I disagree. If you want to program, program. If someone can't bluff / impress / negotiate their way into some kind of programming position - and they need 'a jo

I disagree. If you want to program, program. If someone can't bluff / impress / negotiate their way into some kind of programming position - and they need 'a job' - then they are better off improving their skills or addressing whatever the issue is that is stopping them succeeding. These days 'lack of experience' should not be an issue - one can always start doing something on their own, help out an open-source project and so on. I guess I approach this from the point of view that you should never settle for less than what you want to do. Sure, some 'careers' involve a 'start at the bottom and work up' or 'start somewhere and work sideways' component, but I do not believe that coding / software development is one of those areas.