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This article is needlessly sensationalistic and the claim that there is a "shortage" of ultra-elite engineers illustrates a basic misunderstanding of math. But

by crabasa 13y ago

This article is needlessly sensationalistic and the claim that there is a "shortage" of ultra-elite engineers illustrates a basic misunderstanding of math. But it does show us what a red herring the phrase "STEM" is. Let's not get bogged-down in STEM, or the differences between Engineering and Computer Science. There are massive differences both in the curriculum and quality of instruction even inside the field of CS. I believe there is a massive shortage of people who are capable of programming in mainstream languages and platforms. The tool chains that have been developed to solve problems for online retail, advertising, travel, media, entertainment, etc are now in the process of being applied to virtually every other industry. I think the failure of our industry (post-2000) to attract more people to this field is sad. I think the emphasis on ultra-elite SV talent ignores the broader application of programming to the world at large, and perpetuates an attitude that people who program are special, as opposed to simply being passionate practitioners of an increasingly creative trade. Below are some interesting links I've picked up on this subject: http://braythwayt.com/2013/04/29/calling-all-hackers.html http://braythwayt.com/2013/04/29/calling-all-hackers.html http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/education/edlife/why-science-majors-change-their-mind-its-just-so-darn-hard.html?_r=2 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/education/edlife/why-scien... http://readwrite.com/2012/05/17/computer-programming-for-all-a-new-standard-of-literacy http://readwrite.com/2012/05/17/computer-programming-for-all...

zanny 13y ago
Hey, I'm a CS grad who can write / has written a lot of C, C++, Java, C#, Python, and Javascript all pretty well (though I've been mostly using C++ / Python / JS so I'm rusty on the others) but I'm still job hunting after a year out of my BS mainly because I went to a small private school and I'm not the A talent this article talks about. If people needed bodies that can just write (or test, or comment, document) mainstream languages, I shouldn't have this much resistance to job hunting in Philly and NY (I live in the middle of nowhere PA, which doesn't help) even when I offer to come visit in person. I do think it is a maligned pipe dream amongst hiring departments of getting one of two things - 1. A 5+ year veteran a couple pay grades below what they are worth or 2. A rockstar supergenius savant that gradated college at 16 and knows every language from Cobol to Clojure. Going with someone like me (and I like to think of myself as an average SE) seems like settling to them, and they don't really need the work right now, they just want to exploit the productivity of a rockstar below their pay grade.
- crabasa 13y ago
  I'm bummed to hear you're still looking for a job, especially based on everything I'm hearing about the opportunities in New York. Are you willing to relocate, or are you specifically looking for a remote role. In any case, I'm certainly not making the case that it's easy to get a job. Virtually every step in the process is broken, from education to vocational training to job placement to recruiting. I think it's fair to say that companies have really not figured out how to hire. The current solution reminds me of overengineering: you hire an 9, even though you only need a 6 because you know there's a +/- 3 margin of error.

by crabasa 13y ago

zanny 13y ago

Hey, I'm a CS grad who can write / has written a lot of C, C++, Java, C#, Python, and Javascript all pretty well (though I've been mostly using C++ / Python / JS so I'm rusty on the others) but I'm still job hunting after a year out of my BS mainly because I went to a small private school and I'm not the A talent this article talks about. If people needed bodies that can just write (or test, or comment, document) mainstream languages, I shouldn't have this much resistance to job hunting in Philly and NY (I live in the middle of nowhere PA, which doesn't help) even when I offer to come visit in person. I do think it is a maligned pipe dream amongst hiring departments of getting one of two things - 1. A 5+ year veteran a couple pay grades below what they are worth or 2. A rockstar supergenius savant that gradated college at 16 and knows every language from Cobol to Clojure. Going with someone like me (and I like to think of myself as an average SE) seems like settling to them, and they don't really need the work right now, they just want to exploit the productivity of a rockstar below their pay grade.

crabasa 13y ago
I'm bummed to hear you're still looking for a job, especially based on everything I'm hearing about the opportunities in New York. Are you willing to relocate, or are you specifically looking for a remote role. In any case, I'm certainly not making the case that it's easy to get a job. Virtually every step in the process is broken, from education to vocational training to job placement to recruiting. I think it's fair to say that companies have really not figured out how to hire. The current solution reminds me of overengineering: you hire an 9, even though you only need a 6 because you know there's a +/- 3 margin of error.