely won't make the $500k salaries to retire from their tech roles in 10 years.

JKCalhoun 3y ago
> Can you be confident that AI won't displace you in 10, 15, or even 20 years? 1) No, but I am nonetheless skeptical of AI-takeover in general — I'm in the wait-and-see camp and so wouldn't be put off by the might-happens. 2) If one were AI-alarmist, is there any profession you can be confident will not be displaced by AI in 10, 15, or even 20 years? 3) Confession: I'm retired and no longer have any skin in the game.
- m_a_g 3y ago
  > 2) If one were AI-alarmist, is there any profession you can be confident will not be displaced by AI in 10, 15, or even 20 years? Many; Dentists, people that fix your AC, electricians, etc, etc.
  - post-it 3y ago
    If AI becomes capable of replacing the bulk of software developers, many trades will be replaced by a guy earning a little over minimum wage wearing AR goggles with an AI showing+telling them what to do and correcting their mistakes.
    - VLM 3y ago
      No need for the AR goggles, just hire day labor to work for a skilled tradesman as a labor multiplier, or try the old fashioned "here's a mobile phone do what your boss says" In the trades themselves, we've been doing this for centuries... have a master mason supervise the journeyman masons supervising the manual day labor. AI will not be able to compete with experienced personnel. In that field they've already dumbed down the entry level requirement to "pick up a brick and move it there" and it can't go much lower. On the other hand, if I were manufacturing survey equipment I'd worry about AR goggles as the competition.

KoftaBob 3y ago

"Big news headlines seem to be positioned in a way to scare people" regardless of the topic.