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Women tend to get chased out of any industry that is shrinking, especially if the industry continues to offer good pay to the survivors. The medical profession
by lkrubner 14y ago
Women tend to get chased out of any industry that is shrinking, especially if the industry continues to offer good pay to the survivors. The medical profession has grown, so we have more women doctors. The computer industry has shrunk, so women are getting pushed out. The number of computer programmers in America has shrunk by more than 30%. Sources:
Stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (USA):
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-programmers.htm http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/c...
2010 Number of Jobs 363,100
Especially worth a look:
http://americawhatwentwrong.org/story/programming-jobs-fall/ http://americawhatwentwrong.org/story/programming-jobs-fall/
"In its 1990 Occupational Outlook Handbook, the U.S. Department of Labor was especially bullish: “The need for programmers will increase as businesses, government, schools and scientific organizations seek new applications for computers and improvements to the software already in use [and] further automation . . . will drive the growth of programmer employment.” The report predicted that the greatest demand would be for programmers with four years of college who would earn above-average salaries.
When Labor made these projections in 1990, there were 565,000 computer programmers. With computer usage expanding, the department predicted that “employment of programmers is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through the year 2005 . . .”
It didn’t. Employment fluctuated in the years following the report, then settled into a slow downward pattern after 2000. By 2002, the number of programmers had slipped to 499,000. That was down 12 percent–not up–from 1990. Nonetheless, the Labor Department was still optimistic that the field would create jobs–not at the robust rate the agency had predicted, but at least at the same rate as the economy as a whole.
Wrong again. By 2006, with the actual number of programming jobs continuing to decline, even that illusion couldn’t be maintained. With the number of jobs falling to 435,000, or 130,000 fewer than in 1990, Labor finally acknowledged that jobs in computer programming were “expected to decline slowly.” "
- DavidWoof 14y ago"Computer programmer" jobs have declined largely because the new BLS categories of web developer and software developer have exploded. US Software Developer jobs are increasing at a rate much higher than average. Check out http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htm http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/h... for the new breakdown of what used to be "programmer". But even if you step away from the numbers for a moment, do you seriously believe that "the computer industry has shrunk" since the 1970s? Seriously?
- Uchikoma 14y agoAstonishing, they make a difference between "computer programmer" and "software developer".
- jiggy2011 14y agoSoftware developers are the creative minds who design the software on laptops with external keyboards whilst wearing bluetooth headsets. Computer programmers work in offices and translate the creative vision of cool guys with sideswept hair into computer code. TIL
- zb 14y agoHistorically speaking, this is completely correct: before there were compilers, a "programmer" was someone who did what is now done by compilers. The actual software was designed by engineers. (Earlier than that, even, a programmer was someone who physically toggled the switches to input programs written by engineers into a computer.) The only reason there are any jobs left in this category is that there are companies who still believe (incorrectly) that we should have "programmers" doing the mechanical task of translating UML diagrams drawn by "architects" into code. I am glad to see this category shrinking (in favour of the software development/engineering categories) - because everybody in this industry deserves to have the creative value of their work recognised - and I hope to see it approach zero in the near future. http://www.zerobanana.com/essays/reclaiming-software-engineering/ http://www.zerobanana.com/essays/reclaiming-software-enginee...
- Uchikoma 14y agoThanks.
- rayiner 14y agoWhile the other responses to your post seem accurate, I do want to fixate on one quote in the article: "Instead of seeking to create a level economic playing field, lawmakers and presidents, Democrats and Republicans, have permitted foreign governments to set American job policies by eroding the country’s basic industries." I think this "level playing field" talk is bullshit. The American government shouldn't strive to create a level playing field. It should strive to rig the game in favor of American workers as much as possible. That doesn't mean protectionism per se, but rather what India and China have the sense to do: free trade when it helps them, dirty underhanded tricks when they can get away with it.
- jarek 14y ago> free trade when it helps them, dirty underhanded tricks when they can get away with it. Do you think the U.S. doesn't do this today or hasn't done so in the past?
- praptak 14y agoMaybe, but rather to favor its corporations than workers.
- prodigal_erik 14y agoIf they rig the game to favor programmers, they rig it against anyone who needs software. Much as I enjoy my desk job that dovetails with my obsession, and take advantage of the current state of the labor market, I can't argue that I actually deserve even more lavish pay.